Evening star., 1928-12-16

iungled interior Of the island OF
New Guinea, Just south OF the
Il II equator and north of Australia,
a yellow seaplane circled and
sped on an afternoon late last Summer.
Within the plane were Pilot Richard <.
Peck, known as The most resourceful
flyer that ever risked his life above t.,
tropical iungles": DR.. E. w Brand. j.
sugar cane expert of the United Stat
Department of Agriculture, and Ivsn
Char4..s;ts s-:aelv known Australian
explorer. The group ives section Of
DR. Brandes' latest exploration party.
designed TO seek in the tropical wilds
those native and primitive varieties of
sugar cane that might hclD cur South
ern States planters By being entirely
immune to the diseases end insects
that have proved so destructive to
Americas cultivated plants
Had anything serious happened to
that seaplane in nlidair. then the result
to its occupants certainly would have
meant destruction, either Immediately
or ultimately. For crashed plane on
the water would have involved @ Scne-
what too intimate contact with man.
eating erccodiles, while sn attempt at
forced landing on the ground would
have been completely out of the Qucs-
ton, not only because a scaplane is
valueless on land but because the region
Is entirely without landing place, BE-
ing filled to overf1owing with high hills
covered with dense forests
Luckily, however. the seaplane landed
without mishap. Swooping low, PiloS
Peck skinned the surface Of the water
In graceful fashion. shut off his engine,
talked" the plane few yards down
the stream and prepared to paddle the
craft to shore. What happened there
after to the explorers IS an adventure
story of which old Robinson CrUsoe
himself might we'll be envious.
Stuck fast in the mud for more thou
an hour on the edge of canninal VII
lage, the white mon we're forced to say
overnight with a curious sort Of pT,Hli-
tive people such as they had never seen
hefore-pygmies. barely few INCHES
taller than 4 feet living In tree houses,
practicing quaint ceremonies. bearing
huge bows and arrows, and extremely
adept ct throwing spears.
But no one can tel the story bette:
than Pilot Peck himself. So let the
daring aviator describe his thrilling eS-
periences in his own way:
New Guinea. one of the very largest
Islands in the Pacific. stretches some
1900 miles long and 500 miles across.
Always it has been fascinating source
Of study for the student of primitive
plant, animal and human life An cir
Of mystery has pervadei the remote
Island, the reasons being that noun
tain rarge extends along almost
through the very center from end to
end. and that the island is so thick'y
jungled in interior portions that to
attempt to EfsverSe it by foot OF other
ground means of travel has been simply
out of the question.
1.-THE island is divided between the
Netherlands. which owns the western
half, and Great Britain and Australia,
which lay claim to portions of the east
eTn half. This last region was the one
We traversed by seapl6ne last Summer.
"ERoM time to time scientists from
various nations have essayed to
investigate certain scattered sections of
New Guinea, notably the Australian
government, which lent us valuable aid
and advice on our recent. trip. But
without the plane method they found
themselves up against a stone wall. 1t
is safe to say that not until the years
1925 and 1925 was much valuable light
thrown upon the character of the plant
and animal life of the mysterious into
rior. Then 1t was that Mathew Stirling
of Washington, chief of the Bureau Of
Ethnology. Smithsonian Institution, ex-
plored the western Tor Netherlands)
half by the Seaplane method The trip
marked the first time, it is understood
that this unique method of travel was
tried out on sizable scale In New
Guinea. happened to be Mr.. Strings
pilot, and for eight and half months
we hobnohbed with primitive savages
But that of course. is another story.
Naturally enough, DR.. Brandes' re-
cent exploration trip. covering as it did
the entire eastern half of the island by
the plane method for the first time in
history, required great deal of prepa-
ration. Many confab did we have
with officials of the Australian govern
ment located at Port Moresby, on the
eastern coast, as to what kind of curious
folk might be found IN the mountainous
interior, and how we might best hope to
gain their confidence