The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1914-03-26
WHAT ROOSEVELT
PLANNED To DO
As Told by Himself In Last
Letter From Brazil.
TOPOGRAPHY OFWILDERNESS

PeriIs Faced In Attempt to Go Down
unexplored River-Resume of Final
Stage of Journey Against Great
Odds, Which Colonel Expected to
Complete In April.
News from Anthony Fiala, the arc
tic explorer, that the Roosevelt South
American expedition, of which he Is a
member. has lost Its equipment may
interfere with Colonel Roosevelt's In
tention to complete his trip in April.
The former president sailed for
South America on Oct. A, after having
received a hearty sendoff the night be
fore from more than 1000 persons in
New York.
He spent several weeks In the Argen-
tine Republic In November and De
cember, travelling more than 5000
miles through that country by every
conceivable means of transportation
except aeroplane. In December the
party started from Buenos Aires by
slow stages up the Parana and Para
quay rivers.
CoioneIs Letter Tells Plans.
The last letter to be received by the
American Museum of Natural History
from Colonel Roosevelt was dated Jan
10 from Tapirapoan, In Matte Crosse.
a large province In the south central
part of Brazil. This letter was re
ceived by Frank NJ. Chapman, curator
nF h9r1S In fhn uaarfnuR taIGntIua -
Colonel Roosevelt stated that the
party expected to reach the headwa-
ters of an UNEMPLOYED river I'm a month
or six weeks and that he expected to
go down this, taking with him his son,
Kermit; Anthony Fiala and George X.
Cherrie, a representative of the mu-
scum. He also wrote that this explor-
ing party would be accompanied down
the river by Colonel Rondon and other
Brazilian members of the party.
No mention was made of the name
OF this UNEMPLOYED river, but In anoth-
er letter to his family the colonel had
referred to this river as the Rio Duly
alta or the River of Doubt. The head
waters of this river are at Matte Gros-
so, between the Madeira and Tapajos
rivers, two large streams that flow
northward to the Amazon.
The Roosevelt party reached Corum
ba, In Brazil, on the upper Paraguay
river, on Dec. is. A little north OF
Corumba this river is not n~avigable
The headwaters of the Paraguay rtv,
ar ara an fha nlataou that axtapda ;ptc
Matte Crosse. The sources of rivers
that run southwark to join the Rio
de la Plata are sometimes within &
few miles of the streams that flow
down the north side Of the plateau
and become tributaries of the Amazon
BY Horseback Five Hundred Miles.
From the headwaters of the Para
quay 1t is q journey of 900 miles by
horseback TO the headwaters of tn,
River of Doubt. These headwaters ar,
on a great plateau, between 5000 ant
1000 feet above sea level. From there
the rivers drop abruptly to the foo
OF the Amazon, making navigation ex
c~eptionally dangerous because of the
numerous rapids and waterfalls. The
Madeira and the Tapajos both contain
great waterfalls, among them beinl
some of the greatest In South America
If not In the world. The river between
those two streams, in which 1t 1,
thought that the Roosevelt party los
everything" is believed to have equal
ly dangerous rapids and falls.
On March Is a message was receiy
ed In Rio Janeiro from Colonel Ron
don stating that the party. after a 50
mile journey on horseback, had reach
ed Barao de Malgato. He said M
savages had been met and that Colo
mel Roosevelt was In good health. Ba
rao de Malgato is on the border be
tween the states of Matte Crosse ant
Amazonas and is neal the ~headwaterl
of two rivers. the Commencement Flo
riano and Gyparana. which flow int
the upper Madeira.
The Madeira river joins the Amazon
some distance below Manaos, the frs
city which the party had expected Il
encounter on their arrival In civiliza
ton. Santarem, whence Mr.. Fiala sen
his message, is several hundred mile.
below Manaos.