At Tapirapoan the Roosevelt-Rondon group began the overland portion of their trip to the headwaters of the River of Doubt; there are scenes of oxen and pack mules. Orchids and palm trees with birds nesting in them depict flora and fauna of the area. The group spent several days at Utiarity (Utiariti) where Roosevelt especially admired the nearby waterfalls. There is a still photo of Roosevelt, Colonel Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, and others with a group of Nhambiquara (Nambicuara) Indians near the Juruena River. Scenes depict the exacting journey down the River of Doubt: long shots of the river and men propelling canoes through rapids; men chopping trees for rollers on which canoes are hauled; transporting supplies and canoes; making paddles; cooking and eating at campsites. A still photo shows Roosevelt writing while wearing a protective headnet and gauntlets. The man examining a broken branch may be Commander G. M. Dyott; the Dyott party did meet Indians and there is footage of several who were called Arara Indians by Dyott. In a still photo, the Brazilian paddlers are grouped around the marker bearing the river’s new name, Rio Roosevelt, and there is also footage of a member of Dyott’s party examining the original marker 14 years later. The Roosevelt-Rondon group reached the end of the unknown portion of the river April 15, 1914, when they sighted homes of rubber workers. Roosevelt, suffering from illness and injuries incurred during his long journey, returned from Manaos (Manaus) to New York; the group of men on the riverboat traveling on the Madeira River are probably members of Anthony Fiala’s group rather than Roosevelt’s (Fiala left the Roosevelt-Rondon party at Utiarity to descend the Papagaio, the Juruena, and the Tapajós Rivers). A map showing the location of the River of Doubt as correctly charted by the Roosevelt-Rondon Expedition is shown. The last scenes of Roosevelt on a ship were probably taken on board the Vandyck before the expedition, rather than after, since Father J. A. Zahm, who left the group at Utiarity, also appears.
Collection
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
Creation Date
1928
