LOST EXPLORER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 March 1928, Page 11

LOST EXPLORER

UAR into the fastnesses of th<i jungle south of the Amazon River an expedition led by Oolonel P. H. Fawcett has been lost for some years, and considerable anxiety has for months been expressed for his safety. Towards tluend of last year, however, it was rumoured that he and his son had settled clown to life in an isolated region, carrying on the work which they had set out bo do, that of scientifically studying the surrounding countryside. Hidden amid the matted undergrowth are rumoured to be the ruins of a lost civilisation, and it was in search for these that Colonel Fawcett lost touch with the world- According to tradition there is also a rich gold lode near the river. Dr. D. D. Hogarth, president of the Royal Geographical Society, last yea’referred to the long silence which had fcdlowed Colonel Fawcett’s disappearance into the interior of the Amazon country, and said: “We hold ourselvein readiness to help any competent and well-accredited volunteer party which may propose to proceed on a reasonable plan to the interior of Brazil in order to trv and obtain news of Colonel I awe'ett.* He fore his departure Colonel Fawcett stated that he proposed to go where none but he could hope to penetrate and pass, and he insisted that no uneasiness should be felt if nothing was heard of his fortunes for two whole years, or even more.” For this reason ivo anxiety was really felt in regard to r.lic matter until something approaching three years silence had intervened. It was known that he intended to strike north from Cuyaba, in the province of Matto Grosso, and so approach the head waters of the Xinmi, and then, on reaching the eleventh parallel of south latitude, to turn across more than a thousand miles ot unknown country to the Atlantic. Al-

WHAT HAS BEEN HIS FATE

most from its commencement his expedition expected to live solely on the country, shooting and gleaning where possible sustenance day by day, al-th-jugh this intensified the dangers of the journey in view of .the fact- that u great portion of the way was through more or less desert country. As the party got further on their journey i.hev expected to make contact with the wildest and most ferocious of Indian tribes, peoples who had never come in touch with the white races. Since -Colonel I’aweett nearly three years ago left the extreme range of effective Brazilian authority at Baka'iri post, all contact with him had been lost, and no news had filtered through the devious channels expected until quite recently, when it was learned that he was still safe and pursuing his investigations, details of which, however, have so far not, been revealed. It has been considered that no mission of search could attempt to followhim far beyond Bakairi, for if the par tv which he led had been unable to penetrate and push through, there was very little chance of anyone else doing so. ' The only tiling that could be done under the circumstances would have been to prospect in various directions and so learn if anything had been hear-d of the missing party. 'Such a party would go just so far as would be consistent with reasonable prospects of a safe return, gathering from the nat ives whatever information might be procurable. # Even now the latest cable advice from Para does not indicate that Colonel Fawcett is still alive, in fact it almost states that he is not, in that it says he has “met the same fate as other explorers wh-o had previously penertated into the region.” In the past that has meant death in n very painful fashion.