Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-23
COL. ROOSEVELT
BELIEVED SAFE
IN RIVER MISHAP
Further Advices of Accident in
Brazilian Rapids Anxiously
Awaited, However.
EVERYTHING LOST, SAYS
MESSAGE FROM FlALA
CoIonel's Last Letter Tells of
Plan to Plunge Into
Wilderness.

NEW YORK, March 2S-ColonI
Theodore Roosevelt's family and
friends were anxiously awaiting fulas.
ther advices today regarding the ac-
cident by which his party lost fits erl-
tire equipment in the rapids of Bra
lillian river. While no concern, II
was stated. was felt for the safety Of
the former President, it was desirable
to learn just how and when the acci-
dent occurred, and whether or not the
expedition would be abandoned, es-
pecially as the party was so far from
base where new equipment could
be acquired
The news of the mishap came in q
brief message from Anthony F'iaIa, a
member of the party. 1t was dated at
Santarem, Brazil, yesterday, and
read:
I'VE lost everything in the rapids.
Telephone my wife of my safety"
santarem is in the State of Para, at
the confluence Of the Tapajos river
with the Amazon, and the dispatch
! was probably sent there by courier.
Accident of River of Doubt
The accident, in all probability, oc-
CURED on an unknown river which
Theodore Roosevelt, jr., today said
/ his father, in u letter to him, had
called the Rio Duivata, or River OF
| Doubt"
Colonel Roosevelt, in a letter writ
ten on January 16 from Tapirapoan,
! in Matte Crosse o province in the
south central part of Brazil, and re-
ceived last week by Frank NJ. Chap
man, of the American Museum OF
Natural History, said that he ex-
I &I,f. .l-,. -
| He wrote:
I'VE are now about to go into the
real wilderness, where we shall have
to travel light, and can hardly coll
| lect any big animals. In a month or
| six weeks we shall reach the head
waters of an uneXplored river. Ii my
/ health continues good, as | expect,
| think it possible that l will go down
| this river to try and find out where
1t comes out, taking Kermit, Fiala
| and Cherrie with me, as well as
| Colonel Rondon and one or two of tho
Brazllians.
"Meanwhile the rest of the party.
| including Miller, viii go straight 10
Madeira, and come down that to Ma
naos. Miller will then collect around
/ Manaos or elsewhere until Kermit,
Cherrie and turn up. 1t IS not pos
| slble to give forecast as to the time
| that will be required"
The headwaters of the unknown
| river. which Colonel Rondon at one
| time crossed, according to Colonel
Roosevelt's letters, are in Matto
Crosse, between the Madeira and Tap
ajos rivers, two great streams which
flow northward to Join the Amazon.
Equipment Unknown.
What the equipment of Colonel
Roosevelt's party was to make the
trip down this unknown river is
largely a matter of conjecture At
ter leaving the upper Parana and
Paraguay rivers, which flow south
ward and join the Rio de la Plata,
the party had to traverse the plateau
extending through Paraguay and
Brazil, a trip of 500 miles or SO. This
! the party did safely on horseback,
according to telegraph advices which
came through nine days ago.
Colonel Roosevelt does not state IN
any of his letters what means OF
transportation he would use in de-
seending the unknown river It is
believed that nothing heavier than
canoes could have been carried on
| the 5OO-mile journey on horseback
! from the headwaters of the Paraguay
| to the "River of Doubt.
The great danger in descending the
streams that flow northward in
I
many rapids and falls. The plateau.
which is on the average 5000 to 1000
/ feet above the sea level. slopes
/ abruptly To the floor of the Amazon
valley. For this reason some OF the
greatest waterfalls in the world are
| found in these tributaries.
Expedition May Have Gone On
II is possible that after the expedi-
| ton lost the equipment the members
/ continued on their way down stream
on RATS or on foot. 1t is probable
| that their journey took them TO the
| Tapaios, and that some members Of
the party on down the river TO SAN
/ tarem or sent a messenger ahead to
that place.
| The specimens of natural history
/ collected by the party on its trip up
! the Parana and Paraguay rivers are
safe, 1t is understood here. as the
| colonel had indicated he would ship
| them before he entered the Brazilian
wilds The loss in the rapids, out
/ side of food, arms, camp material and
| instruments, undoubtedly included the
birds and animals killed and photo
graphs taken from the time the party
started on the horse back trip over
the plateau.
| Colonel Roosevelt. according 10
plans he had mapped out, expected 10
arrive next month at Manaos From
/ there he was TO start for Madrid TO
attend the marriage of his son Ker-
NIT TO Miss Belle Willard, daughter
of the American ambassador.