The Opelousas courier., 1892-07-30
RORAIMA'S BIG FLAT TOP
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE
MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD.
Its Almost inaccessible summit
Wall of Rock 1000 Feet High
what E%rDlOrerS Found.

Its Almost Inaccessible summit-A
Wall of Rock 1000 Feet High
w Explorers Found.
|OR the first time white men in
IL November last spent a night on
v the summit of the famous Mount
Rorania, on the border of
British Guiana and Venezuela, a noun
tain whose summit for many years was
supposed to be inaccessible. When Sir
Robert schomberg discovered the noun
tain, he declared it was impossible to
reach its top except by balloon. Three
later explorers. Messrs. Brown, Whe:-
ham and Whitley, were eager to solve
the mystery of Mount Roraima's summit,
but all came home declaring that the
upper 1000 feet of the great sS dstone
mountain was a perpendicular wy, and
they believed it to be impossible to gain
the summit. 1t was left for Mr.. Ever
ard Thurn to conquer Roraima. He
gained its summit in December, 1854.
He was so fortunate as to find on one
face of the mountain a narrow ledge,
rather perilous Of ascent, which afforded
a pathway to the summit.
The mountain is about 5000 feet
above the level of the sea; but the ex-
plorer, when he reaches the base OF the
p~ercipitous ascent, is already 5000 feet
above the sea. The explorer was not
able to carry up the mountain supplies
for a %sojourn there, and he was therefore
compelled to return to his camp on the
anne day. His collections. however,
made both on the mountain top and
around its base, were of much value. Ii
bad been supposed that the flora of the
mountain top would be found to be diff
ferent from that of the plain. To some
extent this expectation was realized by
the discoveries of Mr.. Thurn.
The mountain was not afterward
visited until November of last year,
when it was climbed by Mr.. 3" Cromer
and Mr.. Seyler, collectors OF orchids.
They not only succeeded in reaching its
top, but they spent a night there, took
several photographs of the scenery, aud
wandered over a considerable part of the
surface, which stretches back twelve
miles from the face on which the ascent
was made. The Indians felt the cold at
tho top of the mountain SO severely that
they were sent back.
The two white men then explored the
summit, finding toward the south many
gigantic and ~marvelouslv shaped rocks,
forming, as Mr.. Bromef describes them,
ssmaiestic palaces, churches and fort
resses. Other smaller rocks resemble
pyramids, umbrellas and kettles, and
one bore a striking resemblance to the
statue of a man." Between thesSe
grotesuue masses of rock, whose shape
is evidently due to weathering, the rock
being of unequal hardness, were in
Vulnerable little lakes, some Joined to-
gether by channels. Most of these lakes
were shallow, though here and there a
depth of six feet was found. Many new
species of orchids aud other plants were
found, but the mountain top seemed
almost destitute of animal life. The
discoveries included also n black
butterfly, a few spiders, some small frogs
and lizards, and IN unnamed dark-coi-
ored mammal, which on the approach of
the explorers gave a sound like a whistle
and crept swiftly away into q hiding
place. The largest lake was 450 feet
wide, and all the lakes were swarming
with q sort of black beetle.
The general shape of the top of the
mountain is that of a shallow dish. The
surface sinks somewhat away from the
edges of the plateau. The general char
acter of all the plants Is dwarfsh and
almost Alpine. Everything at the sum-
NIT is in a state of approximation on ac-
count of the constant mists and the FREE
quent heavy clouds and rain storms that
occur. Waterfalls pour over the edge
of the summit in various places, and n
fall which is fully 1000 feet high and
has quite a large volume of water is
probably the highest falls in the world.
Mount Roraima is one of the most re-
markable natural objects to be found
anywhere. It is made for the most part
of soft sandstone, and the heavy winds
and storms are denuding it with cons1d-
cradle rapldity and f~ashionlng the many
remarkable shapes of rock that are found
- IT, n L.