The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-08
Party Expects to Bring Back First Ac-
curate Maps of Waterways to Be
Traversed for Hundreds of Miles
in Specially Constructed Launch

rredeces sors. and soon found that II
had been made up out OF the most
superficial sort OF as you 60 dead
reckoning. resulting in the distortion
Of the most important directions and
distances.
DIR. Rice will have charge OF the
geographical features OF his exped
ton. He is a graduate in medicine,
and another physician will also be Of
the party. John e. Cousins, former
companion Of DIR. Rice, an old officer
OF the Philippine consta bulary and a
thorough fresh water sailor and engi
ileer, will have charge 81 the boa. and
engines. He has watched closely the
construction of the craft at Morris
Heights and Is in charge Of its dis
mantlinS and shipment to-day. There
will also be a wireless operator and a
young man from Harvard in charge NJ
the geological and chronological work
The other member Of the party will be
a river Indian.
The Rice party will proceed to one
of the Amazon River ports probably
Manaos. by steamer. There they will
board the launch and start up the
Rio Negroes, which empties into the
Amazon 500 miles from the sea and
itself wanders for a thousand miles
! into the Andes Up the Flo Negros
| 500 miles the launch will turn into
the Casiauiare unique among the
waterways OF the earth. This Is
! natural canal which flows from the
| upper reaches of the Orinoco into the
Negros. the divide between the two
| systems being imperceptible at this
| point. Where the Casiuuiare taps the
| Orinoco that great stream flows from
! the east. later to make a horseshoe
! lanticturn and flow east into the At
lantic on the Venezuelan coast, pr.
! Rice has already been through the
| Casiquiare and knows It well.
Once In the Orinoco he will turn
| eastward upstream, and hopes 10 md
the source, which has so far eluded
all explorers. II is some place in the
ridge which divides it from the ANA
ION basin. Various attempts have
been made to reach il, but all have
failed. 1t is in mis- absolutely ur-
| known region that DIR. Rice expects
TO find his white Indians. il such
T! tribe exists,
AS the river shadows it is Qurs
! PROBABLE the launch will have 70 ~
lell anu lHS' journey tTdt' ny hH'N"
canoe. So confident is DR.. Rice OF h
success in this region, however, that
he already plans TO rcjoin tho launch
go DOWN the Or!noco to the Guaviare
400 miles away, ascend this stream -
the westward and from It's upper
reaches. which DR.. Rice has a,teadv
mapped, cut his way through the
Jungle for a hundred miles or 50 ~
. l,A IL ., 10,
Negros, in the meanwhile sending th-
launch back 10 the Casiquiare and ~
the Rio Negro and It's Tributary to lo.r
him.
No time limit has been set for the
trip as a whole and DR.. Rice viii set
none for any of it's parts. DELAYS arc
not intreauent and are always tho
cause Of endless worries TO those ,ef'
at home. The last time DR.. Rice Vas
mp the river he was about mur't
late in reporting at Manaos and the
! 'umor gained circulation that ne mad
Keen killed. started by the comment NJ
a professor who had met him n 40
wilderness. DR.. Rices family was
worried for weeks until they finaiv
received word from him that he ha.
safely arrived.
1900 Miles Upstream.
While the headwaters OF the Crt-
noco, the principal object OF Or. Rices
trip, are not far as the crow hles nr
as distances go In South America from
the mouth OF the Orinoco, u Is 6nn
miles by the course OF the stream. but
the trip would take infinitely longer
overland through a country that has
never been traversed. DR.. Elce =
choosing the route up the Amazon and
the Rio Negroes because OF the fcwe"
rapids in the greater streams and Of
his familiarity with the natives and
the lay OF the land
Few supplies will be taken from his
country aboard the little launch The
country Is teeming with meat and rsh
the forests are filled with edible fru.'s
and nuts, and the natives raise mary
delicious and nutritive vegetables. RI.
staples at the posts on the upDer
reaches. and little difficulty is ante.
pated in having supplies forwarded.
, Altogether, though the expedited
lacks the flavor of perllous advent ..'"
: which attaches to the polar eNped
tions, Its completion will require a.
much If not more OF endurance arr
skill, the results TO he obtained R7'
UNNECESSARILY important in maAt
fields instead OF one and the iourrc'
= throws the explorer every hit rs n,u'r
] upon his own resources for success