Arizona republican., 1899-05-23
2,OOOMILESUP THEAMAZON
Commander Todd Describes inc Re-
 cent C,uiSe Of inc Wilmington.

| WdSl4It3jOI- A.tN -Z--1 uG navy CO partment has just received from Com marder Todd Of the Wilmington an ! interesting account Cr the remarkable voyage of exploration up the Amazon river made jby that vessel last month. l Tie Wilmington was instructed by
 the navy department to push on up the great riven and ascertain how i far it was navigal5le Captain Todd reports that he ascended to Equitos in Peru, which is believed to be about 1 2,1OO miles up the river. This voyage was made, as he says, against an ad-
 verse current, averaging three knoys for the entire distance
 Manaos, at the junction of the Rio
 Negro with the Amazon, has hereto fore been regarded as the head of nav igation for steam vessels, and from that fact has grown to be a prosepr-
 GUS city of 40, 900 inhabitants Conse- qUently the intention of Captain Todd to ascend the rlver above that point
 caused oonsternation, ard, in the end. as revealed tby subsequent reports, led to some adverse demonstration
 against the American consul and
 against the native pilots who assisted
 the Wilmington's commander to make
 the voyags.
 Captain Todd succeeded, notwitE-
 standing these obstacles, in ascending
 the Amazon for 1000 n6les above
 ManaOs, and had it not besn fer lack
 of fuel, he could have steamed 300
 miles further. he believes. As it was,
 the Wilmington, which entered the
 Amazon from the Atlantic ocean, was
 within about 100 miles of the Pacific and well into Peru before she turned
 backward down the river.
 The possibilities of successful nav
 igation of the vast and hitherto un- known interior of South America re- vealed by Captain Todd's voyage will, it is believed, be of the greatest com mercial importance, and the navy de- partment will probably take steps to see they are made known to the mari time world. Unfortunately. Captain Todd shows the great Amazon, like the Mississippi, is so changeaIble in it's channels as not to permit of success ful charting, so that expert pilots wiu always be required
 The Wilmington left Mauaos, in Brazil, April ,, for the upper river, and arrived at Equitos on the 18th of April, running day and night. stopping only twice, f1ISt to procure fresh meat for the ships company, and again to procure green bod for the living sri- mals aboard, for the Wilmington Is collecting geological park here. The greatest vigilance was required in the upper river navigation, owing to the logs and drift brought down by the flood waters, and the commander and executive officer took the night watches thanI5elves. It was soon found that the existing charts were of no value, whole islands disappearing with the charge of a season. Not less than seven fathCms Of water was found on the way up from Manaos, | and the upper river ran through 2 | thickly populated country, the cEarac- | ter of the people changing from Por tugese and Brazilian Indians to Peru | vians and Peruvian Indians
 Commander Todd proposed to make 2 trip to the great tributary, Rio | Madeira, before leaving the Amazon. There have been a few mild cases Of malaria among the ships company. yielding readily to treatment.