The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-18
THE WORK OF EXPLORERS.

THE WORK OF EXPLORERS.
Enormous Labor Involved in Making Fair.
" Good Maps of New Countries.
Few people who look at the maps OF
newly -explored countries know the
enormous work done by explorers be-
fore the regions can be fairly well
mapped The photographic material
DR. Stuhlmann has just sent to Europe
was collected on his journey from Ian.
zibar to Victoria Nyanza and north.
west to Lake Albert Edward and tho
region west of Albert Nyanza. The
material he sends home shows the work
he did for the maps in a year and half.
The material includes a route map
filing one hundred and forty-six 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 conspicuous OBJ
iects. One hundred and five octave
pages are filed with profiles of hill
slopes and of the country generally
Another manuscript volume contains
transcript of the geodetic measure.
ments about Bukoba, the German sta
ton on the west coast of Victoria
Nyanza- Two other journals are filed
with the route survey of DR.. Stuhl.
mann's journey from Bagamoyo, on the
Indian ocean, to Victoria Nyanza.
Every minute of marching time occu-
pies millimeter on the map, which
fills forty-six sheets, with total length
when put together of forty feet.
This route survey is accompanied by
thirteen tables showing mountain pro-
files 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 esti-
mates of height, meteorological obser-
vations, and SO on, extending to about
seventy thousand separate entries Be
sides all this photographic material the
explorer sent home large collections Of
natural history specimens, voluminous
notes on the people he met, and voca bu-
laries of twenty different languages
After all these data are in the hands OF
the geographers and photographers at
home, careful collations and laborious
calculations are required before cor
rect map can be constructed 1t is not
surprising, then, that years elapse be-
fore book of geographical travel can
be presented to the public
Some route maps in Africa are carried
out with a considerable degree of re-
fnement, like til Of Dr. Hans Meyer,
between Mombaba and Kilima-Nj aro.
Many others are detailed with less ac-
curacy, but they still approximately
define the position of many places and
give much information as to the topo-
graphic features, geologic formation
and character of the soil and vegetation.
When such surveys are multiplied by
scores every year, grid-ironing the coun-
try in many directions, it is easy to see
that the geographer who is able to use
all his original material to the best ad-
vantage must be a specialist in African
geography.
In the rush of African discovery dur
ing recent years, the photographers
have found it very difficult to keep their
maps abreast of information They
have had not only to record new discov-
cries, but fresh surveys of old discoy-
cries have time and again supplanted
the earlier surveys For instance, we
are now depending for our mapping OF
the southwest coast of Victoria Nyanza
upon the survey Of Father Schynss
made early in 1891. Since then, how
ever, DR.. Stuhlmann, more adequately
equipped with instruments than Father
Schynse, has made survey and reports
that in some respects Schynse's delinea-
ton of the coast is quite inaccurate
There is no doubt that the Stuhlmann
delineation of this part of Victoria Ny
ana will supplant the Schynse survey.
Men like Ravenstein, in England, and
Habenicht, Andree and Luddecke in
Germany have made their names par
ticularly well known in the field of
African cartography. The practice of
the best German atlas makers, who is
sue fresh atlas sheets whenever geo
graphical news of Importance is re-
ceived. has Seen great boon to stud
ent. of Afr,ca, many of whom keep
their aliases unbound that they may
replace old sheets with new additions
as fast as issued.-N. Y. Sun