The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-01
EXPLORING A DESERT
NEW AREAS IN GREAT WEST AUS
TRALIA VISITED

The Carnegie Party Returns After
Thirteen Months of Hard work.
Abundant Water Found in n Gave
just as the Water Supply Gave
Out-High Sand Hills.
! From the New York Sum-
the Carnegie expedition, which for
thirteen months has teen exploring the
great desert Of West Australia, has re-
turned. Its journey extended from the
well-known mining town Of Coolgardle,
Ill the south-central part of the prov
lnce, to the Kimberley gold mines in
the northwest of the continent. 1t
traversed considerable territory not
! previously visited and made some in
teresting discoveries.
! Mr. Carnegie fitted out and command
ed the expedition. He had three white
assistants. a black boy, eight baggage
/ camels, and provisions for six months.
He started on July 9, 1896. About 200
| miles north of Coolgardie he entered
| part of the Great Vivtoria desert,
Which no white man had seen before.
1t was a most desolate region, with no
grass or other forage for the camels.
There were only spinifeX, acacia, and
! OeiiSi vi az Eli uES III Tic way VI NGSe-
tation. After fourteen days travelling
| across this desert the water supply be-
! came SO far reduced that only a half
pint day was allowed for each person.
At last, when only two gallons of water
remained, the party met some natives,
one of whom they caught and finally
induced to pilot them to a water source.
| He led them four miles away to
Waterhcle of a remarkable character.
in 70 at of
! considerable extent. At the surface
was an opening three feet in diameter,
! against which rested one end of a stout
pole about twenty feet long, the other
end resting on the floor of the cave.
The natives had placed it there to
facilitate their, entrance and exit. Down
the pole the white men scrambled and
found themselves in chamber of con-
siderable size, from which they entered
a passage, with sloping floor, about
tv enty-five feet in length and so low
that they had to make their way on
hands and knees. AT the other end of
| the passage they reached a fine brook
| with plenty Of clear, cold water that
gave the expedition an ample supply.
Mr.. Carnegie named this water source
| Empress Soak"
Around the cave there was good fod-
der for the camels, and so they rested
| there for three days. Then they went
on over the desert to the northeast, and
when near Mount Worsnop they were
happy tc run across a lagoon with fresh
water upon which numerous wild ducks
and other water fowls were swimming.
The lagoon had a circumference of
about a mile and the water was from
a foot and a half to five feet in depth
The borders showed a fine growth of
mulga, acacia, and bioodWood trees,
and there was a grass covered meadow
which mich DELIGHT tn the
Mr.. Carnegie named this water source
WoodhouSe lagoon, and at this invit--
ing spot they remained for three days.
Then they pushed north again over
the ironstone, on which a considerable
growth Of the mulga tree fourishes.
They had an ample water supply, and
so did not suffer during the eight days
in which they saw no water. At the
end of this time they came to some
wells used by the natives, around which
grew plenty of waterbush, which was
highly relshed by the camels. Fur
Their north, on the west, side of the
Alfred and Maria range, they found an
ether small waterhole which had been
| recently visited by the natives. All
| these discoveries of water in one of the
most frightful deserts of the world are
| interesting because they were never
| known before. In the next ten days
| they found some areas that suggested
1iIdISh IdllO, Dul ylSlu6O very -utClG
| water. Their. supply became so short
at last that they tried the experiment
| of digging through the sand, difficult
urderta king, which occupied three
! days and they were rewarded at last
by only ten gallons of very dirty water
after digging to a depth of thirty feet.
| They had met number of natives, and
| for few hours they kept an old wom-
an in their camp in the hope that she
would reveal the source Of their water
| supply She would not give them a
particle of information, and at last they
| let her go.
The scarcity Of water and fodder con-
tinued until the expedition had travel
| ed as far north as Sturt creek For
days they had seen nothing but high
sand hills, spinifex, and ironstone. Not
until they reached 10 degrees 20 min
Utes south latitude was there a change
! for the better. They came at last to
| q region with a thick growth Of scrub
where, however, they had the misfor-
had eaten poisonous plants Their
| troubles were not over even when they
reached the well-watered and grassy
district between Christmas creek and
| the Margaret river, for here they lost
! Charles Stansnlore who accidentally
shot himself as he was getting ready to
! fire at a kangaroo. Not long after
| they reached the Kimberley gold fields,
where they replenished their supplies.
On the return journey they Travelled,
for the most part, little east of their
northern track to see if they could find
good route with sufficient grass to be
used for driving cattle from the Kim
| berley district southwark to the Cool
! gardie gold fields. They did not sue
coed in finding such a route, and part
of the region. if not more desolate than
that along their northern road, was
more difficult to cross, for they were
constantly ascending and descending
high sand hills. In distance Of ten
miles they crossed eighty-six of these
! hills.
The chief result Of their explorations
! is the evidence they obtained that the
most of the central part of West Aus
| tralia offers no prospect of good graz
ing lands or mineral resources In the
| center of this great waste they found
part of saddle and an iron tent pin
of patterns that have not been in use
| for many years, and they believe that
these objects are relics of the Leichardt
expedition, which nearly half century
ago was swallowed UP in the desert,