The New York herald., 1921-09-25
A Yankees Tomb in the Andes.

Forty-four years ago to-day Profes-
sor JAMES ORToN, American explorer.
naturalist and writer, died on Lake
Titicaca. He had gone In 1875 to
South America to explore the great
BENZ River valley and had reached
the mouth Of that stream when he
and his companions were deserted by
their native escort and their stores
dissipated. He had the strength and
vitality to make the journey through
the forest and jungle back to La Paz,
Bolivia, but he gave way under the
strain Of the hardships he had suf-
fered as he was crossing the lake to
Puno. Peru. He was buried on the
Island OF Esteves, near the centre of
the lake, his grave marked by sand
stone boulder. Above this on the
highest point Of the island a me-
mortal, the gift Of the alumn@ OF
vassar College, was raised and will
be dedicated to-day.
ORION was an upstate boy; he was
born at Seneca Falls, the son Of DR..
AzARIAH ORION, an eminent theolo-
gian Of the day. He too was edu-
Gated for the ministry, but the natu-
raj trend Of his mind was toward
exploration and scientific research.
Eight years after his graduation from
Andover Theological Seminary. he
was instructor of natural sciences at
Rochester University. The next
year, 1867, he was the leader Of a
Smithsonian Institution expedition
to the equatorial Andes and the
Amazon valley.
This expedition aroused in him an
interest in unexplored South Amer
lea which never abated and which
eventually cost him his life at the
age Of AZ. The South American con.
tinent was more inviting to him than
tropical Africa, which was then at
tracing the attention Of LIVINGSTONE,
BURTON, BAKER and other famous
British explorers. At the end Of
this expedition ORION wrote that
nearly the entire region traversed
was strangely misrepresented by
even the most recent Of geographical
works. ION the Andes Of Ecuador"
he said, 1--WE have little besides the
travels Of vow HUMBOLDT, on the
Napo nothing, while the Marathon is
less known than the Nile" The ex-
pedition in which he lost his life was
his third to South America.
ORroN brought back with him to
the United States the first large and
by far the most inclusive collections
illustrative Of aife and conditions in
the South American wilderness.
These enriched not only the Smith
sonian Institution and Vassar Col
lege but many other museums of this
country. Besides, ORToN wrote ex-
| tensively upon South America for
the newspapers and magazines, while
his best known book, "The Andes and
the Amazon" although published
fifty-one years ago, is to-day one OF
the classics OF exploration and q
book OF reference upon its subject
There is no doubt Of the justice oil
the tribute recently paid him by
American scientific societies, that he
was at the time of his death the best
authority on the geology and physi
cal geography OF the west coast OF
South America and the Amazon val
ley and that no one since ALEXANDER
Won HUMBOLDT had contributed sc
much as he had to an exact knowl
edge OF this region.
From 1869 till his death ORToN
was professor of natural history al
vassar. The monument dedicated
to-day, a reproduction Of an Inca
temple chiselled from block Of New
Hampshire granite, is a peculiarly
appropriate memorial by the alumna
to distinguished member of thu
college faculty. 1t is fitting too thai
the body Of this American explorer
should finally rest in land Il
which he had given so many years
of his active life and which owet
him so much.