Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-06-13
.mAPLEss REGIONS
An Eighth Of the Worlds Land
Surface Still Unexplored.
AREAS WRAPPED IN MYSTERY.

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"rhs Dwelling Of the Void" In Arabia
10 Supposed to 30 the Most DesoIats
Waste on the GIobs-New Guinea
Has eafHsd Countless Expeditions.
1t would seem as though this little
world Of ours should be pretty thor
oughly known by this time. yet there
are many UNEMPLOYED territories which
have yet to receive the impress Of a
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 a rough estimate about 100000
square miles, or one-eighth Of the to-
tal land surface Of the world, are wait
ing to be discovered. Some 100000
square miles of this lie in the arctic
regions Of the north. but among tho
frozen tracts that form antarctic" In
the south, where Scott and his gallant
followers were penetrating. nearly
5000, 600 square miles are relegatcd to
the sole use Of whales, seals, pen
gums, petrels and other animal and
bird Inhabitants Of frozen homes.
1t is true that human h%abitatfons
could never be formed in such climes
as these, but the scientific world 10
ever eager for the discoveries Of ex-
plorers, and ever among uninhablted
districts their work Is v wasted.
In Arabia there exists a tract Of I'm.
explored country nearly five times MS
large as Great Britain. 1t stretches
from Mecca almost to the southeast
coast and is called Dahkna. or Tho
Dwelling Of the Void" Probably no
more d%esolate waste is to be found In
tho globe. for not Il single river Is es-
timated to flow throughout its entire
400. 900 square miles. Imagine Ger
many and France combined without
river or stream and you will gain some
idea of the parched condition of Dahk"
na, The Sahara is a blissful retreat
by comparison.
Some authorities state that the
whole desert Is not worth the price OF
q good malacca cane. Others give Gre
dence to the legend that treasures and
hidden cities lie in the heart Of tho
sands. iY,A49ssiBs
OF quite a different character are
the enormouSsnoJntain Businesses Of
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 c%arnivorous ants
malignant snakes. water moccasinS
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 Ell Dorado.
which set the sixteenth century ablaze,
has never been unearthed, the country
generally might fttingly be called FL
Dorado, from the rich minerals and
priceless stones emanating therefrom.
Strange, wild eyed men descend oc'
c%asionally from the mountains. bring
Ing wonderful fragments with them.
But they refuse to act as guides to
those who would accompany them
back.
It is curious to realize that vast por-
tons of the British empire have never
been seer by British eyes or the eyes
Of any white men. Nearly a quarter
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 baf1ed countless
expeditions, though many are still try
lng to fight their way inland from the
coast. Despite the fact that the inte-
rior Of this island is practically a geo
graphical blank, 1t Is neatly divided
on the maps between Britain, Germa-
nv and Holland. Among its products
are birds Of paradise, spices and can
nibals.
Another particularly interesting dis
trict which has so far defed civilza-
ton lies secreted among the Himalaya
mountains. Rumor accounts that II
Ia presided over by women. who are
responsible for such rude laws as are
necessary even in a lawless district.
manage the affairs Of state and live In
a luxury of inverted Mormonism by
possessing four or five husbands apiece.
TO the hill men are relegated all the
rough tasks and mental labors. Mere
man" is Of small account beside these
Himalayan amazons. But we may as
sumo that in due season the men will
rise to claim their vote.
The foregoing selection does not e.
hausts by. any means the list Of geo
graphical. blanks waiting to be filed.
Before the atlas complete can lie on
our shelves we must penetrate the
IA rtor haunts If ROrneO. North Ameri-