Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-12-11

The biggest feat left for a traveller to perform in
Arabia, perhaps in all Asia, is to cross the Yemen,
then on to Nejran, from there along the Wady
Dauasir to Afaj and High Nejd. The southern
most provinces Of these lands, noted for their
waters and comparative fertility, have still to be
seen by western eyes, and it would now seem that
these eyes will be those of an airman, whose air.
ship will be more than probably worshiped as a
miracle from the celestial blue. He will have to
determine what becomes of the inland flowing
waters of west-central Arabia, and to throw light
on the mysterious valley region which Moslems
in the middle ages said existed on the northern.
trail fringe of the Great desert, and contained half
buried cities among whose ruins the Bedawis
found coins. He should learn much about the
mysterious Kahtan Arabs, and their possible
African origin.
But for the modern investigator South America
still offers the largest field Of intelligent inquiry.
Regions near the poles and in the arid deserts can
only lend themselves to the progress of material
development in a purely auxiliary capacity. or
provide quaint lore of the customs and conditions
of effete, or almost nonexistent, tribes. But South
America is teeming with virgin riches that are
only waiting the magic sesame of the aerial pio-
neer.
Equipped with powerful flying machines. the
work of exploration should proceed more RAPIDLY
than it has ever done, and soon the unexplored
enVironS or the poles, patches OF central Asia. n
large interior of Arabia, especially of the Sahara.
spots in central Africa, large tracts of South
America. especially between the great rivers. and
certain areas of Australia should be on the page
of accomplished exploration.
In the Next Decade.
To show the wonderful way in which the man
Of the world has been filled, it has only to he
stated that in 1860 25,024,360 square miles had
been mapped from route traverses and sketches
whereas in 1916 this area increased to 1850 $50
square statute miles. In 1850 no less than 3d..
997, O54 square statute miles were entirely unsur-
veyed and unmapped, while in 1916 this had been
reduced to 8,350,794 square statute miles out Of
100000 0 square miles, the total area of the land
surface of the earth, together with the unknown
parts of the Arctic and Antarctic regions, which
NAV be either land or water. With the much
quicker means Of investigation of today q decade
or two should see the proper survey and mapping
Of all parts of the earth's surface that are likely
to be Of any use to a man as settlements, or capa-
BILE of his development.
Aerial science seems to be keeping pace with
the demands which will be made upon 1t. One Of
these is the resistance of the engines to frost
while inactive; otherwise there Is the risk Of
frozen engines and permanent stoppage upon
landing. This difficulty has no doubt been pre-
sented between Vancouver and the Yukon, where
there have been experiments with an aerial post,
but flying in this region is comparatively simple
to the long distances to be covered in arctic ex-
~ploration. Already an aerial expedition to the