South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Tuesday 31 March 1891, page 2


AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION.

While in Europe last August Sir Thomas Elder, G.C.M.G., whose name is familiar the wide world over as that of the man who stands pre-eminent among Australian colonists for

being the prime mover in the exploration of the interior of this vast continent, offered to send out, entirely at his own expense, an ex-pedition to explore our unknown country, and thus fill up the blanks in the map of Australia. This most beneficent offer was made to the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, or rather to Baron Von Mueller, the President of the Society in Melbourne, to whom Sir Thomas disclosed his scheme, and who naturally has taken a very prominent part in arranging matters for the carrying out of such a worthy proposal. No time was lost in the consideration of the offer, and at a meeting of the South Australian Branch of the Society on August 26 the fol-lowing motion was unanimously passed: — "That the hearty thanks of the Royal Geographical Society, South Australian Branch, and of the colony generally, are due to Sir Thomas Elder for his munifi-cent offer to send out another exploring ex-pedition at his own cost, and that his offer should be heartily accepted." Negotiations were carried on between the colonial branches of the Society for the organization of the ex-pedition, and from time to time recommenda-tions have been made of men competent to un-dertake the intrepid journey through tracts of country untraversed by the feet of the white man. Such progress has been made in the ar-rangements that it is probable the exploration party will set out during the next few days. The judicious liberality of our esteemed colonist is made the more noticeable when it is stated that Sir Thomas prescribed no definite stipula-tions ; all that he asked for was that a plan of the operations in connection with the expedi-tion should be submitted to him for approval, and this condition has been complied with. The Council of the South Australian Branch held a meeting on Monday afternoon, March 24, when matters connected with the fitting out of the expedition were dealt with. Mr. R. Helms, of the Sydney Museum, who was recommended by the com-mittee of that body, and by the Councils of the Melbourne and Sydney branches of the Society, was selected for the position of naturalist. The South Australian Council also decided to recommend Mr. David Lindsay for the position of leader, and to ask Mr. Lindsay to communicate with Sir Thomas Elder in regard to the leadership, and to re-ceive instructions in the event of his appoint-ment. The Council further resolved to ask the permission of Sir Thomas for the leader of the party to fill up the Society's blank form of journal with information of a scientific cha-racter. In accordance with the wishes of the Coun-cil Mr. A. T. Magarey, Hon. Secretary of the branch, together with Mr. Lindsay, waited upon Sir Thomas Elder at his residence, Mount Lofty, on Monday evening, and as the result of the interview Mr. Lindsay has been entrusted with the command of the expedition. Sir Thomas Elder has approved of the appointment of the other officials of the party, as follows : — Second in command, Mr. P. W. Leech; medical officer and botanist, Dr. Elliott, of Townsville; zoologist, naturalist, entomologist, and botanical collector, Mr. R. Helms, of the Sydney Museum; geologist, mineralogist, ethnologist, and meteorologist, Mr. Victor Streich, of Adelaide. It is expected that the expedition, which will be out at least twelve months, will start from near the Peake. The exact route to be followed is not yet known, Mr. Lindsay and those who have the working outs of the details of the expedition not having yet perfected the arrangements. Roughly speak-ing, though, the party will proceed from the Peake in a westerly direction, traversing the country as yet unexplored between the routes taken by Giles in 1875, Gosse in 1873, and Forrest in 1874. This represents a tract some 1,300 miles in length by 200 miles in width. The course will probably be midway between the tracks of previous explorers. The ex-pedition hope to strike the head waters of the Murchison River in Western Australia, and then crossing the routes followed by Forrest in 1874 and Giles in 1876, to explore the north-eastern country lying between that discovered by Giles in 1876 and War-burton in 1873, representing a strip about 900 miles in length and 200 in width. The next move will be into the Northern Territory to examine the land to the east of that explored by Warburton in 1873 and Gregory in 1856. This is a patch of some 400 miles by 300 miles, lying between the Over-land Telegraph Line and the Victoria River and Sturt's Creek, and it is in this region that Baron Von Mueller thinks there is a possibility of relics of Leichardt being found. Sir Thomas Elder is anxious that the explorers should start away almost im-mediately. It appears that the arrangements so far are such that their equipment can soon be completed. A large number of camels are already at Beltana, and from these good selection could soon be made. There is no doubt that the expedition will be well on the way by the middle of April. Baron Von Mueller was the principal person concerned in the selection of the members of the expedition, and we understand that in every case where the gentlemen chosen could manage to get away the recommendation of the Baron has been approved. Mr. Winnecke

the well-known explorer, was first spoken of to lead the expedition, and it is more than likely that he would have accepted the offer of that important position had it not been for the recent death of his father. Mr. Milroy, of Victoria, was also asked to take a prominent place in the expedition, but his reply was that he could not go. All those selected are tried men, and the mere fact that they have received their appointments upon the recommenda-tion of so great a scientist as Baron von Mueller is a sufficient guarantee of their ability to undertake the work for which they will be commisioned. Professor Watson, of the Ade-laide University, has been representing Sir Thomas Elder in connection with the arrange-ments between him, Baron Von Mueller, and the local branch of the Geographical Society. Sir Thomas Elder having deputed the Council of the local branch to manage the affairs connected with the expedition, the Council have appointed a committee, consisting of the President (Sir Samuel Davenport), the Hon. J. L. Parsons, M.P., and Messrs. S. Newland, W. B. Wilkinson, A. T. Magarey, and J. W. Jones, to to arrange affairs for the dispatch of the ex-plorers, and to generally supervize matters. A large number of applications have been received from persons wishing to join the ex-pedition, and a selection of four or five will be made, probably during the holidays. SOME PARTICULARS OF THE PARTY. The commander of the Expedition is a son of the late Captain John Lindsay, and was born at Goolwa, South Australia, in June, 1856. Educated at a public school, and by the late Rev. John Hotham, he entered the Civil Service in 1873 as chairman in the Survey Department. He then became a cadet, and was appointed a surveyor in 1875, and went to the Northern Territory in 1878. He surveyed and reported upon the Mount Wells Tin Mines, and during the absence of Mr. McMinn acted as Senior Surveyor and Supervisor of Works. Having explored the Mary River he proved that this was the stream which John McDouall Stuart was following in his memorable journey across the Continent. Mr Lindsay remained in the Territory until May, 1882, and during that time rendered invaluable service to the cause of exploration. He advised the route of the Northern Territory railway from Palmerston to Pine Creek, alto-gether distinct from that surveyed in 1878, and, which, although slightly longer, it was said, would reach the agri-cultural land and the vicinity of the known gold and tin discoveries. Resigning his connection with the Government service in 1882 Mr. Lindsay come to Adelaide and undertook private business, but in 1883 he was commissioned by the Government to explore Arnheim's Land. The expedition, comprising six men all told, including a couple of blacks, took five months to complete the work, the travels represented the traversing of nearly 2,000 miles of unexplored country, and were associated with most exciting incidents. The expedition, led on by Mr. Lindsay with much intrepidity and skill, was very successful, and the information given as the outcome of the trip resulted in the country being sold and stocked. Mr. W. Cuthbertson of New Guinea fame was second in command. Among important dis-coveries made by the explorers was that of the Gwendoline Falls, upwards of 195 feet in height, on the Baker Range, some 60 miles from Southport. During 1884 and 1885 Mr. Lindsay was engaged in surveying on behalf of the Water Conservation Department in the Murray districts and on the West Coast. In November, 1885, he started on an expedition, undertaken on his own ac-count, to explore the country between the Dalhousie Springs and the Herbert. It was on this trip that he discovered "the ruby fields" in the MacDonnell Ranges, and reported upon auriferous deposits there. At the Herbert River Mr. Lindsay, who was accompanied by a party of seven, com-menced the survey of 550 miles of run boundaries and connecting with the Overland Telegraph line north of Powell's Creek. Thence he went down the Macarthur River to the new port of Boroloola. On this expedition eight camels were lost, and this was his latest journey of exploration. He returned in December, 1886, and during 1887 and 1888 was engaged in surveying and pro-specting, chiefly in the MacDonnell Ranges, and among other things discovered the first marketable mica in Australia. Since Decem-ber, 1888, Mr. Lindsay has been in Adelaide principally engaged on the Stock Exchange. Mr. Lindsay is a Fellow of the Royal Geo-graphical Society, and is associated with the branches of the Society in Australia. He is also a member of the South Australian Insti-tute of Surveyors. Mr. Leech has been connected with the Civil Service of this colony for several years, and was out with the Lindsay expedition in 1885 and 1886, and was second in command of the expedition led into Central Australia in 1888 by Mr. H. V.B. Strathallan, C.E. Dr. Elliott, who is about thirty-six years of age, has been engaged in practice in Queens-land for a long time, and has been connected with Guy's Hospital, London. It is said that the doctor has given up a splendid appoint-ment in order to accompany the expedition. He is a capable botanist, and skilled in photo-graphy, and altogether is a gentleman of high attainments. Mr. Helms holds a good position in connec-tion with the Sydney Museum. Through being out on "collecting" expeditions in connection with the special science to which he has de-voted himself and in other ways Mr. Helms has acquired considerable experience which will serve him well in the forthcoming trip. Mr. Streich, who has been engaged as geologist and mineralogist, is about thirty-one years of age, and is regarded as one of the very best men whose services could possibly be secured. At least four of the colonies have been "picked" in order to get the most compe-tent explorers and scientists. Mr. Streich is an expert from Freiburg, Germany, and on several occasions has reported for Messrs. Harrold Brothers on various mineral properties in the interior. Messrs. Harrold Brothers have released him from their service during the currency of the expedition, and this act on their part testifies in a great measure to their very considerate and patriotic motives. PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS. Australian land exploration comes within the space of the last seventy-eight years. It is unnecessary to allude to any extent to the various stages of our inland exploration ; they are matters of history, to be written with the record of the rise and progress of the Austra-lian Continent. Mention though of the prac-tical assistance rendered by Sir Thomas Elder in the exploration of the far interior will be interesting just now. Scarcely any other Australian colonist has contributed so much to the successful exploration of unknown ter-ritory in South and Western Australia. The name of Sir Thomas Elder, too, will be long remembered as that of a man of great enter-prise and a princely benefactor to our educa-tional and philanthropic institutions. Expedi-tions upon an extensive scale have been equipped wholly and in part at his ex-pense, and considerable sums of money have been expended by him in open-ing the Far North for occupation. To aid in exploration Sir Thomas as early as 1863 imported camels from India, and his enterprise in the imporation of these ships of the desert has very largely assisted the work of exploration. Not alone has the venerable Knight advanced geographical research by means of his purse ; he has frequently lent his camels to facilitate expeditions without cost to the Government. Organized at the joint expense of two patriotic South Australians— Sir Thomas Elder and the late Sir Walter Hughes— Colonel Egerton-Warburton led an expedition in 1873 and 1874 across the western interior of Australia. It is to the west of the Overland Telegraph Line that some of the greatest perils and hardships in connection with exploration have been encountered, and in this relation the following, having reference to Warburton's expedition, may be quoted from Sir Samuel Davenport's address delivered at the inauguration of the South Australian Branch of the Geographical Society in 1886: — "Baffled by the vast ranges of sandhills of monotonous succession and fearful travelling ground which had previously checked the ad-vance of the explorers Gregory on their descent from the River Victoria in 1856, the party had further to sustain the discouragements of hostile country, the frequent tortures of thirst, and struggles against approaching starvation. One impressive observation the reader of Aus-tralian explorations must make, namely, that the prospects of success or of relief from suffer-ing are immensely influenced by the physical nature of the country visited. Like Sturt to the Murray-mouth, like Eyre to the Sound, or Leichard to Port Essington, or Burke and Wills and McKinlay to the Gulf of Carpen-taria, or Stuart to the Indian Ocean, so War-burton performed the distinguished service of perforating the continent through. Like Eyre in 1841 and Sturt in 1844-5, it was his continu-ous bad fortune to have to contend with arid and inhospitable country, most wearisome and difficult to travel over; but also like them Warburton held on with bulldog courage yet cheerful submission to hardships, daily under-mining health to a degree verging on the ebb of life." About the time this journey of War-burton's began the Government of South Australia were fitting out a party to examine the country between the River Finke and Fremantle and the command was given to Mr. W. C. Gosse. The camels and Afghans of this party were also provided by Sir Thomas Elder. In 1875 Ernest Giles successfully penetrated to Perth, having with him eight men, eighteen camels, and two native boys. On one stretch of desert no water was met with for 325 miles, and for the last month the party were obliged to live on the eggs of the mallee pheasant. In 1876 after reaching Perth, Mr. Giles again traversed the continent by a new route. Leaving Pix Springs in April on a north-east course he crossed the head waters of the Murchison, and traced the River Ashburton to its source, arriving at the Peake in August. From 1878 to 1882 Mr. Winnecke

explored from Alice Springs to the Hay, the Herbert, and Tennant's Creek, going down to and north of Sturt's final point in 1845. In 1879 A. Forrest successfully explored hitherto un-known lands in the north of Western Austra-lia, and Mr. Tietkins, second in command of Giles's party from Fowler's Bay, traversed the country thence towards the Musgrave Ranges. Mr. Giles explored the country to the west of the Peake in 1882, while in May, 1883, Mr. W. W. Mills, with Mr. C. Short (second in command), six Afghans, and thirty camels started from the Peake Station for Northampton Western Australia. During a journey of 1,600 miles they suffered greatly from want of water. About this time Mr. Winnecke with a number of camels successfully traversed unknown territory from Cowarie Sta-tion on the Warburton (lat 28° to lat 22°), con-necting with his previous explorations near Goyder's Pillars in the Tarlton Range. Two large rivers were discovered, and altogether about 40,000 square miles of unknown country mapped. Excepting Lindsay's trip this was about the latest important expedition.