Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-07-25
Student of Eastern College to
Make Three Year Trip up
Mysterious River

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June 2S-Sit-
ting upon a stone bench, in the shade
OF the University Museum. young
man. Is years old, smooth shaven,
wearing glasses and looking every inch
a student, pulled away on his pipe and
made notes as he read from a Volume
on ethHoIogy. II was Algot LANCE,
who. despite his peaceful beautiful sur
roundings, will soon start for wilds of
which no white man knows to face
dangers that in some cases are known,
in others only surmised. For he is de-
termined to explore the whole valley of
the Amazon river, including its tribu
taries
LANCE will start on this expedition
about the first OF August, and when he
i, turns the PROV Of his steamboat up the
Amazon VIM not return to civilization
again for three years. In that time he
hopes to make known to the world all
the Amazon country and its inhabi-
tants, its natural history and customs.
1t is one OF the few important parts
of the world that remains for civilized
man to map out.
The young explorer was there be-
fore. though he did not finish his inves-
legations. He went there to invest
money in a plantation and was glad to
get back with his life. But he killed
s5-foot boa constructor and shipped
| the skin to this country. He wrote a
book about his experiences. which has
but recently been published, "In the
Amazon Jungle" It attracted the Of
( ficials of the university. and arrange
ments were made with him to head
this expedition. under the universities
auspices
Tells of Himself
He talked with enthusiasm today
about his coming trip. Asked his ma
tionality, he replied:
II am an American Some persons
/ call me a Dane, because my parents
were Danes. But ! was born at sea,
on the way from Newcastle, Eng, to
1 St Petersburg. Rus. The steamer car
ried an Irish cargo, had French cap
tain, a Portuguese crew and Chinese
cook swant to carry the Stars and
Stripes through this vast Amazon val
Hey as Peary carried it to the North
Pole.
| Few people have any idea of the
vastness of this country which we will
explore The river is about 1000 miles
long, and has tributary 5000 miles
| long. At Manaos, 1000 miles from the
sea, 1t is IA miles wide. The Negro
River, 500 miles from Manaos. where
Fit empties into the Amazon. and 1900
miles from the ocean, is .25 miles
across AT Iquitos. Peru, $500 miles
| from its mouth, the Amazon is two and
one half miles wide and $50 feet deep.
The area OF this valley is half as ex-
tensive as the whole of the United
/ States
Study Of the Tribes.
| Our principal aim will be to- study
che savage tribes in the unexplored re-
giOns. Some of these are cannibals.
and have habit of making a stew of
their enemies killed in battle But /
4 do not fear them"
i LANCE has a good reason for not
fearing them A few years ago. while
exploring alone this remote region, the
cannibals found him. hundreds of miles
from.the nearest white settlement, sick
and delirious. crawling on his hands
and knees through the jungle. They
had never seen a white man before and
they took him in and nursed him to
health so he could travel back to civ
/ ilization.
But there are dangers other than
cannibals. The jungles and marshes
are infested with wild beasts and gil
gantic boa constructors. Millions of
monkeys chatter among the trees,
though they do no harm. But there
are fevers and stronge diseases to fight.
and the work must be done under the
i blighting, scorching rays Of an eqla-
torial sun. Then there are other tribes
living far back in the jungle of which
he has only heard. 1t is his purpose
to study them all, and to do so. that
man might know of these aboriginal
! members of his family, he will boldly
4 face every danger. and for three years
| live with his equally daring compan-
IONS in the swamp. The party will
start about the latter part of July or
i the first of August.
Navy Men Go Along.
Il LANCE will be accompanied by a
commander of the United States Navy,
an engineer, two general assistants and
II two photographers, who will operate
not only ordinary cameras, but moving
II picture apparatus as we'll One of these