Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-04-05
WHAT is LEFT FOR EXPLORERS.
Sections of the Earth's Surface That
Have Not Boon Penetrated by Man.

| Alexander wept for more worlds to
conquer, and the notion has got
abroad that modern explorers may
initiate his example since the south
pole has been discovered. The fact is
THAT there is perhaps another hundred
Years work for the explorers before
we shall be able to make trustworthy
Imaps of the earth's surface. In Can
ada there are great regions to which
man has never penetrated. Consider
able portions Of northwestern Mexico
are unexplored. There Is still black
area on the Dark Continent. A great
stretch of the interior of South Amer
lica has never been visited, and In the
Russian Empire, in China, and In Aus
tralia there is work for the explorer
for two or three generations. 1t may
be that It will be harder to explore
some parts Of Canada than 1t was to
reach either of the poles. Indeed, II
is doubtful If any small party Of men
could penetrate the forests that guard
the Caribou Mountains from the sur
veyor This range Of mountains is
not to be subdued by a sudden dash.
It will yield only to long siege by the
prosaic road-builder.
Not very long ago Frof. ]. Norman
Collie stood on a peak of the Rock
les and saw far away to the west
great group of mountains he had
never seen before. Other white men
had seen them. however, and anyone
who travels to Prince Rupert will be
able to see them from the Grand
Trunk Pacific railway. Prof Collie
declared that for beauty these noun
tains surpass the Selkirks, and that
they probably offer a field for the
mountaineer equal to the Alps. Had 1t
been possible he would have made
trip to the nearest of the Caribou
mountains. as would many man have
done before him, but the path lies
through one Of the densest forests In
the world and over glacial streams
that have helped to make the valley
impossible. Roads will have to be cut
Through the forest before white man
succeeds In reaching the base OF the
Selkirks, let alone one Of their peaks.
There are other portions Of British
Columbia almost as inaccessible as the
| Caribou mountains, and there Is room
enough and glory enough for hun
dred explorers In this province alone.
| Similar difficulties in the way Of ap-
proach have prevented exploration in
certain portions of Central Africa, but
1t is probable that Africa, the last OF
the continents to be explored, Will be
completely mapped before the geog-
raphers are satisfied with their work
in Canada. One reason for the great
er activity in African exploration Is
that several European powers are in
terested in It, Each has an object In
knowing all there Is to know about the
TERRITORY in its own possession, and
each is spurred on by the possibility
of finding some hidden treasure and
forestalling a rival. In Canada we
know that whatever is here Is ours.
/ ~
and we are far too busy in developing
what we have to spend much thought
or money on explorations that are
likely to have merely scientific
value Speaking Of African exploration
Cyrus c. Adams, secretary Of the
American geographical society, has re-
marked that it took more than fifty
years after it had been discovered to
get a good map Of the Victoria Ny
anza, the second largest fresh water
lake in the world.
The Russians are great explorers,
but there remains vast forest area
that stretches across Siberia south Of
the. tundra belt along the frozen
ocean that has not been penetrated.
This work will be gradually accom-
plished by the Russian government,
and it is probable that the whole
region will be preserved as a forest
reserve Asia offers few more oppor-
tunities for the explorer except as re-
CARDS certain portions Of Thibet, the
hinterlands of Burmah, Siam and Cam
bodia, and western China. Chinese
Turkestan and Mongolia. In nearly
all of these regions there are explor-
ing parties at work, and Asia will
probably be cleared of geographical
mysteries before Africa. In certain
portions of Australia there is work to
be done.
| Part Of the interior desert is yet un-
known, and in the north there is a
tropical region that remains to be pen
etrated before the continent can be
mapped. Australia, like Canada. Is
not destined to be field for alien ad-
ventures, and her future exploration
will be matter of government policy
rather than a matter Of individual en-
terprise.
Despite Shackleton's explorations
and the more recent exploits of
Amundsen and Scott, the Antarctic
continent still remains by far the
greatest unexplored territory in the
world. The continent has been en-
tirely circumnavigated, but it Is to be
borne in mind that Antarctica is as
large as Europe and Australia togeth-
er. Some geographers hold the theory
that it is a collection Of islands and
not one large island, and until this
question is settled, scientists Will
eagerly receive the news of any fresh
explorations. 1t is obvious that over
such a vast territory hundreds OF eX-
lplorers must range in future genera
ltions before all is known that remains
to be known, so that In reference to
IAntarctic exploration. in spite OF the
discovery Of the south pole, we might
we'll exclaim with Goethe, so little
ldone, so much to dO."-TorontO Mail
land Express.
"a It's better for a man to know too
LITTLE TO do him any good than just