FAMOUS EXPLORER

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 109, 11 May 1933, Page 11

FAMOUS EXPLORER

DISCOVERED LOST CITY

WORK OF SVEN HEDIN

.Working in an area almost the size of the United States, Dr. Nils Ambolt has been making delicate experiments relating to the ofxtho earth. Some of these observations, conducted at a remote spot hundreds of miles from the nearest westerner, entailed tests with a pendulum lasting 55 hours, during which it was possible to snatch only a few minutes' sleep at a time. Such was the extreme delicacy of these observations that the swing of the pendulum was measured to one-millionth at an inch. Dr.,Ambolt is . member of the Sino-Swedish Expedition which has been conducting researches in the re* mote parts of Central Asia for the past six years, on a "front" of 2600 miles from Peking to Eashgar. Dr. Sven Hedin, tho Swedish explorer, is famous for his travels in Tibet and his discoveries in connection with tho "wandering Jake" of Lob-nor and the oity of Lou-Lan, lost 1700 years ago. A few weeks ago he returned to Peking to resume his work as head of tho Sino-Swedish Expedition. Dr. Hedin had spent nine mdnths in Chicago supervising the erection of the Golden Pavilion, a replica of China's finest Lama temple, in the grounds of the World's Fair, and he was turning to the task of collating the results of the expedition, which will fill more than 80 large tomes when completed. Already ■ many rcmarkablo discover-' ies have been reported by the expedition, and Dr. Hedin looks to further discoveries as the remaining members come in from the field. Among the main discoveries so far are fossilised mastodons, petrified fish, insects and plants, prehistoric implements, and ancient scripts, as well as valuable data concerning the structure of the earth, astronomy, and the weather. Inportant discoveries relate to the lost city of Lou-Lan, now .'revisited ,by tho "wandering lake" of Lob-nor after being left in a waterless waste for centuries. SIX YEARS AGO. Other discoveries have been 10,000 Han scripts, 2000 years old, which are now being studied by Chinese scholars in Peking, in collaboration with Dr. B. Karlgren in Sweden, one of tbfl greatest of living sinologues. Inscribed on wooden strips before the invention of paper, these scripts deal chiefly with campaigns against the raiding Huns. When tho expedition first began Us work six years ago, the staff numbered 27, including Swedes and Chinese, a film operator, and eight German aviation experts, tho last-mentioned re« turning home when the provincial authorities forbade tho use- of aeroplanes. There were 75 servants, and at tho outset 300 «amels. While awaiting tho four members of the. expedition still in'tho field Dr. Hedin has boen collating the enormous amount of material already obtained and working on his book dealing with Lou-Lan and tho lake. Another task is drawing tho illustrations for the book on Tibet ho wrote during his stay in America. Dr. Hedin, who first began his travels forty-eight years ago, is still planning new expeditions. In connection* with the "wandering lake" of Lob-nor, Dr. Hedin had predicted that the lake must return to its original site, basing this view on a careful study of the silting up of the almost level terrain. Later while he was in Chinese Turkestan he learned that the Tarim Biver had changed its course, and the lake, he assumed, must have resumed its old position near the rediscovered city of Lou-Lan. Tho Governor of the province, however, refused to give tho expedition permission to proceed to tho spot, so Dr. Hedin dispatched. Dr. Nils Hoorner through the desert from Tunkwang in tho cast to tho spot. For fourteen days of this journey there was no water or grass for tho camels, water for the men being carried in tho form of iceblocks. Halfway across the desert, the caravan found snow in a ravine, and this gave the camels sufficient for tho rest of the way. Upon arrival it was found that Dr. Hediii's prediction had been fulfilled —tho truant lalte had returned, . ■ ' SAVED THE CABAVAN. Dr. Hoerner has been assisted in this work by a brilliant young Chinese explorer, Mr. Parker C. Chen, who on ouo occasion took chargo of the expedition and saved the caravan when the grass was exhausted by taking tho camels back to Tunkwang, a perilous journey in tho height of the ■ winter, Tho inhabitants of villagos on the southern side of tho "wandering lake" now 'left behind by tho water, are seeking to deflect the Tarim Biver back to its recent course in order to influence the lake. Dr. Birger Bohlin, who was known for his work in connection with the fossil Peking man before bo joined Dr. Hedin, has found petrified fish, plants, and insects 100,000,000 years old, preserved so beautifully that every little detail is to' be seen today, oven the scales of the fish and the delicate litres in the wings of the dragon-flies. Dr. Bohlin has also found a new species of dinosaur and many other animals hitherto unknown to science.'Numerous dinosaurs and one dinosaur egg, the only one found, have been discovered by Dr. P. L; Yuan, a Chinese geologist. Dr. Hedin found the lost city in earlior travels, Crossing the Tariml Basin, suddenly in the heart of the desert he found himself among the ruins of houses, towers, and crumbling walls. He realised that he had discovered the ancient city of Lou-Lan, a fortified outpost built by tho great Han emperors on tho shores of the "wandering lake" to protect the old silk route between China and Borne from raiding Huns more than 2000 years ago.