Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-05
MAPLESS REGIONS
An Eighth of the Worlds Land
Surface Still UnexpIored.

1t would seem as though this little
world of ours should be pretty thor
oughly known by this time. yet there
Ore many UNEMPLOYED territories which
have yet to receive the impress of
human foot and which doubtless, like
the north and south polar regions, will
take their toll of heroic victims from
the hardy explorers who first enter
their closed portals.
On rough estimate about 100000
square miles, o. One-eighth of the to-
tai land surface of She world, are wait
ing to be discovered. Some 100000
square miles of this lie in the arctic
regions Of The north, but among the
frozen tracts that form antarctic" in
the south, where Scott and his gallant
followers were penetrating, nearly
100000 square miles are relegated to
che sole use Of whales, seals, pen
gums, petrels anG other animal and
bird inhabitants of frozen homes.
| 1t is true that human habitations
could never be formed in such chimes
as these, but the scientific world is
! ever eager for the discoveries of ex.
| plorers, and even among uninhabiteo
| districts their work is never wasted.
| In Arabia there exists tract of IN
explored country nearly five times as
| large as Great Britain. 1t stretches
/ from Mecca almost to the southeast
coast and is called Dahkna, or 1.-THE
! Dwelling Of the Void" Probably no
more desolate waste is to be found in
/ the globe, for not single river is eS-
! timated to flow throughout its entire
100000 square miles. Imagine Ger
many and France combined without
river or stream and you will gain some
idea of the parched conditicn of Dahk-
ma. The Sahara is a blissfui retreat
by comparison.
Some authorities state that the
/ whole desert is not worth the price of
/ a good malacca cane. Others give Gre
lence to the legend that treasures and
hidden cities lie in the heart of the
sands.
OF quite a different character are
the enormous mountain Businesses CT
South America, which lie along the
upper Amazon and in the districts OF
Colombia and Peru. The celebrated
treasure of Cuzco lies Secreted among
the Peruvian heights. Impenetrable
forests, mountain jungles and innu'
merable fever spreading rivers hold
the most intrepid Adventures at bay,
to say nothing of carnivorous ants.
malignant snakes, water moccaslns
and those most deadly of serpents, an
acondas. During recent years over q
dozen expeditions have been either
wholly or partially wiped out in their
efforts to wrestle with these regions.
Although the famous FL Dorado
which set the sixteenth century ablaze
has never been unearthed. the country
generally might fittingly be called Fl
Dorado. from the rich minerals and
priceless stones emanating therefrom.
Strange. wiz eyed men descend oc
casionally froh the mountains, bring
ing wonderful fragments with them
But they refuse to act as guides to
those who would accompany then
back.
1t is curious to realize that vast por
lions of the British empire have never
been seen by British eyes or the eye:
O! any white men. Nearly n quartei
of Australia is still unexplored. mainly
in the west, where the population av
erages only one person in about every
twenty square miles.
New Guinea has baffied countless
expeditions. though many are still try
/ Ing 10 fight their way inland from thu
coast. Despite the fact that the int
Nor of this island is practically a geo
graphical blank, 1t is neatly divides
on the mans between Britain, Germa
nv and Holland Among its product
Z are birds of paradise, spices and can
q nibals.
Another particularly Interesting dis
trict which has so far defied cigiliza
a ton lies secreted among the Hinialay
mountains. Rumor accounts that
4 Is presided over by women. who ar
q responsible fer such rude laws as ar
necessary even In a lawless district
4 manage the affairs of state and live i
luxury of inverted MOrmonism b
8 possessing four or five husbands apiece
4 To the hill men are relegated all tn
rough tasks and mental labors. "Mer
man" is of small account beside thes
Hlmaiaynn amazons. But we may a:
3 sumo that in due season ths men wi
4 rise 10 claim their vote
4 The foregoing selection does NOT Of
hauSt by any means the list of ger