The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-11-22
IS FIRST WOMAN
T0SCALE ANDES
Mrs. Marjorie HoWarth OF New
York Makes Trip With Her
Husband.
LIVES ON GAME AND FRUIT
Covers q Wild Trail 1856 Miles Long
Saw No Monsters but Many
Snakes and Bats-Hus-
band Sick on Trip.

| New York.-The first white woman
! to cross the highest peaks OF the tnlro
| range of the Andes mountains, l4,oUV
| feet above sea level, and then 10 ue-
| scend and proceed over the d1mcuit
| trail extending over land and water
for 1856 miles from Quito, Ecuador. to
| Iouitos. Peru, on the upper reaches OF
the Amazon, is Mrs. Marjorie How
arth, wife Of New York business
man.
IT had no idea of making such
trip when my husband and left New
York last March, planning merely TOT
a pleasure outing In South America.
said Mrs Howarth at her home but
when we decided to go over what 1s
known as the Papallacta-Napo route,
the American charge d'affa1res AT
Quito, Harold Deane, gave us all the
assistance possible. He advised us as
to guides, who were Indians, of course,
and several groups of these, who were
changed at different points for new
guides, were the only human beings
we saw during most of the trip.
First Woman to Make the Trip.
"It was pointed out to us that the
trip might be dangerous to any one,
especially so to woman because OF
the hardship and that legend had not
recorded that white woman had ever
attempted the task. That decided me
to accompany my husband, as l
thought it was time an American
woman should venture over the trail,
which follows closely the line OF the
equator
II want to say right here that we
came across no monsters or any other
strange creatures of the jungle, though
there were plenty of animals, but they
did not approach us closely, and shot
mono, nor did make any scientific dis
cOverfes.
"The snakes were a terror to me-
They were everywhere, and it was not
safe to move about without using caro-.
At night the guides used Z light in one
hand and a stick In the other to
fr1ghten tho snakes away whenever
they had to 90 few steps,
For two days Mrs. Howarth and Der
husband travelled on mules from Quito. |
From that point on to the Napo river.
1875 miles. they went on foot, and the
trail was 80 rough, and through such
jungies that progress on foot was often
hazardous and always slow and dih-
cult. Near the end of this hard hike
Mr.. Howarth became Ill with fever
and Mrs. Howarth took command OF
the expedition. The situation looked
serious, she said, as they were then 200
miles from Quito and nearly 100 miles
from their objective, with a trail be-
hind them over which II was almost
impossible that Howarth could be car
rfed, and It was At his suggestion that
his wife determined to continue. Mr..
Howarth lost weight and got worse
lay by day, despite every effort with
yuch simple remedies they happened
o have taken along in the stores. The
like became 4 slow moving column,
With frequent halts for tho benefit Of
he sick man.
Lived on Game, Fish and Fruit
"Our food supplies were nearly all
,one and we were living on what the
guides could get in the way of game or
lsh, fruits and fried bananas, which
We gathered as we proceeded daily"
aid Mrs. Howarth. 1--WE Toasted for
number Of days on Eve chickens and
ome eggs we got In an Indian village.
1y health continued good, but would
lot care to .isk It again In a Journey
yer that trail.
ap to our starting point, at Quito,
yhera the mountain Is 10000 feet
bove the sea, and we ascended the |
emaining 1000 feet to. the top Of the
.ndes on mules and finished the ascent
n foot. But we had to descend nearly
4, 900 feet from the Ice and snow-clad
eaks to the heated, oven-like jungle Il
nd 1t was due to these changes and II
ne hardship which caused my hus- II
and's Illness. He got better when we II
btained better food from the natives, II
nd his Improvement continued when II
e got him into big canoe afioat on II
le Napo river" X
The Indian guides charged about Is
snts a day for the service OF each
ember, and each carried pack (
eighing 70 pounds. Mr.. and Mrs. F
owarth always picked an open space
the Jungle for their nightly camp, G.
here they kept protective fires going. 3
It'll an Indian acting an guard, and :
cir crude beds covered with heavy !
,ts to protect them from snakes, In !,
cts and enormous bats.
1.-The largest and most terrifying
It's / had ever heard Of were en-
untered in this. Journey" said Mrs.
owarth. According to the stories
Id by the Indians of these bats they
peared to be a sort Of vampire. The Z
dams said these bats would kill
rson quickly by puncturing veins In
lists or feet and drawing off the
BOD, and we were warned about
.eping arrangements. At other times
scared of the bats with shots"