Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09
LECTURED ON Tibet.
Mr.. o. T. Crosby Talks to National
Geographic Society.

Thibet and its resources formed the topic
of an interesting lecture delivered by Mr..
O. T. Crosby before the National Geograph-
ic Society at the National Rifles Armory
last night. Mr.. Crosby is well known in
this city. At one time he was an extern
sive street railway operator in the District
and many Of the suburban lines now in
existence here are of his construction He
was the organizer and first president of the
local street railway syndicate. In addition
to being a well-known financial operator.
Mr.. Crosby is engineer of the highest
ability and fond of going into absolutely
new country with view of ascertaining
it's resources and its possible use to civili-
zation.
Being possesssr of sufficient means to in
dulge freely in his hobby for exploration,
his fancy turned him in the direction Of
Thibet, that country of Asia of which lit
tie is known and whose capital no white
man has ever reached. He organized a
party and spent year in Thibet, and 1t
was the information gained on this trip
that he dispensed to the members of the
National Geographic Society last night.
Mr.. Crosby's party included one other
white man, Capt. Anginieur of the French
army and twenty natives, at the start
When the trip was concluded but six Of
the natives remained with the party, the
others having deserted because Of the hard
ships and privations of the journey and for
from the north and proceeded to within
400 miles of the sacred city of Lhassa.
They did not attempt to go up to the city.
At one time the party was lost on a great
plateau 49, 600 feet above the sea level, and
was in imminent danger of death from star
vation Had not help arrived in the shape
of a party of Kirghis, Mr. Crosby said he
believed the members of the party would
have all persisted.
Mr. Crosby gave it as his opinion that
Thibet must eventually fall under the in
fuence of Great Britain. The physical diff
|, culties in the way of a Russian expedition
of any size into Thibet from the north he
said would be simply insurmountable,
while even for 4 small expedition like that
which accompanied him they were almost
impossible.
The route taken by Colonel Younghus-
band with his British expedition, now NOV
ing toward Lhassa, Is comparatively an
easy one, Mr.. Crosby declared, presenting
no great difficulties. Mr.. Crosby further
pS We 1t as his opinion that the expedition
is needless, so far as 1t has been made TO
II vart Russia. He further said that Colo
N Younghusband did not neeo any NOR
a s than he had with him. as with these
h could exterminate the entire population
wuh little danger to himself, as the ma
tiyes were armed only with matchlocks and
such ancient firearms, while the British
commander had with him the most I'M
proved machine guns.
In concluding his lecture Mr.. Crosby said
the chief value of his journey was to dem
onstrate the fact that in itself the Th1betlan
pIateau is yalueless to European civilization
and that this plateau with its great escarp-
menti the Kuen Lun range, may well De
two great empires. The lecture was illus
trated with numerous lantern slides made
from pictures taken by Mr.. Crosby and his
companion.