Sew In With A Side Bang

PERCY FAWCETT Tycho Brahe

Percy Harrison Fawcett was born in 1825 in Devon, England. From a young age he enlisted in the army, which would serve for several years in Ceylon. Later worked for the Secret Service, "without leaving the militiamen in northern Africa. In 1906 he was commissioned to the Royal Geographical Society to command an expedition in charge of delimiting the border between Bolivia and Brazil. For three years he was mapping the region and when the commission came to end, Fawcett left the army and continued exploration funded by their own or with the sponsorship of various newspapers. Thus, his expeditions were quite an echo in his native country because of the dangers that face (tribes hostile, dangerous animals, wild, mountainous terrain, accidents, hunger, etc..) And even in his account of a trip to the hills Ricardo Franco Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to find his famous novel The Lost World. Overall led seven expeditions to the South American forests between 1906 and 1924, with a brief hiatus because of World War I, as the colonel returned to England to fight.

In recent years much Fawcett had studied archeology of the region. That interest would arise a great and ancient lost city that was believed to be found in the jungles of Brazil. Apart from old stories and dubious evidence Colonel believed in the existence of this city, "I would call" Z "- because of an idol of black stone, carved with mysterious signs, which had given the writer and adventurer, Sir H. Rider Haggart. After purchasing an antique map of the area is still little known Mato Grosso, SW Brazil, which featured a nameless city, Fawcett decided to organize what would be his last expedition.

Colonel had always struggled on their travels to find reliable partners. But this time he would accompany his eldest son, Jack, and a friend of his, Raleigh Rimell. Fawcett had always preferred small groups, they could fend for themselves and could easily win the confidence of the native tribes and prevent attacks. He planned the route carefully and, knowing the danger that would face, left word that if they did not return had not submitted any other rescue mission.

The May 29, 1925, from Dead Horse Camp baptized in Mato Grosso, Fawcett sent a late message to his wife. Fired (with letters) to the porters who had helped them up there and entered alone into unknown territory. That was the last I heard from them since they disappeared into the forest and no one came to see them again.

From that time in England, "but also in other locations, we lived a true fever for finding the missing explorers, fueled by the newspapers who knew how to find your particular Eldorado. Thus, contrary to his wishes Fawcett, for over twenty five years numerous expeditions organized relief.

then would arise from abundant rumors, which stood as an elderly white wandering through the woods and there were witnesses who claimed to have seen Fawcett in the region of Minas Gerais and others.

In 1928 Commander George Dyott, commanding one of those marches, he indicated his belief that the English colonel and his companions had been killed by the Calapan, a tribe in the area. Two years later, journalist Albert de Winton contacted Calapan themselves and endorsed the reasoning of Dyott. But Winton also would engulf the jungle and never return. The same fate would Rattin Stefan Swiss, who had returned from Mato Grosso in 1932 and swore he had found north Fawcett Bamfin River, but was a prisoner of a tribe. To unlock the Colonel and prove his allegations organized another expedition to the jungle but never heard of him.

With successive disappearance, the family believes the survival of the colonel, and the role of newspapers, the public fascination grew. It was argued that the tribes kept him prisoner as a prestigious trophy, any other compasses, bags or boots were clues to trace the legends circulated colonel and white Indians, possible descendents of the lost explorers. New

expeditions went to Mato Grosso without able to confirm anything until early as 1951, Orlando Villas Boas Brazilian said a chief Calapa claimed to have killed explorers and see the place where his remains. Vilas Boas came to shoot with a skull, which was to Fawcett said, "to end up with a new story that suggested that the colonel had actually found a great style lost kingdom of El Dorado and had stayed there, well by force or by will.

The legend of the mysterious disappearance of Fawcett continued to live for decades and as recently as 1996 was organized last known expedition in search of traces of colonel. But René Delmotte and James Lynch could not get very far because an Indian tribe were held for several days threatening to kill them. At the end were able to save lives but lost equipment worth $ 30,000.