Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-09-23
10 SEARCH FOR AN EXPLORER
LOST FIFTY-TWO YEARS AGO.

to absolute lack of water, to return
without any news They reached the
coast In 1856, and their report caused
everyone to give up the fate of the lost
expedition as hopeless. 1t was decided
that the Leichardt party had persisted
elmer from thirst or hunger, or that
one of the sudden and terrible floods for
which Australia is famous had overta-
ken them
So two years passed when strange
tale startled the people of Sydney. In
1858 an escaped convict entered the
town in the last stages of starvation
| and weakness from exposure and want
before he died he confessed that he had
been living far in the interior with 9TH
er men who had escaped from convict
settlements, and that DR.. Leichardt and
| his companions, having stumbled on
! this settlement, were being held by
them as prisoners because the conyicts
feared that he would betray their hid
ing place. Thereupon, in 1857, Gregory
followed the Victoria river and then
Thompson-Cooper and Strezleckl
creeks to the south coast, but, with the
exception of finding trees with the let
ter IL carved on them, he failed again
to find the expedition. In August, 1860,
DR.. Becker, an astronomer named
Wills and the explorer Becker tried it
again. Only one man survived of their
whole large force. He was found
year afterward in bushmen's village,
little more than a skeleton, and he re-
ported that the rest had died from hum
ger.
Years passed without more news.
Two other searches were made, but
they were without result, like those
that had preceded them, and the mem
DRY OF DR.. Leichardt was beginning to
be lost when a new story came to the
outer world from the hidden continent.
In 1872 an adventurer named Hume ar
rived at the coast and reported that far
in the wilderness, living with natives,
he had found Adolf Classen, one of
the Leichardt expedition. Classen had
told him that the members of the eX-
petition had become separated, and
that he had found his way to the ma
tive tribe, with which he had lived ever
since. He was too old and weak from
illness TO undertake the voyage back
with Hume. A force went out to res
cue Classen, but failed to reach him.
4 second party persisted in the deserts.
Again years passed, and again men
forgot the Leichardt expedition. Sud
denly, in 1883, detailed information
came. One OF the most noted OF Aus
tralian settlers, Alexander MoPlee,
brought it. He had met and spoken
with natives, who told him mat in an
other native village far in the interior
there lived two white men and two
blacks who wore civilized clothes. They
had come there with horses and cat
tie, which had died, and since then they
had been dwelling with the aDorigines,
sending messages asking for help
whenever they saw n tiyes who might
meet white men. Once more relief
party went out, and once more it
failed.
ind now, fifty-two years after he
disappeared, the sympathy Of the world
is aroused again by the touching news
OF lonely man who is still hoping for
help and the governments OF the colo
MES are determined to find him or to
find conclusive evidence that he is alive
no longer.
The new expedition is planned on a
huge scale. 1t is to move slowly, but
without deviation, in such a maner that
its members will beat the bush for
every mile of unexplored land. At in
tervals OF 200 miles camp will be made,
and the expedition will send out search
ing parties to cover all the surrounding
country. If they find nothing, they will
move on in a great Gordon to the next
camping place and repeat the search.