LIFE IN PAPUA.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 75, 5 May 1914, Page 7

LIFE IN PAPUA.

EXPLORING THE FLY RIVER. SIR RUPERT CLARKE'S EXPEDITION. By Cable. — Press Association. — Copyright. (Received May 5, 9.40 a.m.) SYDNEY, May 5. Judge Murray, the Papuan Administrator, has arrived here. Interviewed regarding the recent exploration of the Fly River, he said the exploring party ascended the river for a, distance of 530 miles, and in one village they found the natives wearing cuirasses, thickly platted with rattan cane, as a shield against arrows. In addition to bows and arrows, they carried other weapons, egg-shaped stones, and clubs with long handles. In another place, the party witnessed evolutions by disciplined men, which is l'arely seen in Papua. In the upper reaches of the Fly River tho party found traces of gold, and Judge Murray thinks that if Sir Rupert Clarke finds gold in payable quantities, a rush will ensue, and that this would solve the present problem regarding the future settlement and development of the island. [Sir Rupert Clarke's expedition to Papua has already left Sydney in the Van Cloon. The object of the expedition is to discover the source of the Fly River, which is one of the largest in New Guinea, and has already been navigated up to 600 miles. Sir William MacGregor, when Administrator of the British territory in the island, reached the highest point of the river then recorded, and his explorations, which Sir Rupert hopes to exceed, have been described as of a remarkable character. With the idea of eventually tracing the Fly River to its source, Sir Rupert had built in Sydney a special river boat, which he has christened Kismet. The ! Kismet will make her journey up the river, prepared for peace or war. She has been fitted with ten 12-inch portholes for offensive or defensive purposes, and all her open spaces are fitted with arrow-proof netting. On the top of her cabin she will carry a 250 candle-power electric lamp. No pains were spared to make her as comfortable and as complete as possible. She was painted white. Her dimensions are: Length, 45 feet; beam, 4J feet; depth, feet. It will be seen that she is especially shallow for the class of work she is to undertake. She has a hardwood bottom, and will carrp topsails, while her other motive power will be a 16 B.H.P. oil engine, which will give her a travel capacity of 8{ miles an hour. Her deck-house is large, being 14 feet long and 94 feet wide. In addition to the big electric searchlight, she was fitted with ten other electric lights. Her interior is fitted with nine lockers, and on leaving Sydney in the Van Cloon she was packed to her tenton capacity with enough food to keep her explorers going for three months. In the course of an interview, Sir Rupert said that he might never come back, but he intended to try and do something to emulate the deeds of Sir William MacGregor, who was a hard man to follow. In his dealings with the natives, Sir Rupert said he intended to also follow Sir William's peaceful methods, but naturally he has made provision for any aggressive methods which may be displayed by the wild natives in the interior. Sir Rupert left Sydney by himself, but was to pick up his party at Port Moresby, where they were waiting for him. This party will comprise two or three tried and experienced explorers, and a number of-.'• friendly natives.] ' '