The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-06-11

stream for, judged by the total volume
of water which it yearly empties int,
the sea, 1t Is probably one of the half
dozen greatest rivers of the world. II
length the Orinoco cannot compete
with other great streams; the distance
| from its source to it's mouth Is about
1000 miles. 1t has many huge tribu
taries. however, which give 1t high
rank in length Of navigable waters
about $500 miles.
The river finds its way into the At
lantic through huge delta covering
some 1000 square miles. The first
introduction which the river navigator
gets to the Orinoco leads him to class
it as second Amazon; for on Its low.
moist delta forest growths run riot.
One sails between the massive green
walls formed by rank-growing strands
Of thousands of rambling vines.
Above the delta, however, a hundred
or more miles inland, the screening
effect of coastal mountains comes into
play, and the plains or llanos begin.
Even In the prairie region trees fringe
the river banks, but back from the
stream, where the dry seasons make
themselves felt, only little clumps Of
stunted palms and bushes break the
monotony Of the grass-covered plains.
South of the river are great forests
like those Of the Amazon basin, and
from these tree-covered regions flow
numerous large tributaries, some Of
which are not well known. 1t Is in this
part Of Venezuela that exploration is
to be pushed
Boats Almost Reach the Andes
Ocean ships sail up the Orinoco as
they sail up the Amazon, though not
so far. Cuidad Bolivar, 26O miles
from the ocean, is the New Orleans Of
Venezuela and is the country's fourth
port. Here the river Is ten or twelve
miles wide even in dry season and
spreads out amazingly when the floods,
40 or 30 feet deep, sweep down.
Smaller boats ascend the river hun
dreds of miles above Cuidad Bolivar, |
almost to the Andes, in fact. The |
traffic on the river Is not nearly so |
heavy as the excellent navigation |
facilities warrant, owing to the sparse
hess of the population. Canoes and
-afts floating down from remote re-
,ions Of the upper Orinoco basin bring
quantities Of rubber,
,alata gum. chicle, and hides to Cuidad
Bolivar.
Photography has played queer
rick on the Orinoco In the upper
caches of the river. stream flows
tut Of the river at one point, carrying
art of it's waters to the Amazon. This
tream, the Casiquiare, Is navigable by
mall boats, so that it is possible to 60
inland by water from the mouth Of
he Orinoco to the mouth of the
Imazon.
1t is where the Orinoco system
lerges with the Amazon system, and
n the region generally west to the
.ndes that Venezuela's least-known
erritorles are to be found. From time
, time during the past several CEN
lries explorers have penetrated parts
( this vast unknown land. But for
ne most part they have gone by water
nd have seen only the rivers bordered
v their dense walls Of vegetation
hich shut out perhaps interesting Sc
rets beyond.
Legends and reports about this re
ION and its outskirts are numerous,
nd where one begins and the other
ids Is often difficult to determine. =
he connection Of the Or'roco and >
MACON by q natural canal was long ,
,nsidered a myth. but In 1909 Alex ,
nder. van Humboldt confirmed the
ct that the two river systems merge
trough good-sized stream. Many Of
e huge Orinoco tributaries are said !,
contribute waters of distinct colors.
le milky white another black. still
,other yellowish. etc. In one of the
pids Just above the limit Of naviga-
On In the main stream are reported
be musical stones" which. like the !,
atue Of Memnon in Egypt, give out :
unds when warmed by the rays o!
e sun.
So great is the discharge of the q
-inoco that 1t very materially re-
ces the sadness OF the Gulf of Paria
ID the neighboring waters. This eff 81
ct is so marked that Columbus, who 81
uched near the mouth Of the Orinocs n
1893. spoke Of these w4fers ~ "th tt
saltwater sea-" S