The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1906-05-10

the Nile. 1t Is these mountains a IA
nous explorer Of to-day is now max
ing ready to assail.
This explorer is the duke Of the Abruz-
ri, who, though son of an ex-king, Is best
known for his success in the field or
exploration. The duke attracted much
attention in 1897 by making the first
ascent of Mount st. Elias. His north
pole expedition, which set forth In
1899, attained the nortbsrnmost lati-
tude as yet reached. \ Is long dis
lance from Alaska and the arctic re-
gions to equatorial Africa and the
Ruwenzori range, for which he 10 soon
to set forth.
No Mttle Of the hazard Of this new
enterprise lies N the as1eemes q tenn
perature through which the party must
pass. But let us take the Journey in
successive trips, accompany the duke
on the various stages q me trip to the
top OF the Mountains q the Neon.
The base of the RuweHGsri range may
now be reached withoWt difficulty, q
journey by rail from Monbaza to Port
Florsnce on Albert-Nyanza, then
steamer in a days time brings one to
Entebbe, or Mengo, on the north
shore of the lake. Here a caravan will
be got together, and h a ten-days'
march the party will be able to reach
the mountains. An inusssting- article
in the New York TINES commenting
on the expedition, says: ut Is expect
ed that not less than 100 well-disci-
plined men, such as rlsT be procured
in neighbsring Uganda, under the SUI
pervision OF a score Of white superin-
tendents, will be required for the ar
dseus task, The work will cost more
than to climb one of m higher Him
alayas, and unless the explorer leaves
much for his successors to discover.
the bill will foot up teal that would
exhaust any but a prsssely purse"
Before the SHOWS are reached the
party must push It's @aN IN tropical
heat. and amid tropicA luxuriance of
vegetation, and this Dsrtion of the
journey may prove tie most trying.
A way must be hewn through the
bamboo forest for tie porters with
their loads, and the, ADVANCE made in
a steaming atmosphere, rainfall here
being very heavy. A tsrner explorer
found his thermometer registered lilo
degrees at an altitude of 5000 feet.
Deep bog lands lie between 5000 feet
and the snow line, bsgs In which a
man sinks to mis- knees ct every step.
Then just before the sESws are reached
their uprise rocky wall; to get. be-
yond This line long detours must be
made. Now the men ,sRter into the
frigid zone, and here will probably
spends several weeks IA their endeavsr
to scale the chief peak and procure
a map of the upper regions. The duke
OF the Abruzzi will not be at the
disadvantage of carly explorers who
were not experts in snow ascents.
1 The highest ascent at any point in
Africa is Kilimanjaro, $4,000 feet; the
peaks OF Ruwenzori have been va
riously estimated; Stanley held to be-
tween 1900 and 1909 feet; johnson
put the figures considerably above, at
20, 900 or $4,000.
| Six early explorers tried in vain to
i do what fhe Italian IL pav atfemnfiny.
Lieut.. Stairs. Scott Elliot, Sir Harry
Johnson, DR.. ,Stuhlman, the mission
larry Fisher, and Davids, the naturalist.
In sbout three months the Duke Of
Abruxzi expects to be h Central Al
rica and begin the ambitious UNDER
taking.