Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-21
BY HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,
Associated Press Science Editor.

bll loSt WoilNS, new one discovered
on Venezuelan mountain top, 10
times the area of A. Conan Doyle's
lost world
Gold and scientific knowledge are
the detectives.
The gold seekers, headed by James
Angel, an aviator, whose party made
the first authenticated white mans
ascent last year, are now back in
Venezuela.
The scientists, who assembled a few
months later, stayed on until March
this year and explored about one
sixth of the 800 square miles of top,
doubt there is gold. But they declare
there are boundleSs scientific riches
to be had-knowledge of the earths
queer building processes and informa-
ton on evolution of small animals and
plants isolated for perhaps a million
years.
The huge lost world is Auyantepui,
which means Auyan Mountain. It's
!. top Is fat. heart shaped, guarded on
all sides by sheer cliffs about 1000
feet high. The cliffs top mass rising
5000 to 5000 feet and towering above
WIG SdNdIllldIS vi 0UulIl-
ern Venezuela.
Region of Lost Worlds.
About 100 miles away is Mount
Foraima, site of Doyle's story The
whole region is one of lost worlds,
formations that thrust fattened tops
into the rain clouds the year round
Much of the area is still UNEMPLOYED
The scientists who have begun ex-
plorlng Auyantepui were members of
a the Phelps Venezuelan expedition,
sponsored by the American Geograph-
ical Society of New York and led by
G. H. H. Tate. mammalologist of the
American Museum of Natural History
They found lost world quite
different from Doyles fiction picture.
but, to them. equally fascinating For
this Auyantepui might properly be
called new world"
r., After few weeks on the summit
the cooking fire of Leader Tate had
sunk feet into the soil His native
cook had to get on his knees and
reach down to work.
This was due to the fact that the
soil was vegetable decay mixed with
sand eroded from the red and yellow
sandstone which forms the top of
this mountain.
The soil burned slowly. 1t was in
one of the early stages of evolution.
soil in process of formation. First
come the bare rocks, and later wealth
~ering OF the stone forms soil.
Only Million Years Old.
But this lost world is not ancient,
according to the geological evidence.
The mountain possibly rose in the
last one or two million years In the
comparatively short time since. its
soil has formed.
Looking up. when the scientific
party landed by plane at the noun
tain's base last November. great. white
cascades of water could be seen gush-
ing off the top after each rain. There
were almost daily downpours on the
lost world. 1t was wet and cold all
Ahe time except around midday
The ascent was made through
"joint" between sandstone formations
of the top cliff walls. The joint
paralleed the face. Rain had worn
q descending slot here Through it
the scientists climbed the 8,O0O-foot
side.
- From there the top sloped down
to 5000 feet on the opposite side In
the one-sixth area explored the
scientists found several rivers, deep
canyons and much bare stone for
nation like Gargantuan, squat pillars. |
They found themselves in vast W
shaped area delimited by walls 200
feet high.
Gold Story Doubted.
Lack OF time prevented them from
passing one of these walls in their
i. explorations. Behind this wall lies
the region in which there is legend
airy river of gold" Dr. Tate says
that since the entire mountain top
appears on geological evidence to be
sandstone, it is unlikely there is gold.
The precious metal does not appear
In sandstone.
The gold seekers obtained their
clue from the story OF prospector
who claimed he saw the golden river
In 1921. A plane was landed last
year on that sector of the mountain
top. But it stuck in a bog and the
gold-seekers were forced to leave with
out much time for hunting. They
~climbed down by the same slot that
the scientists used.
While tenting in the wastes of the
lost world the scientists listened by
radio to music and news from New
York, London, Paris and Berlin.
Their Indian bearers were paid in |
.. many kinds of trinkets, but matches
were the most priced. The natives
used them to start grass fires wherever
the savannahs were dry. All the In
dians had firebug mania No amount |
OF pleading deferred them.
Staged "Sit Down."
Otherwise the brown men educated
rapidly. After they had all the trim
kets they wanted they put on realistic
sit-down strikes until coin was used
to pay them.
All the animals were small The
ammunition" used to catch them
? was peanut butter, rolled oats, bacon
and raisins in traps. The Indians
loved this bait and stole it.
The animals bore the evidence of |
thousands of years of privacy They
had slight color and pattern differ
ences from similar species elsewhere. |
The lost world mosquitoes puzzled |
DR.. Tate. In the savannahs below |
the mosquitoes did not crowl under |
the tents, but that was the favorite |
entry of the mountainous breed He |
said this habit of seeking food SO
close to the ground might be evidence
Of difference in species.
Trees were small and gnarled, ex-
cept in ravines. Many plants were
apparently slightly different from like
species elsewhere. Birds also showed |
changes in markings. indicating pos
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