Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-11-18
MANY VALUABLE DISCOVERIES.
Interesting Results Of Nj. Hedin'.
Trnvele In Unknown REGIONS.

MANY VALUABLE DISCOVERIES.
Interesting Results Of Mr. Hedin's
Travels In Unknown Regions. /
At the headquarters Of the Russian
Imperial Geographical Society in st.
Petersburg Sven Hedin, the celebrated
Swedish traveller. delivered On address
before a large and brilliant audience
upon his recent journey across the
Pamir. the Kashgar and the Lob Nor.
Sven Hedin's researches resulted in q
number Of valuable discoveries not
only in the field Of physical geography
and geology, but also in those Of eth !
biography and archaeology. The ex-
plorer started at the beginning Of 1894
for the Pamir military post in Kash-
garia and four times in the course Of
the ensuing summer made the ascent
of the Mustagh Alta (Father Of the
Mountains of 1ce), one Of the highest
submits in the Pamirs. He reached
an altitude of 10000 feet above the sea
level. The mass of the mountain is
composed of gneiss and crystalline
schist. Notwithstanding the rigorous
climatic conditions in that region,
where the temperature is subject to
sharp variations, the rarefaction of the
air, the immense altitude and the large
number of dangerous crevasses, Sven
Hedin succeeded in making a very cor
rect map of the glaciers of the Mustagh
Alta.
During the autumn of the same year
the traveller proceeded in the direction
of Lake Teschil-Kul to explore it and
also the Alid-Schur mountain range.
He returned to Kashgar to pass the
winter and spent the time in arranging
the scientific material which he had
collected.
In February, 1895. Sven Hedin set out
to cross the Takla Markham desert,
which had never before been explored,
even by natives. His object was to OBJ
serve the sand hills in that region,
which rise sometimes to a height of 100
feet. The complete dearth Of vegeta-
ton and water rendered this journey
very arduous and dangerous, inasmuch
as instead of taking enough water for
ten days he took only four days sup
ply. On his way across the desert he
lost several of his men, his camels and
a number of scientific instruments, ill.,
Guiding his Photographic apparatus.
Eventually he had to return to Kasll-
gar by way of Ansou to obtain n fresh
supply of provisions. Pending the ar
rival Of new apparatus and instru-
ments, which could not reach him for
three months, Sven Hedin proceeded to
explore the source Of the Anu Daria
and the Hindu Kush range.
In December, 1895, he left Kashgar
for the last time, travelling by way of
Khotan toward Lake Lob Nor and trav-
ersing another desert 800 kilometers
across. During this Journey, which oc-
cupied four months and a half, Sven
Hedin discovered the remains of two
ancient towns and the ruins of Bud
dhist monuments. Proceeding as far as
the Keria Daria River, he ascertained
that this stream ran as far as 80 de-
grees 80 minutes north. He found in
that region a tribe of half savage shep-
herds unknown eve to the Chinese.
Pushing on to the Chinese town Of
Koreia, along the banks of the River
Tarim, Sven Hcdin reached the Chinese
or northern part of Lake Lob Nor,
which Prjevalsky was unable to dis
cover, apparently because this lake
probably empties itself, whenever there
isanabundance of water, into it's south
ern portion, the only one seen by the
Russian explorer. Further on the
Swedish traveller followed up the
course Of the Kutcha-Da River.
which flows into the northern part Of
Lob Nor and connects n whole series of
oblong-shaped lakes, the more norther-
ly OF which had up to that time NOT
been discovered.
From Lob Nor Sven Hedin, in the
spring of 1896, came back to Khotan
via Tcherien, Kipa, Mia and Keria, and
then returned to Keria in order to un
dertake a Journey in northern Tibet
and on the heights of that region. Dur
ing the expedition the explorer discov-
cred a lofty mountain range, whose
highest peak rose about $4,000 feet
:rbovc sen level, and which was named
by Sven Hedin Mount Oscar. He also
found IN this region twenty-three salt
water lakes. During the whole of the
two months the expedition lasted not
a single human being was met with.
Sven Hedin then proceeded via Tsai-
dam, Kaku Nor, Sinin Flu, Liam Tcllu,
the deserts of ALA Schan and Ordos to
Pekin, which city he reached March Il,
1897, across northern China. The cxpe-
dition, the cost of which was betrayed
by the King Of Sweden, Mi. Nobel and
several other rich Swedish gentlemen,
was the means of securing botanical,
geological and archaeological collec-
tions (notably several ancient Buddhist
MSS. found at Khotan) and about 500
sheets of Typographical plans, as we'll
as a large number of Photographs
London News.