Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-01-09
A NEW GUINEA MOUNTAIN.
Fifty Days Taken to Climb the Highest
Peak I'm That Island.

point in New Guinea, was discovered
forty-four years ago and within the
last twelve years several futile attempts
have been made TO reach its summit.
| 1t is only sixty miles from the south
coast but eight explorers have in vain
attempted to reach its top. defeated in
every case either by the difficulties in
the way or the refusal of timid native
porters TO ascend mountain which is
the object of superstitious dread. 1t
was reserved for Sir William Mae
gregor, last year. to reach the goal,
and he trumphed because he discover
ed, west of the routes of other ex-
plorers, river. the Vanapa, rising
on the slope of the mountain and along
whose valley he travelled far on his
way.
1t was very difficult undertaking.
and would not have succeeded under
less determined leadership. When
most of his carriers refused to 90 fur
Their Macgregor told them he would
join the natives against them, and they
would have to reckon with whites and
blacks as enemies. When they said
they were too sick to travel he cured
them instantly with big doses of quiz
nine, and when they asserted that men
who had been sent back for food did
not intend to return he told them they
lied and said he would go with or with
out food. In the latter part of the as
cent he made six days rations hold out
for ten days, in spite of the ravenous
appetite of FIJI Joe. who, it was dis
covered later, ate two of the three new
specimens of birds discovered on the
mountain.
1t took fifty days to reach the top of
/ Owen Stanley from the coast. Hewing
their way through the dense under
growth the party sometimes did not
travel over II mile a day. Two men
were kept clearing a path with large
knives. The upper attitudes were
more difficult than other parts of the
journey, for bamboo stems an inch
thick were almost as close together as
wheat in a field. But in the upper
regions the party emerged above the
zone of clouds, in which they had wan
dered for days, seeing nothing save
their immediate surroundings. They
| found this stratum of clouds to be
nearly a mile thick. 1t was necessary
now and then 10 make halt while
bridge was built over an unfordable
branch of the river, and fall from
one of these bridges, a felled tree.
would have meant instant death, for it
spanned the stream just above a lofty
waterfall.
Macgregor and his white comrades
nearly forgot the hardships of that
rugged wilderness, which in all its
characteristics gradually merged from
tropical into Alpine. in the surprising
novelties which now and then beguiled
the weary way. One day they came
to suspension bridge over 200 feet
long and spanning a chasm 80 feet
above the water The cables were tif-
teen rattan canes knotted together at
the ends and fastened to trees on eth
! er bank. The floor was four canes
fastened TO the cables five feet above
by other rattans, and the sides were
formed of five stretches of rattan. 4
cross section of the bridge was nearly
V shaped. The party crossed it five at
a time, and from all appearances it
could have borne many more. Plat
form approaches were built at the
ends and, altogether, it was re-
markable structure to be conceived
and carried out by so primitive a peo-
pie.
The natives of these uplands never
go TO the coast. They were on very
friendly terms with the expedition.
and sold Macgregor an abundance of
| food as long as he was within reach.
They told him they used the bow and
spear, bit he never saw weapon in
their hands, and they apparently left
them behind when they visited him,
fearing that their intentions would be
misunderstood if they came armed.
They told him their legs were too weak
and their breath too short TO permit
them to 90 with him to the mountain
top. He thought them physically su.
perior to the coast natives and less dis
trustful of the whites than those abort
gines who had seen more of them.
They urged him to GO no further and
tried to tempt him by lavish supply
of sugar cane, pigs, yams, sweet po-
tatoes. and bananas to sojourn awhile
in their villages. Previous explorers
who attempted Mount Owen Stanley
by routes further east had very differ
ent stories to tell of the natives, with
whom some of them had serious trou-
BILE.
AS the climb went on moss and
heath succeeded to grass, stunted UNI
dergrowth to fine timber. and tenn
perature of about 60 degrees at noon
| to sweltering heat. The crest of Owen
Stanley, with its six little peaks, was
gained at last. Many days before the
party had passed the upper limit of
tropical fruits, but far up the noun
tain, they RECALLED themselves with lus-
cious strawberries. lcicles were found
on the crest. and little frog. benumb-
ed with cold, in pool of water. Far
away was a glorious vision of the sea,
but near at hand an ocean-like eXpanse
of snow-white clouds chung to the
mountain sides far below, concealing
the tropical zone and looking like
picture of the Arctic world. with its
icy peaks and frozen snow. They
were far above the region of mist
and damp and were breathing the air
of one of the finest climates in the
world.
During the two days camp on top
of the mountain its height was COM
| rnfad NJ 10 IO1 foot II xyoe a enlen-