The Coolidge examiner., 1932-09-16

tain, but 'pocket-size" range.
With its foothills it is approxi-
mately 60 miles long and so miles
wide. The naming system that has
been followed is rather complex.
Topping the mountain mass are six
explored groups of snowy peaks,
and few other. heights not yet
climbed. Each group is given a
name as mountain, and each peak
is then separately named. From
north to south the snowy mountain
groups which have been climbed are
Emin, Gessi, Speke, Stanley, Baker
and Luigi di Savoia, each named
for an explorer of Ruwenzori itself
or of neighboring portions of AT
rica.
Numerous small glaciers extend
down from the snowy peaks to
about 14,000-foot level, and from
them trickle many streams. From
whichever side the drainage comes,
1t finds its way into the surround
ing lakes and rivers and flows,
through Lake Albert, into the Nile.
Ruwenzori thus fulfills the ancient
| tradition: 1t is the Mountain of
| the Moon" on whose white crest
Egypt's life-giving river is born.
The portion of Ruwenzori lying
north of Mounts Emin and Gessi
has never been climbed. In addi-
tion to making survey of the west
ern slopes of the entire range, the
Belgian expedition plans to climb
the peaks of this northern region.
Odd Facts About the Equator.
While Ruwenzori's snow has
been a popular 'hard to believe"
subject, there are other facts about
the worlds hot line that are, per-
haps, equally strange.
For example:
The equator crosses no deserts.
The equator does not touch con-
tinental Asia.
Less than one-fourth of the equa-
tor traverses land.
The equator cuts Africa nearly IN
half, traversing the middle section
of Kenya, severing the northern
third from the Belgian Congo and
bisecting the tongue of French
equatorial Africa which, with An
COLA, nearly sQueezes the Belgian
Congo off the Atlantic coast.
tOrial Africa there are no deserts
but torrid jungles, some parts Of
which are so canopied by trees in
terlaced by vines that only pencil
like rays of sunshine penetrate. In
this region the traveller meets with
naked, black, kinky-haired tribes
men, and such unfriendly beasts as
wild elephants, lions and hippopota-
muses..
Just below Ruwenzori's western
slope is the bailiwick of the Bam-
butte pygmies, shy, diminutive folk
of the jungles, and beyond is the do
main of Bantu tribes, some of whom
relish human flesh. The Nasal,
among the worlds fiercest ma
tives, inhabit the regions to the
east of the mountain.
Between the western coast of Az
rica and the coast of South Amer
lea, the equator crosses no land. In
the mouth of the Amazon if ira
verses Mexiana island and then
plunges into 1000 miles of jungle
land, almost as impenetrable in
places as the jungles of Africa.
South Americas Jungle.
Equatorial South America is the
land Of Indians of yellowish and
reddish hues with straight hair
which is cut as though soup bowls
had been applied to the natives heads
as guides for BARRIERS scissors. The
largest animal is the tapir, and ant
eaters are abundant.
At the eastern base of the Andes.
the equatorial traveller meets the Ji-
varos, natives who are proud of
their art in shrinking human heads
~ lAO OlLC VI vi dnSCg Will IiIS
hair and skin intact.
From their hot jungle homes, the
JivarOS can see the snOw-capDed
Andes of Ecuador and western Bra
zil. Quito, capital of Ecuador,
nestles in the Andean hills, about
fifteen miles south of the equator.
The equator begins its trans-Pa-
cific flight" by crossing the Gala
pagos islands and then makes
long jump to the East Indies,
where it traverses Celebes, Dutch
BOrneo and Sumatra, missing Singa-
pore, the nearest point of conti-
mental Asia, by only 90 miles. These
regions are inhabited by brown
skinned natives, some of whom show
traces of Mongolian, Hindu and Ma
layan blood. From Sumatra west
ward, the equator touches no land
until it strikes Kenya, East AfricP.