Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-28

Written for The Evenins Star
DROP. CARRIERS CONTEMPLATED Ex-
Il petition to gorilla land 10 exciting consid-
cradle scientific interest here HIS learned
friends are assisting him in the preparation Of
the most remarkable equipment ever carried
BY an explorer. 1t Will include Photographs
telephones. Photographic apparatus, an cleo
| trio telegraph and . complete taxidermists
outfit. There will be a big cage, eight feet
cube, which the traveller himself intends to
| occupy, also a small cage TO hold gorilla, in
Case one is captured alive. The armament to
be taken along for offensive and defensive pur-
poses will be altogether extraordinary and of
character unheard Of hitherto.
TIE EXPEDITION
will enter the mouth of the Gaboon river, lust
under the equator on the west coast Of Africa,
and. having secured An escort of natives will
proceed up the stream for distance of lI2
miles. Al that point the first OF a series of
cataracts and rapids il reached. and there the
party will disembark, plunging southwark into
,he tropical forests of the gorilla country.
locality tLat Is particularly infested by these
giant apes will be sought. and there. in the
midst OF the bowling equatorial Wilderness the
professor will set up his cage.
He will occupy II alone. at night as well as in
the DAY time, being merely connected by tele-
phone wire with the rest of the party, which
Will be located at distance of half mile or
more. It's necessary for his purpose that
the animals whose language he il DESTROYS of
studying should be disturbed in their native
haunss as little possible His conversations
with them will be solitary dialogues, unless,
perchahee, be should be SO fortunate as to Sc
cure the presence Of several gorillas at once
around bis Enclosure.
THE CAGE
will be- conafrurfad in Nav Yorh II L. IL, IA
made Of ALUMINIUM. for the sake of lightness
and will be built in eighteen sections. Thus il
can be carried very easily. All Of its Joints
Will lock automatically when it is set up. The
noor will be of rubber Strong steel chains
wlii fasten 1t to the ground, lest any gorillas
should take notion TO walk away with il.
Every possibility of attack however in suf-
hciently provided against in other ways A
powerful electric battery will be so arranged
that by the touch of q button the entire cage
save only the rubber floor will be instan-
taneously charged with electricity. II Prof
t .rarner sees any hostile and dangerous crea-
ture approaching he will merely have to press
the button and tho electric fluid viii do the
rest. The fierce gorilla-supposing such q
case.-upon erssping the bars will receive .
shock of SOC volts. 1 his is enough to kill man,
who Is able TO survive more powerful stroke
OF such lightning than any other animal.
Recourse would not be had to such means Of
defense upless il we're absolutely necessary
because the professors object is to cultivate
friendly relations with the gorillas, and not to
nlure them. But these huge apes are said to
be the most dangerous and ferocious creatures
in existence, invariably attacking man on sight,
and so it is as well to be prepared. short dis
lance from the cage On all sides will be ex-
,endea copper wires, arranged in such msn-
about two feet from the ground ct q
moments notice. though ordinarily thew
SIMPLY lie slack in the grass. suppose that a
whole troop OF fierce animals enraged by the
presence of the cage and its occupant, should
make a rush t. destroy the one and captur, the
other. Then the bold scientist would touch a
button, the wire barriers would spring taut all
around him. and the foes upon touching them
would be knocked hors du combat by q ire
be powerful enough to sustain in the cage a
voltage OF 500 volts for thirty minutes, which il
likely to be sufficient for all purposes
HOW THE aoRILLAs WILL BE ATTRACTED.
Some curiosity has been expressed ss to the
means by which Prof. Garner will attract the
gorillas to his cage in order to interview them.
He does not anticipate any difficulty about
that. In the first place these animals are SO
aggressively disposed that they may approach
Again. their curiosity is likely to draw them.
But reliance is had for the purpose upon GER
tain devices. EHgies resembling human beings
or gorillas. or both, will be constructed and
placed in natural attitudes near the cage to
serve as decoys. Every one knows how fond
all monkeys are OF looking at themselves in
the glass, and this weakness of theirs il to
be taken advantage OF. Large mirrors. to
be taken along with the outfit, will be set
up outside the cage, and any goriiias
looking glasses will presumably be induced
to stay and make remarks concerning
their own personal appearance. Besides ali
this. the professor hopes to excite the interest
OF the beasts by learning the meaning Of their
varied howls and responding to them himself
as seductively as possible. Fruit, too upon
which gorillas depend chiefly for their diet,
will be scattered around for bait.
RECORD TAKEN.
Having induced the gorillas to come near the
cage, when they will doubtless have plenty of
observations to make in their own Language.
the next thing requisite is to record what thew
say. This will be done by means Of a phono-
graph winch Mr. Edison Ia now making ex-
pressiy for the purpose. 1t will be diff
ferent from any other photograph ever seen.
For one thing, il will have two cylinders.
which will be worked simultaneously by an
electric motor, one cylinder receiving and re-
cording sounds, while the other one grinds ont
remarks. The object Of this is readily ex-
planned. Suppose that gorilla comes up 70
the cage and utters lot Of what seems life
gibberish. the horn attached to the instrument
absorbing it and revolving cylinder TAX
approaches. and it i desired to
find out what il will say in re-
Spouse to the utterances of the fret. By COM
pairing the two it is hoped to get an inkling of
the meanings intended. So q blank cylinder
will be set going on the machine to receive the
words Of the second gorilla, while at the same
time the first cylinder is kept going round and
repeating aloud the yelps and howls of gorilla
No. one.
INGENIOUS PHOTOGRAPHIC.
For the purpose Of demonstration, after his
return. the professor proposes to take photo
graphs of the gorillas, the cage and himself BY
an ingenious plan of his own. Pop cameras
will be arranged outside the cage so ~ to make
pictures at any moment desired. II will add
greatly to the interest Of the results ex-
pected if he can show when he gets back
Photographic representations OF himself in
the act of interview wing gorllas. Nothing more
striking can well be imagined than such fash
light impressions at night of q cage set up in
the midst Of the tropical forest ilumiued by
electricity, with an enthusiastic scientist in
side listening to the objurgatory remarks of an
assemblage Of giant African apea
DEEENsIvE WEAPONS.
Prof. Garner anticipates that thsre win be
some danger to be met with, but he Roes pre-
pared. He wants particularly to secure q live
gorilla TO put in the little cage in order that
he may have an opportunity TO study its small
talk. He will take with him not only