i86 



THE ALUMNI TOURNAL. 



posits, study its vegetation and ascertain 

 the conditions affecting its colonization. 

 As the expedition is likely at some 

 time to possess more or less of historical 

 interest, an account of its personnel is 

 here proper. 



The party consisted of sixteen persons 

 and was well organized under the direc- 

 tion of Dr. A. C. Rogers, Superintend- 

 ent of an institution for feeble minded 

 children at Faribault, Minnesota, the 

 headquarters of the Company and the 

 place of residence of most of its promot- 

 ers. The engineering work was under 

 charge of Mr. W. C. Weeks, an accom- 

 plished graduate of the Engineering De- 

 partment of the University of Minnesota, 

 assisted by Mr. B. S. Adams, who had 

 previously enjoyed an extended and suc- 

 cessful experience in pioneer work upon 

 our western frontier. 



Three prospectors were included in 

 the party. Mr. C. A, Parker, of Austin, 

 Minn., and Mr. W. H. Grant, of Fari- 

 bault, had been very successful as pros- 

 pectors in the western United States, in- 

 cluding Alaska, while Mr. E. O- Hal- 

 berson, in addition to a long practical 

 experience, had enjoyed the advantages 

 of a course of study in the German min- 

 ing schools. Mr. Halberson, by the 

 way, at one time conducted a pharmacy 

 in one of our western territories. 



Mr. W. Dart, of Faribault, accom- 

 panied the party as a zoologist, es- 

 pecially interested in ornithology, and 

 brought a record for expert marksman- 

 ship which was admirably maintained 

 throughout the expedition. 



Mr. Frederick Gregory, a pharmacist 

 of St. Cloud, Minq., had had consider- 

 able experience with life in the Argen- 

 tine and other parts of Spanish America, 

 and accompanied the party as an inter- 

 preter and clerk, in which latter capacity 

 he was assisted by Mr. Albert Clement, 

 of Faribault. 



Mr. S. A, Thompson, of Duluth, a 

 close student of South American affairs 

 and an accomplished writer upon eco- 

 nomic questions relating to his State, 

 assisted the director as adviser, attended 

 to many of our business affairs and sac- 

 rificed himself unselfishly and patiently 

 upon the altar of our commissary de- 

 partment. 



Mr. Walter H. Coffin, Mr. John Mc- 

 Donald and Mr. Harry H. Verge attend- 

 ed to the mechanical engineering, the 

 two former devoting themselves especial- 

 ly to the launch and the boats, the last 

 to work on shore. 



The botanical work was under charge 

 of the writer, assisted by Mr. R. W. 

 Squires, an undergraduate student of the 

 University of Minnesota, especially in- 

 terested in the collection and study of 

 cryptogams. Our work was greatly fur- 

 thered by Mr. J. H. Hart, the learned 

 director of the Royal Botanical Gardens 

 of Trinidad, not only by the information 

 and advice which he contributed, but in 

 furnishing us with the valuable services 

 of one of his men who had had a long 

 experience in collecting orchids and in 

 doing bush Avork. 



Our bushmen and laborers were black 

 men, taken from Port-of Spain under 

 legalized contract for a definite period. 



Full reports of the work of each of the 

 departments above enumerated are ren- 

 dered to the Company and incorporated 

 into the report of its President. In the 

 present sketch I shall merely indicate 

 the general character of the region and 

 the nature of the work, relating such of 

 the incidents of the expedition as appear 

 of general interest to the readers of the 

 Journal. It is worth noting at the 

 start the liberal provision which was 

 made for the performance of scientific 

 work in connection with the economic 

 work of the survey. While the former 

 was not, of course, permitted to interfere 



