“Apblin Alps”

Nason Jones’ Exploratory Work in New Guinea and Papua

IN Port Moresby, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the New Guinea gold fields personalities—the prospector-ex plorer, Nason Jones —a big, bearded, genial, good-looking young man, who has been tramping all over the mountain re gions between the Morobe goldfield and the coast of Papua, and who appears to have found some rich new territory.

Guinea Gold, N.L., a shrewdly-managed and very successful Adelaide corporation, which originally held some of the rich country now being worked by the Bulolo group, has registered in Papua, and it is believed it will become an operating com pany there, with interests in certain pro mising areas located on the Lakekamu tributaries by Nason Jones. Nason Jones has been out on the Lakekamu recently, and has there cleared a new landing ground for aeroplanes, which has been named the Bulldog ’drome.

Recently, in the course of his work. Mr.

Nason Jones located, in an area of about 10 square miles on the New Guinea side of the New Guinea-Papua border, and within 15 miles of Wau, the ultimate source of no less than five important rivers. They are: The Bulolo and Watut, which both flow northwards and join the Markham; the Oreba, which is a tribu tary of the Lakekamu, and flows south into the gulf of Papua; the Aiauwi: and the Indiwi, a major tributary of the Tiveri which flows south into the gulf of Papua.

These rivers, it appears, all have their source in a 10,000 feet mountain mass, which culminates in Mount Collier, a granite mountain of 10,070 feet.

“I have christened the source of those rivers the ‘Apblin Alps’,” said Mr. Nason Jones, gravely.

“ ‘Apblin’,” said I, scribbling busily.

“Queer name. What does it commemorate?”

“Mr. Apblin.” said the irrepressible Nason Jones, “is a Swiss who advertises in the London newspapers that he can give most valuable service to people who worry about their waist-lines, particu larly actors and retired major-generals.

My new mountains achieve the same thing. Look at me!”

R.W.R.

Mr. and Mrs. Colman Bourke, who for the past three years have made their home on Norfolk Island, recently returned to Sydney, where they will now reside permanently.

Mr. J. Nason Jones.