The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-09-16

Prepared by National Geographic socis<y.
Washington. D. C-WNU Service
~ UWENZ0RI, one Of the worlds
~ queerest mountain masses, has
IN been scaled by Belgian expedi-
ton entirely in Belgian territory,
according TO reports from the Belgian
Congo In which a part Of the noun
tain lies. The feat. not hitherto ac-
complished, required a climb Of more
than 1890 feet OF difficult, trailless
jungle and rocky slopes.
Ruwenzori is unusual In its very
situation II lies almost Immediate
ly under the equator, surrounded by
rank. steaming tropical forests and
sun-drenched plains covered with tail
elephant grass; yet Ii pushes its
peaks up TO eternal SHOWS. Nowhere
else are there comparable heights IN
der the equator, rising from the heart
OF a continent. The Andes of Ecua-
dor, relatively close TO the coast, and
the mountains OF the island Of New
Guinea are the closest competitors.
Weather conditions do their part in
contributing TO the strangeness OF
this African mountain mass. and in
throwing an almost literal veil OF
mystery around it The peaks are
hidden TO observers from the plains
and forests by clouds and fog except
at rare intervals. As q result, the
definite existence Of the mountains
was unknown TO Europeans until
1864 when Sir Samuel Baker, while
exploring Lake Albert, saw "a blue
mountain to the south" His observa-
ton went inverted until 1887 when
Stanley saw the peaks and made
known the fact, for the first time.
that they were snow-capped 1t was
not until more than a decade later
that the snow line was first reached;
and the crests were not attained IN
I'll 1906 when the duke Of the AbruzI
led his expedition 10 the top.
The name, Mountains Of the Moon,
Is believed TO have arisen from mis-
taken translation from Arabic; but IL
has fitted well into the atmosphere
Of mystery that surrounded Ruwen-
zori for centuries; and ii has a fig
urative justification because Of the
weird appearance Of the mountain
slopes. The relatively few white men
who have made the arduous climb
have all noted the impression that
they had blundered into some alien
world. The combination OF excessive
moisture, altitude and equatorial sun
has produced unique vegetation
that In many ways is utterly fam
tastic.
Vegetation Is Extraordinary.
After emerging from the dense
tropical forests Of the lower slopes,
q climber feels like a Lilliputian Wis
iting the meadows Of Brobdingnag.
He walks among parsley plants nine
feet high. ''bird-seed" three times his
height, and heather plants. relatives
OF the low Scottish shrub, that have
expanded into great trees 20 and so
feet tall To add TO the weirdness.
colored mosses-brown, yellow, green,
white and red-are all about under
and overhead. They grow in huge
cushions that encircle the limbs Of
the heath trees like giant mushrooms
impaled on a skewer. The unearthly
appearance is heightened usually by
fog, through which the strange
growths loom dimly; and there is
continual drip Of water from limbs
and moss clumps. The way often
leads through swamps and muck up
to ones knees
Above the heath forests. on less
swampy ground. giant lobedias cover
large areas, sending their spikes up
TO twenty feet or more. All about are
a variety Of weeds, grown almost to
the magnitude Of trees. Further up
are thickets Of bamboo through which
progress Is extremely difficult. The
highest slopes. just below the snow
lire. are covered with a thick growth
Of everlasting flowers.
Except on its lowest slopes Ruwen-
zori is uninhabited, and above the
tropical forests there is not much AMI
NAL life The soggy heath forests
are Utmost OeNO1G OF dululd1s, OArOs
and insects On other parts Of the
slopes, where sparse animal life Is
found. 1t forms q queer assortment:
a few small mountain antelopes:
leopards that prey on them; hyra1es,
which are harelike comics; fruit-eat-
ing bats with a '-wing-spread" Of two
feet; and q few birds and insects
The name. Ruwenzori, was selected
by Stanley as the most common
among a large number Of native des-
ignations II has been interpreted as
meaning king Of the Clouds" and
'sRain-maker"
Really Mountain Range
Ruwenzori is not a single mountain,
but a -pocket-size" range. With its
foothills II is approximately so miles
long and 30 miles wide. The naming
system that has been followed is
rather complex Topping the noun
tain mass are six explored groups Of
snowy peaks, and few other heights
not yet climbed Each group is given