THE WILDS OF PAPUA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19896, 15 March 1928, Page 6

THE WILDS OF PAPUA.

AWHmJBOUS JOURNEY. PARTY'S GREAT PRIVATIOfIg. —— THE VERGE OF STARVATION. MANY NEW TRIBES DISCOVERED.

[FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT. J SYDNEY. March 8. A passenger from Papua this week wn Mr. Karius, assistant-resident magistrate at Port Moresby, who, with a young Papuan patrol officer, Mr. Champion, aad six native police, and 36 carriers, commenced a trip across Papua on September 17 and discovered the bead waters of the Fly, Strickland, Palmer and Sepik Rivers, also much country hitherto unvisited by white men. Mr. Karius returned to JPork Moresby on January 30. The party went from Port Moresby to Daru by launch, and 528 miles np the Fly River. Then it was forced to leave the launch for land travel through treacherous country. The Victor Emanuel range w&s crossed, and on December 1 the party found the source of the Sepik River.Progress varied from half a mile to eight miles a day. Dense jungle had much to do with thb slow progress, and much time was taken in cutting a way.

The object of the trip was to discover the sources of the Fly and Sepik Rivera, and it also found that the Fly, Strickland and Palmer all had source within abc miles of one another. e

When in the Sepik Valley the party had only 13 days' provisions left, and still had 700 miles to go to the coast. When provisions were reduced to two bags of rice for the men, there still wers 600 miles to go. For 14 days the party bad to live on sago and whatever th» guns could secure. Several attempts w«?« made to use a raft, but, owing to ths fact that no suitable logs could be found, the idea was abandoned. The river eat* rent also was too swift. The rafts w«rs lost, and only the intervention of pro*idence saved some members of the party, from drowning. About four days after the first raft failure the party struck suitable timber. The river was also favourable for raiting. Early on' the morning of the second day after commencing the use of a raft great jubilation was caused when th« Papuan Government yacht, Elevala, wat sighted. The yacht was 512 miles from the mouth of the Sepik River, which diitance never before was reached.

Apart from tha discovery of the souros of the river, itself of much geographical value, the party also discovered big tracts of land between Mount- Blucher and th» PaJmer River, and between Mount Peripatus and the Sepik, which had never pre. viously been traversed by the white man* Despite the privations endured on tha trip, only one of the native carriers WW lost, and Mr. Karius said had exhaustion not claimed him the day before the launch was sighted it was probable that he would have survived.

Many new tribes of natives were met at the head waters of the Sepik, and these, while ready for war, were found to be friendly enough when treated in & proper way. Mr. Karius is stili suffering from the effects of malaria fever. *