Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1913-01-31
A DESERT ENIGMA
Mystery Of a Vanished Party Of
Australian Explorers.
LEFT NOT A TRACE BEHIND.

The LsiOhhardt Expedition Disappear.
cd az Though Il Had Been Swallowed
uP by the Earth Which May Indeed
Have Been lie Fearful Pate.
There have been recorded many
strange tragedies OF exploration IN lone
and distant lands. but no one event Of
the kind has ever so stirred mems minds
90 did tho total disappearance OF the
well found and spiendidly equipped OK.
petition which Or. Ludwig LEIGH
hardt, the Franklin Of Australia, led
into the central deserts OF Australia In
1S49
L~eichhardt's design was to march
right across the continent from the east
coast to the west. and as be had al
ready LED a successful expedition near
" 5000 miles through 4 previously I'M
known part Of Australia, II was gener-
ally thought that he would be able to
accomplish the task.
Still, there were some who doubted
and prophesied disaster, and more than
n wealthy friend Of the doctors re-
fused to subscribe toward the sxpedi.
ton on the ground that they were not
going to help him to commit suicide.
The members Of the expedition num-
bered six whites and two blacks, an
unusually large number for an explor-
ing expedition Of this nature. and be-
sides being amply provided with -four,
biscuit, tea. sugar and so on. they drove
along With them fifty bullocks and go
goats. They also had spare horses and
mules IN abundance.
At that time the most westerly sta
ton IN southern Queensland was &C.
cupied by a squatter named McPher.
son, who dwelt on Cocoon creek. From
there Lelchhardt wrote a brief letter as
he was about to start into the unknown
land beyond.
That was the last ever heard Of him
or Of any Of his companions. and this
Notwithstanding the fact that expedi-
ton after expedition was afterward
sent out In search Of them.
As completely as though they had
been swallowed up by the earth, they
vanished.
This Is the most puEzlIng part Of the
mystery-its completeness. Had they
been killed by the natives. as was at
hrst wrongly reported, some relics Of
the explorers would long since have
been recovered from them. In some
shape the Iron work Of the implements
and arms they had with them would
have survived.
And what Of the stock7 Some Of the
goats, at all events, must have been
left alive. one would have imagined.
for these are VIGOROUSLY hardy ami
mails. able to pick up a living almost
Yet none Of these, nor any
OF the horses. mules or bullOcka were
ever traced.
The probability Is that the I'll fated
expedition struck one OF those water
less patches Of country common in
parts Of Australia, into which the
blacks never venture. II Is not difficult
In this case to prophesy what would
have been their fate.
Their reserve barrels once emptied Of
their precious contents. the little water
by the men In their canteens
would not last more than a day or 30.
In the shadeless bush, in that terrific
heat, death comes swiftly under such
circumstances. About forty eight hours
Is the limit OF human endurance.
Usually half that time sufices.
The explorers, we may be surs; would
on to the last. however, hus-
banding their water to the uttermost
drop. The animals would be the first to
90. and the desperate ~eXpedient Of
Thinking their blood would be resort
d to.
Hotter and hotter grows the air as
he doomed men stagger further and
into the r~Ginless desert
Some lose their reason; all lose hope.
Then comes the end. They separate
struggle away In ones and twos,
Ind fall and die.
Day after day the terrible and pitiless
IN looks down upon them lying there
md sees them dry aud shrivel into
nummies.
And still no rain falls.
But one day. It may be years after
yard. there arises a sandstorm Of ex-
.eptionnl violence. The wind blows
With all the strength and fury Of an
lrctc blizzard. but driving before Il
and, not snow.
Whom II eases the desert Is there as
before; the same, yet different Noun
OF sand exist where before were
The mummies have vanished from
human ken forever.-PearsOn's Weekly.
Very Encouraging.
Every time I've called on Hiaa Glib