The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-10
EXPLORATIONS IN O b TN AMERICA.

Sir Martin Conway arrived in this country on
Wednesday on hi, way TO South America to re-
sumo his explorations among the Cordilleras'
lie will no to Lake T~itacaca. and his purpose Is
to make a triangulation and plane-table survey
OF the cast IN part Of the Cordill"ra Heal In
Bolivia. such as he made OF the western part OF
I Is range in iSns. Tho Cordilera Real Is tie
backbone CT Bolivia. T. the east these erent
mountains AL very rapidly TO a low, billy
country and the fertile valleys which s nd their
waters to the Bent tributary Of the Amazon.
Conway saw very little OF this side Of the range
during his work in 1895, and II Is thithcr he Is
now returning. There Is no more fruitful field
OF exploration than tho Cordlleras OF South
America. and no man Is better qualified TO make
additions OF permanent value to our Knowledge
Of these still unsurvcyed mountain regions than
the explorer who won his well-deserved fame
among the Hlmalayas and the Alps of Spi,z-
bergen.
There Ia now more room for the pioneer ex-
plorer in South America than In Central Africa.
Fairly satisfactory exploration has been made
along the great river cours's. but immense
areas. often densely clad with forest, which lie
between the rivers are still almost unknown.
Systematic exploration remains TO be made OF
nearly the whole range of the Andes. There
are large oppor' unities for nnoficill explorers.
who are ambitious to win laurels In geographic
cll work. 10 carry out such excellent surveys IA
those made BY whymper In the region Of the
Chimborazo and by Conway on the west side OF
the Cordillera Real.
Though 30 much remains to be done the eX-
ploration Of the Andes has been rapidly ad-
~vancinR In the past few years. One result Of
the long dispute between Chilli and Argentina,
now happily settled. has given the greatest sat
i~sfaction to g~eoRraphers. Nomoun,ain explo-
ration and surveys outside Of Europe and the
parts Of our own Cordillera' mapped by the
Geological Survey have been moro thorough
than that which Chill and Argentina carried on
In the sven years ending in 1898. The resulting
maps OF the Andsan region between Cape Horn
and the thirty ninth parallel are modelled on
accurate surveying and minute Information.
They have clearly revealed a wholly unknown
region and have made the best map sheets OF
those parts of South America, published five
years ago, ~valuelsss in the light Of the later dis
coveriel. Don Francisco Moreno. the most
active agent in this work. explored the eastern
slopes of the Patagonian Andes. discovered
numerous Alpine LAKES. and surveyed the lofty
region Of the Puma of Afacama. Second only
In Importance to these surveys In the southern
Cordlleras are the explorations of the three
survey parties Of our Intercontinenta Rail-
way Commission which accomplished a large
amout OF valuable geographical work between
1890 and 1909 from the northern part OF
Central America to Lake Titlcaca, Its
maps and p~rofles, over 800 In number
published In sumptuous style by our
Government, are not traclngs OF other maps.
but original productions. and contain a great
deal OF new material with which To improve the
mapping OF the western part OF South America.
These larg er labors have been supplemented to
an important extent BY Carl Sapper's years OF
exploration among the mountains Of Central
America and the work CT Stubel. Peter and DR..
Wolf In the highland, OF Ecuador. II the work
OF the next ten years is as rich In results as that
Of the past decade there is doubt that the intri-
cate mountain regions in Central and South
America will become very well known.
Conway has already shown,i in South America.
as we'll as in the Himalayas and Spitzbcrgen
how much may he done by q single keen and
instructed observer. His map of the western
part OF the Cordilera Real is a fine work. II
includes the highest portion Of the range, Is
based upon careful triangulation and contains
man details filed in by means OF planc-table
sketches. He will now undertake the same
work for the eastern part Of the range and thus
supply all the material needed for the general
mapping Of q conspicuous portion Of the Cor
dilleras.
1t will be recalled that or this journey he at
tempted the ascent Of Mount Sarmiento In
Terra del Fuego. a remarkable feat. and the
first effort ever made to explore the mountains
and glaciers OF that southern extension OF
America, He was surprised to find how splendid
are the mountains of Terra del Fueeo which
eliminate in Sarmiento. They are not very
high. reckoned from sea level. for Sarmiento Ia
only a little over 7. 900 feet. but they are unusu-
ally fine in form and are drapedby magnificent
glaciers. He found the ascent Of Sarmiento
much more difficult than that OF Mont Blanc,
though tho summit Of the French noun
tain Is nearly 10000 feet above sea
level. But the actual height Of mountain, as
measured from the sea. Is not a true test
Of Its size. Mount Sorata. for example, really
begins at Is. 900 feet above tho sea. for all that
is below 1t possesses In common with the great
table land on which 1t stands. Mont Blanc
Is practically a mountain not more than 10, 900
feet high. for the base from which the noun
tain begins Is nearly 5000 feet above the sea.
But Sarmiento rises from very near the sea
level. its 1000 feet Of height are all difficult OF
ascent and it's snowy mass Is larger than that Of
Mont Blanc.