Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-20
Startling Finds That May Be
Made in 1902.
EXPLORERS IN PLENTY
UNPARALLELED NUMBER OF
PARTIES ABROAD NOW.
How Many Vexing Questions May
Be Solved or New Ones
Opened.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
AS the second year of the twentieth CEN
fury nears it's end it sees a mighty effort
being made in all fields to work out the
story of the world-ethnologically, archae-
ologically, palaeontologically and geograph-
ically. There is hardly spot on the earth's
surface from New Zealand to the poles
that Is not being made the subject of en-
ergetic exploration.
Polar Expeditions
: The poles and the polar regions never
have been sought by SO many expeditions at
the same time. Besides the well-known ones
in both the arctic and antarctic there are
many smaller ones of which comparatively
little has been said A Norwegian relief ex-
petition is searching now for Sverdrup, who
started for the north pole in the famous
Fran, which was last seen by Peary going
north, fast in the ice. in a fierce arctic
storm.
DR.. Deichman of the old Amdrup expedi-
ton is working somewhere along the west
ern coast of Greenland with the steamer
Fox. A Danish expedition under Henry
Elite, another experienced polar explorer,
Is studying the eastern coast of the same
land. 1t consists of twelve men, and, as it
carries provisions for one and one-nalf
years, it evidently intends to work as far
north as possible.
The steamship Laura is on the way north
with the Swedish commission appointed to
measure degree. The leader of this party
is DR.. Rubin. Dr. Won Zipfel, an astrono-
mer. and Lieutenant Duner, an expert map
maker, accompany the expedition. They are
provisioned for year.
In connection with the German antarctic
expedition, the Royal University Of Goet-
tingen has established station on Upolu in
Samoa for observations concerning earth
magnetism atmospheric electricity, meteor
ology and seismography, under the manage
ment of Dr. Tetgens. These observations
are to be made simultaneously in many
other parts of the world. Among other ex-
periments will be some to establish, If pos
sible. the extent and cause of the oscilla-
ton of the world at the poles.
Deep Sea Searches.
The German government is beginning its
part of the work. agreed at the interna-
tional conference at Stockholm, of great
systematic and comprehensive study of the
photographed and biological features Of
the German and Baltic oceans and Of the
Polar sea of the eastern hemisphere.
The coast survey ship Moeve has again
taken up the work of exploring the Bis
marck archipelago in the South seas,
task which will require years of work, In
Guiding as it does deep sea soundings, ich-
theological and geological compilations and
the task of making complete chart of all
world.
Tackling Africa.
Africa is being tackled from all directions
and for all sorts of information. The
French army captain Lenfant has pene-
trated the Niger for almost 1000 miles with
a small steamer, proving conclusively that
the feared rapids that mark the river for
one hundred and fifty miles are not insur-
mountabe obstacles to navigation
Colonel Monteil of France has begun the
work of laying out telegraph line from
southern Tunis to Lake Tchad on the other
side of the Desert of Sahara. From Tunis
the dispatches are to go by another wire to
Algiers and thence to the Balearic Islands
and to Marseilles by wireless biography.
De Segonzac's Daring Trip.
The town of Oran in Algeria recently cele-
brated a little occasion. 1t was the one
thousandth anniversary of It's existence.
Part of the ceremonies consisted in ses-
sion of a geographical congress. At that
congress a man, burned almost black, arose
and told, in dry, matter-of-fact, scientific
way, of a little jaunt of almost 1900 miles
that he had just finished. His trip had been
through middle Morocco, which never be-
fore had been visited by European, and
which the inhabiting Berbers had sworn
never should be so visited. This man, whose
name is Count r. de Borden de Segonzac,
decided QlHerently. DO ne worked MS way
near the unknown land as he could, and
then, obtaining DISCUSSES he wandered on
as an Arab Despite his excellent knowl-
edge of the manners, speech and customs
of the Moroccans and the inhabitants of the
Atlas mountains, he feared that they might
penetrate his disguise if they became in
quisitive as to his business. SO he took ad-
vantage of the fact that Mohammedans be-
lieve that insane persons are under the es-
pecial care of Allah, and pretended to be In
nd
good treatment everywhere, and, although
he had many narrow escapes, he managed
to play his role to the end and make his
way back to civilization with his valuable
head still on his shoulders.
He saw the land of the Djabala, then
crossed the Atlas mountain home of the
Berbers, and to end his trip pleasantly,
he wandered through the country of the IA
nous and savage Riff pirates. There he
spoiled the Egyptians for he gathered
money in company with a begging pilgrim,
in whose party he journeyed from tribe to
tribe.
The Lost City Of Miletus.
In Asia Minor the Imperial German Ar
Genealogical Institute has paid for excava-
lions on the site Of the famous cid temple
of Gordium, and enough finds have been
made to prove that the workers are digging
out an ancient settlement that was great
and fourishing 800 years before Christ
Other excavations in the peninsula of
Miletus, on the Aegean sea, have produced
results so tempting that private German
capital has been furnished, with which
the greater part Of the peninsula has been
purchased outright to assure successful
prosecution of the work. The territory thus
acquired comprises the site of the great Ne
cropols and the Sacred Way leading to the
famous Temple of Apollo of Didyma, the
greatest holy place Of Asia Minor in its
day.
This purchase, 1t is said now, will make
far more wonderful place to visit than even
Pompeii, for when the excavations are COM
pleted perfect dream city will have been
unearthed. The entire hill in front of the
city, crowned by the famous theater be-
longs to the excavators, also the ancient
harbor basin with its entrance marked with
two colossal marble lions and with a port
city with halls in it more than 300 feet
long.
Included in the purchase also are the
recently unearthed forum, the market place
with a Roman fountain Of rare beauty the
baths and of ruins that have not
yet been examined or cleaned out.
Nimrod's City of Or.
Engineering troops have been climbing
around and delving in the ruins of Urfa
on branch of the Euphrates-old Ur, the
city Of Nimrod the Hunter, son of Ham,
first ruler Of Shinar. The engineers have
been planning railroad station on the
0if Ha b.