EXPLORING ON THE BLUE NILE

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8292, 22 September 1903, Page 1

EXPLORING ON THE BLUE NILE

+.—— — Tjte correspondent of the Jlritixh I'rcss Association, writing from Adis Alebu on July Bth, says : 'ills MaeMilkui expedition, which started to explore the Blue Nile, lias met with an accident, which, while fortunately not resulting in any loss of life, has necessitated the abandonment of the attempt to navigate the Blue Nile during the pive.ent year. Alt the members of the, expedition have reached here in safety, and are now on their way home. It will be remcmoercel that it was Mr iMacMillau'.s intention to investigate the possibility of navigating the Blue. Nile, from a. point, on the river about 120 miles north-west of Adw Alcba, in the Kutai district, to its junction with the White Nile at Khartoum. For this purpose ho brought from the coa.n four sect punts, made in portable sections, to be joined together wol'ill the river was readied. On June 11th the expedition Kit here for the JJttuc Nile. ft wa» composed of Messrs MucMillan, H. Morgan-Brown, W. G. Ramsay Fairfax, G. R. Clark, Lang, mining engineer ; Dr Korlandcr. principal physician to the Russian hospital at Ad in Adeba; Win. Manlow, Mr M'Milian's servant; and twelve. Somali's. The Blue Nile wvid reached early on the twelfth day, and was found t.o be low for the time of the year. At lirst glance, indeed, it se«im'il as 'if. at a- ford on some rapids just above the camp, there would, be hardly enough water to cat ry the punfs when laden. Closer inspection, however, showed that a considerable volume of water was pawing down the stream. Opposite the ciunp, which was pitched for the purpose of putting the punts together, the river wan about .sixty yards wide and twenty feet deep in the middle. The cuiivnl was very sluggish. Some ditliculty was experienced in bolting the sections of the punts together, so as to render them watertight. These were overcome, and on June 25 the expedition was ready to start. The punts were square, ironbound barges, 10 feet 9 inches long. Kacli was composed of niiv sections, and wan provided with an anchor and a sweep for (steering. Steerage was obtained by paddling with four paddle,: to . aoli punt. From the very outset the behavior of these craft, when fully laden in the water, was unsatisfactory. They were completely lacking in rigidity and were also wanting in elasticity, while thev labored badly in any broken or lifeless, water. The .draught of these craft, when carrying six men and five hundred pounds of baggage, was supposed to be nine inches', having twelve inches freeboard; the boats themselves were .specified to weight 8001bs each. A start was made down stream at 1 o'clock on the morning of Friday, June 26. By 3.30 the same, afternoon, after being 'bumped over eight rapids in about four miles of river, the expedition, was shipwrecked, two boats and more than half the provisions and .stores going to the bottom in some furious rapids at the beginning of a. narrow gorge between precipitous hills. The first, boat got through safely, but the second and fourth, after shipping a. great quantity of water, struck a. big rock in midstream, tilted over, and sank in deep water. The third boat, in which were Messrs MacMilla.n and .Morgan-Brown, very nearly came to grief in tlie same way, but were able to struggle, into shallow water, where MaeMlllan and one of the crew sprang overboard" and brought the crew safely to shore. All the occupants of the two wrecked boats swam ashore wit-limit difficulty, with the exception of one Somali, who was swept down the stream for a. quarter of a mile clinging to an inflated goatskin, which he used as it lifebuoy. He was picked up below the rapids by the first boat. A great amount of provisions and many of the stores went down with the two punts ; a few articled wore picked up on the bank down the- stream. Fortunately the disaster occurred so mtho start that it was possible to recall tile mule caravan within twenty-four hours; but the position of the exploring party, which was camped on tlie stony fn?'esl]oro, with no means of getting away and insuflicient stores for a long stay, was extremely unpleasant. The loss of stores and the difliculty of getting into touch with the few native inhabitants left, the party without meat for forty-eight hours, during which time they bad to live on unleavened bread, jam, a tin of macaroni, and some preserved ginger. To add to (be perils of their situation, a hurricane visited the gorge on the evening after the wreck, and nearly blew back into the river everything that had been kept or rescued with such ditliculty. A. more serious danger revealed itself during the night. At 4 a.m. the little canm. within fifty feet of the water, and far below iflowl level, was awakened by the most piercing anel terrible shrieks from one of the Sonialifi. Tt turned out that a crocodile hud seized him by the bead as he lay sleeping forty feet from th" river, and had dragged him"to within ten feet of the river. ITo was only rescued from certain death by his own presence of mind ..mil the bravely of one of .his companions, alto a Somali, who flung stones at the beesi. and made it. drop ils prey just in the nick ~f time. The unfortunate man was badly hurt, about the head, neck, and hand, but . : now .oakiiur a good recovery. On the second day after the accident meat was brom.dit into <-au.'p, some sheep being found, and thai al'i.-ninon- Jmn» 28—the expedition bud,, f.uvwell to the Rile Nile. Travelling by forced marches in wry disagreeable weather. 'Adis Adeba was reached on July 6. Several in.-mbcr,. of the party will return home from her..' with all speed. Although his first attempt has not beon_ a success, Mr iMacMillan by no means despairs of ultimate success.