The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-17
RORAIMA A WONDERLAND.
Mysterious Country Near the Schom
Durgk Line in Venezuela.

foundary commissions work will be
we solving of the most remarkable
geographical enign,as in the world and
tite exploration of what is regarded as
unique natural wonderland. This re-
HRrkable region is number of elevated
AID isolated areas of land, situated on
what the British call British Guiana's
southwestern boundary, which is in the
Disputed territory. 1t is on the British
de of the Schomburgk line. \ British
guiana newspaper describes this region,
rs far as it is known, and expresses the
fope that the final settlement of the
boundary controversy will leave it well
within British bounds. Should there be
Another result, however, the newspa-
per says, the region should be made an
International park, something on the
l3lan of the Yellowstone park reserva-
zion.
The region is called by the Indians
"Roraima," but the several isolated
areas are known by distinctive names.
Each consists of what might be called
Rn isolated mountain, but is really
Nable-land, comprising an area of 100
fr more square miles, elevated several
Thousand feet above the surrounding
sSa1try, The rocky sides of the noun
tains are as perpendicular as the Hudson
river palisades and entirely bare of vege-
tation, and have defed all attempts to
scale them. The level submits are Gov
cred with trees and other vegetation
and down the rocky sides fall a large
number of cascades of considerable size,
indicating the certain existence of rivers
and streams on the mysterious SUBMITS,
and probably of lakes that feed the
rivers. The SUBMITS have been OBJ
served with telescopes, and are known
to be as full of plant life as the tropical
plains below, but beyond this nothing
is known.
Because so little is known of the con-
dition OF these table-lands occasion is
given for all manner of speculation as
to what exists there. That the vegeta-
ton is quite different from that on the
plains below the telescope shows; and
that it should be so is quite natural, as
the table-ands are 1000 or more feet
ais llCl ollrllt VIC Bidlli9' w llIlO tllN vi
mate of the plains is tropical, that of the
table-lands must be temperate, not only
because of their elevation, but because
of the free play the winds have about
them.
OF the geology of the region this ex-
PLANTATION is given: This part of South
America rose slowly from the sea,
The Roraima mountains were formed
precisely as was the rest of the land,
and are not the result of volcanic action.
Hence they must have been above the
ocean before the surrounding plains
appeared. They stood 1000 feet above
the level of the sea when the neighbor
ing tops were but islands in the ocean.
In the course of period difficult to APP
perciate the adjacent valleys and plains
appeared above the water and became
covered with vegetation and animal
life. But the isolated plateaus' of
Koraima had a tremendous start of the
plains below. Here comes the alleged
ground for the speculation that perhaps
on these mysterious SUBMITS there eX-
lists fora and fauna unlike any found
elsewhere, forms of life that long since
disappeared from other parts of the
world, but remained the same on these
SUBMITS, because unaffected by the in
huences of communication with the
outer world. All sorts of wild guesses
have been hazzarded regarding the eX-
istence of strange reptiles and animals
among the streams and forests OF
Roraima.
The cascades falling from the SUBMITS
are among the highest in the world.
One is 1000 feet high and is
broad enough to be visible 30 miles
away. 1t falls sheer, without break.
The mountains from which these cas-
cades fall form the dividing watersheds
of the Amazon, the Orinoco and the
Essequibo, the three great rivers of
South America, and the waters of the
cascades flow some to one and some to
another of these rivers. 1t is argued
that to supply these waterfalls there
must be a considerable body of water
on the mountain plateaus, and it is
1.atural to conclude that where there are
large bodies of water there are fish and
reptiles. The resulting conclusion that,
because these fish and reptiles must
have been isolated on the mountain tops
for ages, they are likely to be different
from any known species, is regarded as
quite natural. The mountain plateaus
form practically little countries by
themselves. like islands, but more $50
lated, because the ocean of air that sur
rounds them does not afford the facili-
ties for communication with other
islands as do the waters of the ocean it
self
One of the plateaus, known as Kuken-
ham, which is better situated for OBJ
servation than any of the others, is es-
timated to have an area of 200 square
miles or more. The smallest, which
bears the name common to the group,
Roraima, is estimated to contain 50 to
$40 square miles.
The story of the mysterious region is
not new, at least to British Guiana. 1t
is many years since any scientific men
. L. l.,,.r