Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-04
NOTED PIONEER OF SOUTH AMERICA
~ FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

W ASHlNiTON, June 3.-Down in
Northern Bolivia. where the drainage
flows eastward through lush tropic
bush to the Amazon. and the innum-
cradle rivers bear long and sonorous
spanish names or queerly accented In
nian ones, there is stream known
by the good American appellation of
River Heath. And at the meeting Of
the League TO Enforce Peace in Wash
ihgton. ID. c.. Is a white bearded old
gentleman. vigorous In spite OF his
scTen'v-sevcn years. Or. T.. r. Heath,
OF Kansas City. who tells how River
Heath got its name
Or Heath was the leader, chief ma
turalist and topoSrapher. and nnc-thsrd
OF the personnel OF remarkable OK
ploring expedition which penetrated
one of the greatest unknown reg ions
in South America. opened up one OF the
richest rubber districts in the world
and incidentally made the FIRST maps
and brought back the first data from
district the traversine Of which was
universally believed TO he equivalent
TO peculiarly uncomfortable form OF
suicide.
The explorer himself never saw
River Heath. The latter stream is a
tributary Of the great Madre &c dos.
which in turn flows into the Bent II
WAS the Bent which DR.. Heath ex-
plored. running down It's current for
hundreds OF miles through a region
which had never before been entered.
which was infested By wild animals.
swarms OF insects more dangerous than
the animals, and wild men more dan
Eerous than charlottesville and cannt-
bal Indians. River Heath was given
has name in appreciation of the value
and magnitude OF his accomplishment
and the resource and courage he dis
played in carrying II out.
The Bent was known as an import
ant stream. draining rich territory and
probably nav!gable, hut the perils of
It's course were such that II had never
been used as highway. even by the
native rubber gatherers who penetrate
indincrently into regions that most
Europeans consider II feat to eS-
plorc. The cannibal savascs who roam
Ell the district had been alienatcd part
~ by the treatment they had received
at the hands OF the FIRST rubber gath
ererS. and partly by centuries OF !rreg-
ular warfare with ALI strangers rum
ming back 10 tho pre-Columbian days
OF the lncas. until they discouraged en-
ploration by the simple and effective
means Of eating the explorers Such
was their reputation that between diff
fculty in inducing natives TO accom-
pany him and subsequent assertions.
Or. Heath made most OF his trip in
lcaky f'tcen-foot boat accompanied by
only two companions.
with Legation to Chile.
ne explorer 1lrSt went To south
America a secretary of legation TO
Chile. subsequently he worked his
way inland in his capacity as doc
tor, cleaning railway construction
camps of fever. On the threshold Of
the unknown regions he determined to
undertake some of the many difficult
explorations that then awaited the
pioncer-and which TO a considerable
extent still await him to-day. DR..
Heath first intended 10 work his way
down the Amazon through Brazil, but
just At this time DR. James Orion, an
other enterprising American. accom-
plished tho feat from the other direc-
ton. working up from the mouth. DR..
Heath turned his attention to the Beni
The headwaters of the Beni were
known rich rubber district. and
the stream was also travelled for Il few
miles from its junction with the Ma
deira. that mighty tributary of the
Amazon. The long stretches between
these points were absolutely unknown.
The rubber men would work their way
up n parallel stream. cross the divide
to the basin Of the Benz. gather the
rubber. transport il to the other river
and thus return. Nobody cared to try
conclusions with the much shorter Benz
route even with the strong probable
ity Of riches held out by the virgin
territory 1t traversed.
Dir. Heath pushed up the Madeira
and crossed overland to the little town
OF Reyes. near the BENZ, in its travelled
uDpcr reaches After considerable diff
fculty he got together enough men
for start down stream, although the
natives regarded the venture as GER
tain death. Only two Of the Indian
boys proved loyal. making the trip
from first to last. They knew DR..
Heath from previous trips. and had an
abiding faith In his abilities. Their
wives apparently knew that they would
stick to the expedition. for they pass
cd the night before the start in wall
ing and mourning for their husbands.
as though they were dead already.
Only Three in Expedition.
The expedition when it passed the
last limits Of previous exploration and
pushed into the unknown, consisted of
| DR.. Heath and these two men In lit
| tie open boat which they had calked
with cornhusks and pitched with clay.
| They carried a rife. which they were
unable to shoot except on rare occa
| sions for fear of bringing down the
| savages; a sketchy kit of scientific and
MATCHMAKING Instruments, axes and
machetes and an oX-hde filled with
| food.
E! This little craft foated down the
long stretches OF the Reni. here two
| and three miles wide. DR.. Heath map
to sec tho mouth of the great Madre
| dc Dios River where II meets the Benz.
| He discovered and named two other
| major streams, and proved that the
| Benz was navigable from it's source.
| near La Paz. oil the way to its junction
| with the Madeira. He brought back
| the hrat account OF the riches OF its
basin in rubber and medicinal plants
and exploded most OF the legendary