The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-09-06
EXPLORER OF the
KOREAN WILDS
Roy Chapman Andrews Story
Of Discoveries. :
LOCATED Unknown LAKES
Found Race Which Had Never Seen
"Palefaces" and Was Exhibited In
Towns - Natural History Museum
Officer First White Man There.

Roy Chapman Andrews, assistant
curator of the department Of mammal
ogy Of the American Museum Of Nat
ural History, who got back recently
from ten months trip to the orient to
| obtain specimens for the museum and
who while in Korea explored a region
/ never before entered by a white man
and discovered three lakes in the north
Of the country, gave the following de
scription Of his expedition:
After finishing my whaling l spent
three weeks at Shimonoseki, Japan. col
lecting fish and then returned to Korea
and went to Seoul to interview the dt
rectors of foreign affairs, from whom
got the necessary permission to go
into the interior. Then l went away
up the coast by ship to Sheshin.
From thare l went on a push rail-
way-you get in a car and natives push
| you up on handcars-to a military sta
tion on the Tumen river, west Of
Musan. The latter is walled town
800 years old, with its original public
buildings and many ancient houses. 1t
is the last place inland ever before Wis
tied by whites.
''The southern part of Korea is abso-
lutely bare of trees, unless you so clas-
sify fir underbrush about foot high.
Saw LeoPards and Tigers.
IT wanted to get into the unknown
region, which was said to be wooded
and full Of game. The last was not
true. There are leopards in tremen-
dous numbers in many parts Of the
country, snow leopards, and there are
tigers in many districts.
Most people believe tigers are con
fined to hot countries, but those Of Ko-
rea go away up to the Amur river.
They live among the rocks and live
mainly on deer, which are to be found
in great abundance. | never went out
from camp without seeing three or
! four.
From Musan I travelled forty miles
west before l came to the edge of the
big forest and the last village, NojidO
! q hamlet of eight or ten houses. Then
l went directly toward Paiktusan, the
white topped mountain which is 5000
feet high.
THE forest l found was mainly of
| virgin larch, 80 to 100 feet high, with
some birch, with o very thick under
growth. Right near is the Paiktusanis,
where the Manchus originated.
The mountain is a single peak, but
1T is one of range called the Long
! White mountains. The Yalu has its
source there, and 1t had been supposed
the Tumen also rose there, but l dis
covered its source was forty miles
away.
"Of course l went into the big
woods primarily to collect, but the
fauna was so limited it was of no use.
l had not been in the country long be-
fore heard talk that three big rivers
were on the mountains, the descrip-
tions of which convinced me they
were lakes. Korea was supposed to be
lakeless.
Discovered Three Lakes.
I'VE came upon one of the lakes
suddenly. They are upon the summit
of a mountain about 1000 feet high. l
report to the Koreans as Samcheung
! (three bodies of water), and did not
attempt to rechristen them. The lar
gest Is about three miles in circum-
ference, the next is about a mile
around and the third about two miles
The shores are entirely Of volcanic
ash. There is no outlet or inlet
20
built raft and made sOundings. The
water in the lakes ranges from six to
eighteen feet in depth, and as near as
/ could figure out the bottoms are Of
volcanic ash.
I'VE got out into the Yalu country
after an uneventful trip. l got raft
at the Yalu for my stuff and a small
boat for myself and went down the
river 375 miles to Antung, near which
the battle of the Yalu was fought.
There a railroad connects with Muk-
den. l had been In the forest six
weeks.
Most of the people in that northern
country had never seen a white man.
AS my eyes were not brown they would
Made to Exhibit Himself.
"At one village arrived very tired
late enc afternoon. Toward twilight
the interpreter awakened me with the
intelligence that crowd wanted the
strange looking man to show himself.
l was wearing a beard at the time.
Most Koreans never shave. When l
took a pair Of scissors and began to
trim my beard they were shocked, and
when l took out my safety razor and
began to shave Off a perfectly good set
Of whiskers they were struck dumb
Except in Seoul the Korean women
are not supposed to be seen by man
who is not member Of their own
family. They seemed TO be afraid Of
me in that north country. One after
noon delegation of two women came