The Washington herald., 1908-08-16
By JOHN :. HARDWOOD.

4 list OF the eminent-and otherwise
explorers Of to-day proves conciUsively
what the Eeoeraphers say Most of the
world. leaving cut of the question the
arctic and antarctic regions and the Ges-
erts Of Asia, Africa, and Australia IS
fairly well mapped. despite the fact thar
the maps Of all the continents except that
Of Europe show blank Spots or broken
Enes. Indicative that Jhe explorer has not
yet finished his work in. say. the extreme
interior OF Texas. between the rivers that
empty into the Amazon from the south.
IN Upper Canada below the azct'c circle
n arabia: not Yet in Central africa. since
sJalIeys time the objective point OF ex-
plori1g expedition after expedition.
From the viewpoint Of the geographer
this has been the condition OF the worlds
maps fer q decade row. with certain
blank spots. of course. growing smaller
CT disappearing altogether year by year
For during the decade ali the explorers.
blg and little. a veritable legion OF them.
self-supported- syndicate-supported and
Ecvernment-supported attacked the spots
WITH their weu-known intrepidity- To-day
they are still hard 81 work with the more
famous ones with one or two exceptions,
working in the arctic and antarctic re-
Eious and the deserts Of Asia where the
chances q securing additional fame are
best. And when these blank-spot e-asers
% today are gone there viii be plenty OF
blank spots left 70 erase Il is no easy
task 70 explore in detail what others have
discovered IN g general way And II IS
detail discovery that Is occupying the
days OF the great number Of prese1r-Jius
explorers
Two Explorers Are Busy.
Probably no one viii question the state
mert that the four foremost living ex-
pIo-ers are Peary. Nausen. AbrUzzi and
Hedin. claimed. respectively. by Uncle
sam. Norway. Italy. and Sweden. Two OF
This pre-eninent quartet OF bIa1k-SQot
erasers are nov at work in their specially
chosen felds-Peary IN the frozen north
On what he fon6ly hopes viii prove HIS
succeszEl- sash for the pole and Hedin
o. the roof Of the world
To one OF these man belongs the unique
distinction OF having revealed 20 his fel-
low-Dsn many Of The celr-ries-Euzrded
secrets OF Tibet The other three have
held. In turn the record OF far-L=s- north
Pea-y holds to-day the record for the
western hemisphere with 10 prospect Of
either Nauseu OF the AbrIzzi ever al
tempting 20 wresc this honor from him
for the royal Italians mind is just now
veEE much occupied with the problem o.
taking unto himself an American EeIress
as his CuusorI. while [ause1. when Nor
vav separated from its southern neigh
bor, became q diplomat and now repre-
eerrs his country in a ministerial posi-
ton az the Court OF St James where his
fame Is ore Of the worlds intrepid dis
coverers and the fact that his Queen is a
daughter % Edward VII. have made him
g favor5-e IN the royal family and The
court
The Ab-uzzi. ir has been said. went 10
the north and went 10 the s0Uth-where,
under the equator IN Africa he disco--
cred and climbed the s10w-Cappe5
Mountains oT the Moon-in the hope that
his deeds Of daring and resultant fame
would win q Yes from Hollands Queen,
then hushaldless- Because Eva Sars re
fused 10 become his wife until he had Won
g large name for himself NaCsen. when
2 few years passed his majority, turned
eXpIo-er and when the eminent No-we-
Eiau singer finally became Mrs Na-sen-
in 1859 when her husband was twenty
eight the latter had become the world s
foremost authority On Greenland He
spent the year Immediately preceding his
marriage in crossing that ice-capped isl
and the first white man ever 20 perform
This hazardous feat
As boy Pea-y was fascinated with
stories real and Imaginative. OF the arc