The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-27
APPEARS AS DiSCOVERER
OF RIVER 1000 MILES LONG
Housewife Checrcd to Echo nv He Chal-
lcngcs photographers to Dis
prove Achievement.
OFFERS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
Describes In Detail Hnrdships OF His
Hazardous Journey Into brazilian
WiidS.

Washinsto ton. May 26.-Prociaimed to-
night before 4 great audience of scien-
lists from many cities as the ''discov-
crer OF river in South America 1000
miles long" Colonel Theodore Roosc-
Welt assured the National Geographic
Society that he had put this river on
the map, and challenged All the car
tographcrs in the world TO dtsprove his
achievement.
The Colonel had appeared before a
Washington audience on previous oc-
casion az an explorer, but never as a
discoverer. and he was cheered to the
echo as he scored the cartographcrs and
gcographcrS of all nations for being
wrong in their maps OF the wilds OF
Brazil, wherein he found and traced
the "DuVida River" or as now moro
Familiarity known. the River Of Doubt
Scientists, the Colonel said. had at
tempted 10 dispute his discovery. Trac-
ing OH n blackboard with piece of
chalk. the river OF his nnding, he de-
clarcd cmphaticnliy:
II say. put il on the map, and I
mean what | SAY. No map has ever
yet shown this river Scientists have
said we might have traTcrsed the river
! Tapajosc or the river MADEIRA but the
fact is that some of our party went
down one river and some went down
the other. while we welt down Il river
in hetwcen them, which no map-makcr
ever saw. can direct any man where
to find this river. ana rivers stay put,
so that the discovery we have made
may he verified
DESCRIBES IN DETAIL
HiNDSHIPS OF HIS "TRIP
The Colonel described in detail the
hardships of his trip into the brazilian
wilds. During the hazardous journey
they nearly lost all their food and be-
! loncings.
we We're forced to cat monkeys to
exc out our rations." declared the Col
onel. Don't siiuddcr. fc, I assure YOU
that after this experience YOU might
leave me in the monkcy-housc without
my making any mistake"
There We're many Indians in the up-
per regions OF the Duvitla. the Colonel
said. They were seemingly very timId.
and In some cases hostile" he added.
II believe they were hostile only be-
cause they were timid. but il is almost
az unpleasant 10 be shot by Il man be-
cause he is afraid Of you. as if he killed
because he dslikcd YOU"
AT the close OF his statement Col
oncl Roosevelt offered to answer any
questions any one in the audience might
ask. After pause during which no
questions were propounded. he said:
NO questions are asked me to my
face
The Colonel said he had not gone to
South America to discover rivers but
on n purely geological mission, but that
pr Muller. Brazilian Minister of For
ciSn Affairs, had inspired him to seek
out the now famous River OF Doubt"
ALI. MAPS IN EXISTESCE
NEEDED TO DE CHANGED
"Dr. Muller told me, Colonel Roosc-
welt declared. that as n result Of tho
work of the Brazilian tcIcgraphic com
mission in Western Brazil all the maps
in existence of that part Of the coun-
try would have TO be changed"
Some Of these maps," the Colonel
continued with n twinkle. were drawn
by fellows Of the Royal Geographical
Society, and they arc all wrong too.
Muller showed us that the whole region
would have to be remappcd. He said
the telegraph commission had discov,
cred the sources of two new rivers,
but they knew not where they went.
One Of these was the RIVER Of Doubt
and Dr. Muller asked IN" why I didn't
investigate il. I told him by George.
that's what I would like to do
J Asserting that he made up his mind
I to undertake this task, the Colonel
. continued:
| Every thing we did was based on
what the tclcGraphic commission OF
| Brazil under Colonel Rondon had done
tho past seven years All we did was to
cap tho pyramid nf which they laid.
broad and firm. the foundations"
| Colonel Roosevelt urged that the
Geographic Society recognize I'm some
way tho work of Colonel Rondon and
| the telegraphic commission, adding:
They have had not too much recog-
milton at homo in Brazil"