Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Dragon Hunter Roy Chapman Andrews & the Central Asiatic Expeditions by Charles Gallenkamp Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews & the Central Asiatic Expeditions by Charles Gallenkamp. Dragon Hunter is the biography of Roy Chapman Andrews. A real life Indiana Jones, Andrews may have actually been the model for this fictional character. While this book offers the reader a comprehensive overview of Andrews life and work, the main focus of this biography is Andrews' expeditions to Central Asia, which took place between 1922 and 1930. A palaeontologist, Andrews led five expeditions to the Gobi Desert in search of prehistoric human fossils. He hoped to prove that human life originated in Asia, and not in Africa. While the expedition never found any ancient, human remains, they did find a plethora of animal and floral remains, including several clutches of dinosaur eggs. Andrews' Central Asiatic Expeditions where conducted under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History. And they were financed by some of the biggest names on Wall Street, including J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller. While the expeditions were a failure in that they never found what they were looking for - human fossils, they were nonetheless an unmitigated success. Andrews' discoveries where to influence the science of palenotology, and they were to help us better understand the science of evolution. His discoveries also helped fuel the ongoing, religiously based, controversy over the theory of evolution, a subject which was being hotly debated in the U.S. at the time of the expeditions. While in the Gobi, Andrews did more than just hunt for fossils. He made a geological and geographical survey of the region, and, on the side, he spied for the U.S. against the Chinese. Andrews was a complicated man. He was arrogant and passionate. He was a man who knew what he wanted, and did not let anything stand in his way of achieving his goals. He was a poor scholar yet his work was destined to make numerous scientific discoveries, including many first of their kind discoveries, such as finding the first Velociraptor skeleton. Although he worked for the American Museum of Natural History, and was destined to become its director, he disliked the job of running the museum - it kept him from his first love - exploration. He was, however, a phenomenal showman, who joyously worked to promote himself. Charles Gallenkamp spent many years researching Andrews life before settling down to write his biography. He does not try to analysis why Andrews acted the way he did, but what he does do is to paint a comprehensive picture of who the man was and what he accomplished. This remarkable work will enthrall both the general reader and the academician. It recounts Andrews' discoveries, his adventures, and the scientific and political ramifications of his work. Gallenkamp's treatment of Andrews is fair and unbiased. Gallenkamp, is however, a respected archeologist in his own right. Throughout this book he unabashedly promotes the wonders of archaeology and the almost undescribable sense of joy that one feels when uncovering even the tiniest bit of the past. This unabridged audio of edition of Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions is read by Scott Brick who brings a passion of his own to the reading. I greatly enjoy listening to books in which it is obvious that the reader is thoroughly enjoying his or her job, and Brick truly seemed to be as enchanted with this book as I was. The narrative is well-written, and the story is so outstanding that you'll have to keep reminding yourself that it is not fiction! Comets: Creators and Destroyers , By David H. Levy According to current theories, it was a comet that spelled doom for the dinosaurs and it's only be a matter of time before we are next. (Audio) Asiatic Expedition (2nd : 1918-1919) In late 1918 Roy Chapman Andrews was stationed in Beijing for his Naval wartime work, which required him to make exploratory excursions that introduced him to Mongolia. Having already explored the Yunnan Province in 1916-1917, he realized the potential and necessity for more investigation of this region. “A beginning had already been made in the zoological work by the First Asiatic Expedition to southwestern China and along the borders of Tibet in 1916-17. The second expedition was to extend the work in Mongolia. It is hoped that in the near future expeditions will leave the Museum to initiate similar investigations in paleontology, archaeology, and anthropology.” (1) The expedition had a very moderate proposed cost of $7500, which was approved by Museum President Henry Fairfield Osborn and supplied by both Museum and sponsors Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Bernheimer, who had also helped fund the First Expedition. (2) The expedition would take part in the summer months of 1919 and use Urga (modern Ulaanbaatar) as base camp to travel south and north. By February of 1919, plans were in place and supplies and equipment were sent ahead by caravan. They would travel by automobile back and forth across the desert to their base camp at Urga. This was Andrews’ first foray with that means of transportation for expedition work. For the camping trips into the desert they would use horses and carts to travel. On the trip from Kalgan to Urga in May 1919, the Andrews were accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Coltman, and Mr. and Mrs. Ted MacCallie. Andrews nicknamed the group the “Grouchless Gang” and it appears to have been a very social journey. They were also joined by Owen, a soldier hired to drive one of the automobiles, Lu, the expedition cook, Chen and Kang, two Chinese taxidermists hired by Andrews to assist with collecting and preparation, and a young lama engaged as guide. Along the way across the desert they were able to photograph antelopes at great speed, as well as collect specimens. (3) After reaching Urga, Roy and Yvette, along with the expedition personnel, began a series of camping trips to collect and survey the area. They spent the summer between the plains in the south and the forests north of Urga. (4) By October the specimens were on a caravan to Beijing and Roy and Yvette Andrews were following by automobile. In Beijing, Andrews reunited with Harry R. Caldwell, the Missionary and big-game hunter he had accompanied in the 1916 expedition. In November they traveled south from Beijing to the Shanxi Province in search of the large mountain ram, or argali which were desired for the Museum collection. (5) Andrews also hunted in Central Shanxi with Everett Smith to acquire wild boar specimens. In all, the expedition amassed almost 2000 specimens including the argali, elk, antelope, goral, wild boar, tiger, and serow, as well as smaller mammals. (6) Having completed collecting all that they set out to, by February 1920 the Andrews family had returned to New York, where he seemingly inexhaustible Roy immediately set out to plan and promote his next set of expeditions. Sources. (1) Roy Chapman Andrews, "Urga, the Sacred City of the Living Buddha," Harper's Monthly Magazine 141, no. 842 (1920): 147. (2) Charles Gallenkamp, Dragon hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic expeditions (New York: Viking, 2001), 75. (3) Roy Chapman Andrews, Across Mongolian Plains A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest' (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1921), 42-47. (4) Roy Chapman Andrews, “In Mongolia and North China,” Natural History 20, no. 4 (1920): 363. (5) Roy Chapman Andrews, Across Mongolian Plains A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest' (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1921), 186. (6) American Museum of Natural History, “Notes,” Natural History 20, no. 1 (1920): 110. Library of Congress Name Authority File: no2015075037. Chronology. 1918 - 1919: Ulaanbaatar (Expedition Site) Urga, capital of Mongolia, used as base for excursions south and north. 1918 - 1919: Zhangjiakou (Expedition Site) Kalgan; abutted the Great Wall, beginning point of journey through desert to Urga. 1918 - 1919: Panj-Kiang ( ) First telegraph station between Kalgan and Urga; "edge" of the Gobi Desert 1918 - 1919: Terelche River (Expedition Site) 1918 - 1919: Shanxi (province) (Expedition Site) Shansi Province; Area where Andrews and Caldwell hunted for ram and wild boar 1918 - 1919: Wu Shi-tu (Expedition Site) Village where Andrews and Caldwell set up base camp in Shanxi region 1918 - 1919: Beijing Peking; Throough his war work, Andrews was primarily based in Peking at the time. Mrs. Andrews, their son, staff, and a nurse met him there. 1918 - 1919: Mongolia (Expedition Site) The expedition aimed to research and collect specimens in Mongolia and prepare for the next stage of expeditionary work. 1918 - 1919: Gobi (desert) (Expedition Site) The Gobi Desert was to be explored in this and the following expeditions. 1918 - 1919: Chinā (Expedition Site) 1918 - 1919: New York The Expedition's sponsor AMNH is located in New York. 1918 - 1919: Tuula Gol (river) (Expedition Site) Tuul River 1918 - 1919: Ude second telegraph station along route from Kalgan to Urga 1918 - 1919: Turin third telegraph station along route from Kalgan to Urga 1918 June 28: Roy Chapman Andrews sailed to China 1918 September: Yvette and George arrived, Peking. 1919 February: Most of equipment in Urga 1919 May 17: left Kalgan for Urga with group and more equipment, Kalgan to Urga. 1919 late June - 1919 August: northern excursion, Gobi. 1919 June 16: returned from southwest excursion 1919 October 1: specimen caravan set off, followed by them, Urga to Peking. 1919 November: returned to Peking from hunting excursion with Caldwell, Shanxi Province. 1920 February: returned to New York, New York. Terms. Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names. Related Resources. Written by: Kendra Meyer Last modified: 2016 November 10. Export. Alternative RDF. Content negotiation supports the following types: text/html , application/xml , application/tei+xml , application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml , application/rdf+xml , application/json , text/turtle. Return to top. American Museum of Natural History Research Library Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NY 10024-5192. ©2019 American Museum of Natural History Research Library | Powered by xEAC. Central Asiatic Expeditions (1921-1930) “These expeditions went into Mongolia to explore the Gobi Desert, seek the ancestry of man, and study the natural history of the region. With the aid of a fleet of motor cars, a supporting caravan of camels and a well-organized scientific staff, the expeditions of 1922, 1923, 1925, 1928 and 1930 covered practically all of the fields of desert exploration” (1). Roy Chapman Andrews had explored the regions of China and Mongolia in two previous trips. The First Asiatic Zoological Expedition (1916-1917) was largely zoological in scope and was restricted to the Chinese provinces of Fukien and Yunnan. The Second Asiatic Zoological Expedition went into Mongolia in 1919, and was also zoological in nature. Andrews considered these preparatory steps in his larger proposal to launch an extended, large scale expedition into Mongolia (2). They are often grouped as part of the overarching Central Asiatic Expeditions. After obtaining the support of the Museum, Andrews was able to gather enough sponsorship to make his plan a reality by 1921. It was known as the Third Asiatic Expedition until approximately 1925, when the name was changed to Central Asiatic Expeditions (3). Andrews supervised all activity, which was comprised of five distinct summer collecting seasons in the Gobi desert, as well as winter seasons. Additionally, herpetologist Clifford Pope spent his time collecting in areas of southern China such as Fukien Province and Hainan Island. The 1922 Expedition traveled from Kalgan to Urga, then southwest to Tsagan Nor in the Altai region and back to Kalgan. In 1923, exploration efforts focused on exploiting the fossil fields discovered in Inner Mongolia and the eastern Altai region of Outer Mongolia. The 1925 exploration included forty men, and the main party traveled as far northwest as Orok Nor. The 1928 Expedition was conducted entirely in Inner Mongolia. In 1930, the work was confined to vertebrate paleontology, geology and topography, and was performed from camps near the Outer Mongolian border. The expeditions gathered astaggering body of observations, records, measurements, photographs, films, and collections as materials for the American Museum of Natural History and scientific papers in publication. They made many historic discoveries, including the first dinosaur eggs. The Expeditions were memorable as well for the use of automobiles in their work, and Andrews’ inexhaustive promotion and fundraising efforts, which included yearly speaking tours, sponsorships and even auctioning one of the dinosaur eggs. Sources. Library of Congress Name Authority File: no95059429 (1) Andrews, Roy Chapman, Walter Granger, Clifford Hillhouse Pope, Nels Christian Nelson, and Glover Morrill Allen. The new conquest of Central Asia: a narrative of the explorations of the Central Asiatic Expeditions in Mongolia and China, 1921-1930. (New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1932). (2) Roy Chapman Andrews, "Urga, the Sacred City of the Living Buddha," Harper's Monthly Magazine 141, no. 842 (1920): 147. (3) Charles Gallenkamp, Dragon hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic expeditions (New York: Viking, 2001), 106. Chronology. 1921 - 1930: Central Asiatic Expeditions 1922: season one 1923: season two 1924: no season planned, returned to United States to work on collection, plan continued work and raise funds. 1925: season three 1926: season cancelled due to Chinese Civil War 1927: season cancelled due to Chinese Civil War 1928: season four 1929: season cancelled due to the inability to agree to conditions for the Expedition with the Chinese Commission for the Preservation of Ancient Objects 1930: season five. Terms. Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names. Related Resources. Written by: Kendra Meyer Last modified: 2016 November 10. PopScience Book Reviews. “Dragon Hunter” is the account of Roy Chapman Andrews’ Central Asiatic Expeditions in the 1920s and reads like part biography, part adventure fiction. If Indiana Jones is a hero of yours, you should know that Andrews has often been suspected to be the model for this “indomitable archaeologist-adventurer” and you will probably enjoy this book very much. Andrews “possessed an entrepreneurial spirit of sweeping dimensions” , which made his career illustrious and incredibly successful, but he was also a hugely popular socialite in New York and in the foreign colony in Peking where he spent many happy years planning and carrying out his expeditions. Andrews’ friendships and acquaintances included those with a Russian prince, the mother of Czar Nicholas II as well as the owner of a high class Yokohama brothel, while his first wife Yvette was a close friend of Prussian princess Viktoria Luise. While Andrews’ legacy, the Central Asiatic Expeditions, were borne out of his desire to explore the unknown, their scientific validation came from mentor Henry Fairfield Osborn’s racist theory that Asia must be the cradle of humankind and civilisation, as an African origin of man seemed “decidedly unpalatable” . Andrews therefore sets out to find the “missing link” in the Gobi desert. As biographers often do, Gallenkamp states this latent racism and moves on without much judgment. When the expeditions did not turn up any human fossils, this was outweighed by the volume of dinosaur and extinct mammal fossils they unearthed and the lack of support for any theory of human evolution was not considered a failure. An educational side effect of this book is the insight the reader gains into Mongolia’s history and culture at the start of the last but also preceding centuries. A never-ending tug-of-war between Russia and China along with a rich religious history and the influences of nomads and immigrants make this land-locked country feel like the heart of Central Asia. Despite some unflattering remarks about the natives by the explorers (unmoral, dirty, adulterous, without compassion for the dying), some friendships develop between Mongols, Chinese and the American explorers, but for the most part, the foreigners living in Peking, including Andrews and his fellow scientists, shut themselves away into a happy enclave, remarkably insensitive and oblivious to China’s political upheaval in the 1910s, 20s and 30s and “learned to steel [themselves] against the civil unrest and atrocities that occurred almost daily”, like public executions. Battling Chinese warlords and corrupt Mongolian governments mean the expeditions end after a few years, buried in red tape and xenophobic (or anti-colonial) attitudes. Andrews’ scientific achievements were significant and some of the fossils found by his multi-disciplinary expeditions shed a lot of light on mammalian evolution. The reason he was so enormously popular in his time was probably due to his “flamboyant nature” , charisma and love of adventure which he managed to convey to a huge audience. Gallenkamp concludes wistfully: “in terms of romance, daring, and sheer audacity, we will never see the equal of his grand adventure again.” Read this if you have ever wished you were born when there was still a few blank spaces left on the maps of the Earth. Asiatic Zoölogical Expedition (1st : 1916-1917) The Asiatic Zoological Expedition is alternately referred to as the First Asiatic Expedition or the First Asiatic Zoological Expedition. The nominal and observable aim of this expedition was to collect zoological specimens to help populate the American Museum of Natural History’s upcoming Hall of Asiatic Life but more importantly, this expedition would also provide a foundation to Andrews’ plans for a series of expeditions in Asia. Building upon the “Out of Asia” theory that was at the time supported by many scientists, including the Museum president Henry Fairfield Osborn, Andrews saw the potential for exploration of the area for evidence of mammalian origin, including that of human life. (2) It was thus relatively easy for Andrews to get the interest and support of the Museum. The Museum provided half of the $14,000 required through the Morris Jesup Fund, and Andrews was able to raise the remaining funds from patrons and members of the Museum. He would ultimately prove to be particularly adept at fundraising and promotion throughout his career. As China was undergoing revolution and rebellion at the time, they were advised to postpone the expedition. Nevertheless, Andrews and his wife Yvette Borup Andrews made the decision to continue and sailed from San Francisco on March 28, 1916 en route to Japan. Andrews would take the role of general director and big-game hunter and Yvette, as a trained photographer, would act as expedition photographer. Still and motion picture photography proved valuable documentary tools for all of Andrews’ Asiatic expeditions, and among the supplies for this trip was one of the motion picture cameras developed by Carl Akeley of the Museum. (3) The other member of the expedition team would be Edmund Heller. Heller was a naturalist who had been previously been associated with one of Roosevelt’s African Expeditions. He would take responsibility for maintaining the quality of the specimens collected and be in charge of collecting smaller mammals. Other individuals assisted the expedition and many additional staff members were hired locally, including their interpreter Wu Hung-tao from the Anglo-Chinese College in Fuzhou, various English-speaking cooks, and four hunters from the Moso province who were engaged along with their hunting dogs. Before Heller joined the group in July of 1916, the Roy and Yvette Andrews were met by and went hunting near Fuzhou with Harry R. Caldwell, a Methodist Missionary as well as big game hunter. Caldwell had written to Andrews expressing his desire to hunt together for the fabled “blue tiger.” (4) Although they did not find the creature, many specimens were collected for the Museum. By August of 1916 Roy, Yvette and Heller were headed to the Yunnan Province interior, where for nine months they traveled and collected throughout the region until leaving Bhamo for Rangoon on June 9 of 1917. (5) They had amassed over 3000 specimens, "2100 mammals, 800 birds, 200 reptiles and batrachians, 200 skeletons and formalin preparations for anatomical study, 150 Paget color plates, 500 photographic negatives, and 10,000 feet of motion picture film." (6) They were able to collect such diverse species as serows, gorals, takin, muntjac, porcupines, gibbons, and other monkeys. (7) When they reached Rangoon at the end of their collecting period, there were transportation difficulties so they had to travel overland across India to Bombay to find available shipping. (8) They returned to New York on October 1, 1917. This would prove to be just the beginning of Andrews’ explorations in the Central Asiatic region. Sources. 1. Roy Chapman Andrews. “Little-Known Mammals from China.” American Museum Journal 17, no. 8 (1917): 524. 2. Charles Gallenkamp, Dragon hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic expeditions (New York: Viking, 2001), 61-64. 3. Roy Chapman Andrews. “The Asiatic Zoological Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History.” American Museum Journal 16, no. 2: 106. 4. Roy Chapman Andrews and Yvette Borup Andrews, Camps and trails in China; a narrative of exploration, adventure, and sport in little-known China (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1918), 56. 5. Roy Chapman Andrews and Yvette Borup Andrews, Camps and trails in China; a narrative of exploration, adventure, and sport in little-known China (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1918), 321. 6. Charles Gallenkamp, Dragon hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic expeditions (New York: Viking, 2001), 69. 7. Roy Chapman Andrews. “Little-Known Mammals from China.” American Museum Journal 17, no. 8 (1917): 509-524. 8. Roy Chapman Andrews. “Little-Known Mammals from China.” American Museum Journal 17, no. 8 (1917): 524. Library of Congress Name Authority File: n2001060972. Chronology. 1916: San Francisco (Calif.) Roy Chapman and Yvette Andrews left San Francisco on March 28, 1916. 1916 - 1917: New York The American Museum of Natural History which sponsored the Expedition is located in New York. The team returned to New York on October 1, 1917. 1916 - 1917: Yen-ping (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Futsing (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Yunnan (province) (Expedition Site) The bulk of the Expedition was spent exploring the regions of the Yunnan Province. 1916 - 1917: Fujian (province) (Expedition Site) The Expedition began in areas of the Fujian Province. 1916 - 1917: Nam-Ting Valley (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Kolkata Calcutta; the expedition team traveled through Calcutta on the return journey. 1916 - 1917: Mumbai Bombay; the expedition team traveled through Bombay on the return journey. 1916 - 1917: Beijing Peking; traveled through Peking to Fukien Province. 1916 - 1917: Fuzhou (Expedition Site) Foo-Chow; In the Fukien Province, Andrews and Caldwell went hunting and collecting in this area, searching for the blue tiger. 1916 - 1917: Chang (river) (Expedition Site) Yangtze River 1916 - 1917: Watien (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Rangoon The expedition team traveled through Rangoon on the return journey. 1916 - 1917: Bhārat India; the expedition team traveled through India on the return journey. 1916 - 1917: Chinā (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Chang- hu-fan (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Lancang Jiang (river) (Expedition Site) Mekong River 1916 - 1917: Hà Nội (Expedition Site) Hanoi 1916 - 1917: Hainan Sheng (China) (Expedition Site) Hainan Island 1916 - 1917: Dali Baizu Zizhizhou (China) (Expedition Site) Ta-Li Fu 1916 - 1917: Salween River (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Tengchong (Expedition Site) Teng-Yueh 1916 - 1917: Myanma Burma; traveled through on return journey. 1916 - 1917: Bhamo (Expedition Site) Bahamo 1916 - 1917: The Snow Mountain (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Hong Kong 1916 - 1917: Lichang (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Kunming (Expedition Site) Yunnan Fu, main city in Yunnan Province, site of expedition. 1916 - 1917: Huiyao (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Ho-Mu-Shu (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Meng-Ting (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Shidian Xian (China) (Expedition Site) Shih-Tien 1916 - 1917: Phete (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Habala (Expedition Site) 1916 - 1917: Singapore Traveled through Singapore en route back to the US. 1916 - 1917: Japan The expedition arrived in Japan and departed for the United States from Japan. 1916 - 1917: Shanghai Acquired supplies in Shanghai for expedition. 1916 March 28: Left San Francisco, San Francisco. 1916 July: Heller joined group 1916 August 6: began travel to Ta-Li Fu in Yunnan Province 1916 Mid-November: reached Yangtze River 1917 January 13: Mekong to Nam-Ting Valley 1917 June 9: Left for Rangoon 1917 October 1: Returned to New York, New York. Terms. Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names. Related Resources. Written by: Kendra Meyer Last modified: 2016 November 10. Export. Alternative RDF. Content negotiation supports the following types: text/html , application/xml , application/tei+xml , application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml , application/rdf+xml , application/json , text/turtle. Return to top. American Museum of Natural History Research Library Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NY 10024-5192. ©2019 American Museum of Natural History Research Library | Powered by xEAC.