Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-02-28

PREPARED BY the National Geographic So
clety. Washington. II. c.
It's ground traversed since our his
tory began only by camels. the Sahara
desert has just been conquered by au-
tomobiles which crossed the 1000 miles
from Algiers 20 Timhuktu In twenty
nine days-a third OF the time camels
would have required. The feat serves
10 bring into bold relief some OF the
misconceptions we have been harbor-
ing about the worlds greatest desert
The chief and most persistent fal-
lazy about the Sahara is that IL Is a
.sea OF sand" AS a matter OF fact
while there Is much sand, the desert
Is predomlnantly a land OF rocky
plateaus and mountains.
There Is the idea, too, that the
Sahara Is tremendously hot. IL is-by
Cay. But az night the temperature
falls. often 10 below freezing in a few
hours. So well does this night cool
less balance the extreme heat Of day
shat the mean annual temperature Of
the Sahara Is no higher than that Of
regions much farther north.
This great desert Is used as a
synonym for dryness. Except for a
few tiny Gases IL a. ordinarily thought
OF as ''bone dry" throughout its entire
area. But IN reality the mountains OF
tie interior receive considerable pre-
clpltation and are even said by some
travellers TO be capped with snow dur
Ing q part OF every year. Further
more. area after area, formerly con-
sldered hopelessly dry. Is being shown
10 have water available from artesian
reservoirs I'm the earth below
There are good enough reasons for
he prevalent misconceptions and the
general lack OF knowledge about the
Sahara. II was known first from its
northeastern corner. where II stretches
westward from the Nile, and there IL
4 I'm truth "sea OF sand" The vast
bIliowy, shifting dunes Of the Libyan
/ desert. then, inspired a striking WORD
plcture which came 20 be applied by
/ the world TO the Sahlra. The fact
that n band OF sand dunes also extends
pretty much along the entire northern
edge OF the great desert for a hundred
or more miles inland from the Mediter-
ranean coast. furnished further circum-
stantial evidence 10 convict the Sahara
1 OF being q "sea Of sand
Not Easy for Explorers.
The desolate sand dunes We're enough
IN themselves to discourage most
I would-bc travellers who might have
found the truth to the south. Add to
this thar the people who came out OF
the sands Nere fierce. fanatical war
rlors who early established regulations
for massacring strangers first and Won
dering about their errands afterwards,
and In Is small wonder that the Eu-
ropean world went on century after
century without knowing anything
about the Sahara.
Behind the bulwarks Of sand that
stretch in a semicircle from the Nile
south IL the Mediterranean, below the
Atlas mountains and 10 the Atlantic
lies the real. and until recently the
unknown. Sahara. Recent estimates
are that loose sands make M between
only one-tenth or one-nlnth the area
OF the Sahara. South Of Algeria the
northern sands give way TO rising
rocky ground. which leads to an exten
slve plateau OF massive rock. pebbles
and houlders. and finally 900 miles
from ne coast are crags OF the Hogan
mou..1alrs. 5000 20 1900 feet high
rrhia roof.peak OF the sahara Is almos
exa~tlv midway between the Mediter
rarean and the Gulf OF Guinea and
nos far from the halfway point he
tween the Nile and the Atlantic. From
II platpaus slope in every direction
hut 10 the southeast the descent is onl'
temporary, Tor farther In that direc
ton lie other ranges, eliminating u
the Tibestls with a peak 10000 fee
Nigh.
n "a the highland portions OF TIL