The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-27
T. r. PUTS HIS RIVER DUVlDA
ON THE MAP FOR SCIENTISTS

TACT that ] am using my terms with
scientific precision. and when I say put
1t on the map mean what say.
Laughter and applause mean that II
Ia not on any map and that We have put
1t ON the map. lLaughtcr.l
81 will come later to tell you what part
OF Il had never been traversed by any
civilized man before and what part of II
had already been known to the rubber
gatherers but absolutely unknown to any
map maker: to these map makers here
that | have quoted TO you-English. Ger
man, French, American or Brazilian
none Of them knowing anything about u
at all.
II want to mention another fact. II
man states that ne has been up snow
mountain that has never cen previously
assembled. twelve months afterward. there
is not physical sign remaining OF his
having gone up there. But a river stays
put. Laughter
, "I went down that river. going down
there for the first time. and of course en-
deavorng to map II In detail. II IL much
easier now for any one to follow us and
II this geographic society or any other
responsible organization wishes to send
man to or down that river | will give him
letters Of introduction and advice which
/ will enable him, with comparatively lit
, tie difficulty to go over that entire course
/ OF that river and report on all the fea-
| explorers necessarily sketched in outline,
River Not Even Guessed Al.
| 81 ask you to listen attentively to
what | say we did We have put on the
map river OF which there Is not only
no knowledge and which IL not shown
on any existing map. hut II IL not even
guessed at on any existing map. OF
which the upper courses Of the navigable
portion have never before been traversed
by any civilized man OF which the lower
portion had been known for years by the
rubber men, but of which no topographer
had the faintest idea of the existence
and OF which not "A trace Is to be found
on any existing map.
1--WE found the members OF the Bra
lillian Telegraphic Commission thought Z
part of the Duvida. One OF thu officers
with us thought II ran right into this
river Indicating on map). Another Of
iicer thought It probably ran right into
the Tapatos. Col Rondon thought Il
flowed into still another river. jud lying
from the fact that the rubber men had
told him that in spite of what the m; n
said, this river had greater volume than
any other Of the tributaries OF the
Madeira.
Eve descended in the neighborhood OF a
thousand feet all told from the headwater
to the bottom Of that river. | say In the
neighborhOod OF thousand feet, because
we blllN nuu an Hntlpue WITH US, Win
which you cannot make entirely accurate
observations SO that there must be a
latitude allowed for that descent.
Not n Mere Flood.
at has been suggested that this was no,
n river, but represented floods In the for
ests. Floods do not stand at an angle OF
descent OF n thousand feet and they do no,
extend to cover IA distance of from 900 to
1000 miles. | saw the suggestion made
that the river might be either the Madeira
or the TapaJos.
my companion. Mr.. Fiala. went down
; the TapajOs Mr.. Miller went down the
MADEIRA. We went down river In be
! tween. So that most of our party went
! down both the Tapajos and the Maderia
l and we went down in between. Tn,
length OF the river we cannot give ac
Curately. We computed II by dead reckon
! ing at between 400 and 900 kilometers
. 1 should say 800, $50 or possibly 1000
e miles.
at runs between nearly the thirteenth
= and NTH parallels OF latitude. That 10. 1
I covers about seven and "A half degrees o
I latitude OF course that Is about doubled
by the courses. As you will see II yo,
lance considerably longer than the Sein
+ and Rhone combined. As far as l cal
q see allowing for the slant of the curves
= about as long as the Rhine or the Elbe,
4 AT this point OF the river, where tn
/ upper Aripona, so-called. comes in. w
measured the volume and II In about $50
cubic meters second, by which you ca
get fair idea of its volume In com
IA parison with other rivers. Excepting 70
y the hundred miles or $50 miles from tn
y mouth. It Is not navigable for steamboat
~ because II Is 40 broken by rapids and sue
!, Il very swift river, but II Is navigable TO
=, launches and canoes from that part nea
!" the hfth degree up to above the tenth de
gree of latitude
a SERIES of Rapids.
~ There are rapids and serious ones I
'r pass, but they can be perfectly we
negotiated. You can take boats up then
"A 1t IL stlll better, II you want to establis
II "A series, you can have Launches abor
~ each rapid to so for the $50 or 20
III kilometers before you come to the neN
pr serious obstacle 10 navigation. Their
ia no difficulty whatever IN the nav
lie cation. say no difficulty whateve