The Hartford republican., 1914-12-25
Col. Roosevelt on the Lecture Plat
form.

Three thousand persons who wish
ed to hear Col. Roosevelt tell of his
South American adventure found the
auditorium at the Museum of Natur-
al History packed, and we're turned
away last night. Later on the pa
tient ones were rewarded, when the
colonel addressed an overflow meet
ing in the rotunda of the building.
For half an hour before Col.
Roosevelt arrived the crowd stormed
the doors and refused to move when
/ the management posted a huge sign
stating that the auditorium could not
accommodate another person. At
times the police guarding the portals
were almost swept from their feet
as the throng was hurled against
them.
At $3.50 O'Clock Col. Roosevelt en-
tered the hall, accompanied by DR..
Henry Fairfield Osborn, president
of the Museum of Natural History.
and George X Cherrie. one of the
naturalists who went on the South
American trip.
The Colonel was smiling, and fire.
quently waved his hand as he made
his way to the platform. He stood
there amid thunderous applause,
beaming on the audience and clearly
pleased at his reception.
Dr. Osborne introduced the colonel
as zone of the leading American
naturalists," and Mr.. Roosevelt plung-
ed into his story without any pre-
liminaries. He spoke in an informal
manner. keeping his voice at con-
versational pitch most of the time.
The audience hung on every word and
laughed on the slightest provoca-
tion.
With the aid of large map. Col.
Roosevelt pointed out the route taken
by his expedition. The famous
River of Doubt" he referred to as
"the Unknown River" He praised
his associates, and declared that the
expedition would have come to
naught without them.
Soon came the sensation of the
evening. Everybody knew there
would be one. Reflections on the
"cannibal fish" were dispelled when
the colonel told of a remarkable spe-
cies of ant, known as 'leaf-bearing
ants" These vicious insects earned
the respect of the colonel by devour-
ing his clothing one night while he
was fast asleep.
II had put my pith helmet on the
ground beside my bed" he explained.
land in the morning when l looked
for it / saw, not a helmet. but an
procession of ants bearing |
it away. They got my red handker-
chief, too. But that wasn't all. When !;
l tried to dress l found that they |
had eaten one sock and most of my |
-..
Leaving the ants, Col Roosevelt |
abruptly switched to some weird in
sects that look like katydids and |
make a noise like a steamboat whis-
tie He said that it was a long. time |
before he could believe that they
really were responsible for all the
noise Every morning he shook about
a half pint of bugs out of his shoes,
he said.
Other wonderful species of life :,
Col. Roosevelt told about included
fish that ate monkeys, butterflies as
large as birds. fire ants that live in
trees, carniverous ants that eat any
animal crossing their path and null
.itudes of snakes.
You could have heard a pin drop
when he told of how Mr.. Cherrie sat
four hours In a tree, entirely sur
by fierce peccaries until res
,ued. And the ant-eater that walks
On the side of its foot instead of the
lat part. All were there, and more
rhe colonel enjoyed telling of them
md the audience enjoyed listening
md. altogether. it was a very happy
|