Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-17
THE WORK OF EXPLORERS,
Enormous Labor Involved in Making Fairl
Good Maps Of New Countries.


From the New York Sun
Few people who look at the maps Of newly
explored countries know the enormous work
done by explorers before the regions can be
fairly we'll mapped. The photographic material
DIR. Stuhlmann has just sent to Europe was col
lected on his journey from Zanzibar to Victoria
Nyanza and northwest to Lake Albert Edward
and the region west of Albert Nyanza. The ma
terial he sends home shows the work he did for
the maps in year and a half.
The material includes a route map filing l46
octave sheets. Every five minutes the direc-
ton of the line of march was noted and during
the journey many thousand compass bearings
were taken to distant mountains and other con-
spicuous objects. One hundred and five octave
pages are filled with pro6les of hill slopes and
OF the country generally. Another manuscript
volume contains q transcript of the geodetic
measurements about Bukoba, the German sta
ton on the west coast of Victoria Nyanza. Two
other journals are filled with the route survey
OF DIR. Stuhlmanns journey from Bagamoyo
on the indian ocean. to Victoria Nyanza. Every
minute OF marching time occupies a millimeter
on the map, which fills forty-six sheets. with
total length, when put together. of forty feet.
This route survey ia accompanied by thirteen
tables showing mountain profiles and many
sketch maps drawn ON the spot. giving facts on
a larger scale for special regions. Then there
is large folio volume giving all the estimates
of height. meteorological observations and SO
on, extending to about 70, 900 separate entries
Besides all this photographic material the ex-
Plorer sent home large collections of natural
history specimens, voluminous notes on the
people he met and vocabularies of twenty DIFF
ferent languages. After all these data are in
the hands of the geographers and photographers
at home careful collation. and laborious calcu-
lations are required before correct map can
be constructed. 1t is not surprising then that
years elapse before a book of geographical
travel can be presented to the public.
Some route maps in Africa are carried out
with a considerable degree of refinement. like
that OF DIR. Hans Meyer between Mombasa and
hilima Marc. Many others are detailed with
less accuracy, but they still approximately
define the position of many places and give
much information as to the topographic
features. geologic formation and character Of
the soil and vegetation. When such surveys
are multiplied by scores every year, gridiron-
ing the country in many directions il is easy
to see that the geographer who is able to use
all his original material to the best advantage
must be a specialist in African geography.
In the rush of African discovery during re-
cent years the photographers have found it very
difficult TO keep their maps abreast of Informal
ton. They have had not only to record new
discoveries, but fresh surveys of old discover
les have time and again supplanted the earlier
surveys. For instance, We are now depending
for our mapping of the southwest coast Of Vic
toria Nyanza upon the survey OF Father
Schvnse. made early in 1891. Since then, how
ever, DIR. Stuhlmann. more adequately equipped
with instruments than Father Schynse, has
made survey end reports that in some re-
spects Schynses delineation of the coat is quite
inaccurate. There is no doubt that the Stuhl-
mann delineation OF this part Of Victoria Ny
ANA will suppiant the Schynse survey.
Men like Ravenstein in England and Habe-