Jules Crevaux

Jules Nicolas Crevaux, born on April 1st 1847 with Lorquin in the Moselle, killed in April 1882 on the edges of Rio Pilcomayo with the Brazil, is a French army medical officer, explorer of the Amazonia

Born parents landlords, it follows traditional studies and begins studies of medicine to Strasbourg. It enters in October 1867 to the naval Medical school of Brest. In October 1868, it is named assistance-doctor at the hospital of Brest and, one year later, embarks on the Cérès which will lead it to the Senegal, with the the Antilles and in Guyana before bringing back it to the hospital of Brest. At the beginning of the Franco-German Guerre of 1870 it goes voluntary and joined the 4th battalion of marine fusiliers with the army of the Loire. Taking part in the defense of the port of Fréteval, it is made prisoner with his casualties the December 17th 1870. Quickly he escapes, made information, joined the army of the East but is wounded with Chaffois the January 24th 1871. Of return to Paris, it completes its studies of medicine and supports in 1872 its thesis of doctorate: " Of the chyleuse or lubricating hématurie of the hot countries " , parasitosis of which it had observed the symptoms at the time of its passage in Guyana.

Medical officer on the the Mound-Stake , in 1873, with the naval division of the Atlantic-south, it is named, the following year, in Guyana and undertakes the exploration of this country of which the interior is still very badly known. Returned to France in 1876, he becomes assistant of Ranvier at the laboratory of Histopathologie to the Collège de France. Enthusiast of adventure it is made name again in Guyana and embarks on December 7th, 1876. After having looked after the patients of the Yellow fever with the islands of the Hello, it leaves with monseigneur Emonet and the Kroenner father on July 8th, 1877 to explore the back country of Guyana. It goes up the Maroni, studies the Indians Galibis then, only, penetrates at the Bonis, former black slaves escaped prisoners taken refuge in the forest, in Dutch Guyana. It binds to it friendship with Apatou which will follow it from now on, including to Paris where it will be acclaimed in the Sorbonne. Continuing its exploration, it goes up the Itany, affluent of Maroni, and arrives to the Roucouyennes where, patient, it must rest. September 17th it sets out again by the path of the Swivels, passes the top of the Serra of Tumucumaque, goes down again by Apaouani and reaches on October 2nd the Rio Jari, affluent of the the Amazon. Two months later it arrives at Belem after having traversed more than 1.000 km of rivers and forests completely unknown. It is in such a state of destitution that one takes it for an escaped convict; fortunately a French offers the boat for France to him and on April 17th, 1878 it gives an account of its voyage to the Société of geography and is made knight of the Légion of honor. It is just 31 years old.

Its appetite of discovered is not appeased and as of on July 2nd it embarks with Saint-Nazaire for Guyana and on August 24th 1878 undertakes a new exploration. It goes up almost the Oyapock until its source (which will be discovered by Henri Coudreau in 1889), crosses again Tightened it of Tumucumaque (where there is now the peak Crevaux), descends Rouapir, crosses the territory of Calayouas and reached on October 10th Rio Jari. Not wanting to continue on this affluent of the Amazon which he knows already, he pushes in the west, finds Parou, affluent parallel, descends it and arrives at Belem where him better reception is made and where he can rest. Some time later it goes up, in steamer, the Amazon to Para, and, by dugout, Rio Ica until Concepción in Colombia then goes down again by Yapoura and reaches the Amazon on July 9th, 1879. Having traversed more than 6.000 km of river and having collected a mass of botanical, ethnographic and anthropological information, it presents, at the beginning of 1880, this impressive scientific assessment at the Company of geography of Paris which gives its large gold medal to him. It is glory.

But Amazonia, a such siren, calls it again and on August 6th, 1880 it sets out again with the pharmacist the Jeanne with Santa-Fe of Bogota, goes up Rio Magdalena, in Colombia, crosses the Andes cordillera and goes down again in raft towards Orenoque, by Rio Guavaiare or Guyalero which it baptizes Rio de Lesseps. Arrived in the delta of Orenoque, after having explored 3.400 km of river in 161 days and having collected a full harvest of objects of botany, zoology and anthropology, Doctor Crevaux is exhausted and must rest some time among the Gouaraounos Indians. He returns to France on March 25th, 1881 and is made Officer of the Legion of Honor.

Taking a few months of rest, it assembles a new forwarding with the Billet astronomer, the Bayol doctor and the Rinzel painter; the goal is to explore Rio Pilcomayo which crosses the Gran Chaco and which, exploited, would be used as hyphen between the Bolivia and the Argentine. At the end of 1881, it embarks for Buenos Aires. In March 1882 it arrives at Tarija, to Bolivia, where it must stop because of the state of war which reigns in the area. The team then separates, Billet leaves to recognize the Tocantins and Crevaux, accompanied by 18 men, leaves to join Rio Pilcomayo. April 19th, it begins the descent of the river. April 27th, it is in full territory of the Tobas Indians who, excited by a recent combat against another tribe, surprise it like his/her companions and do them captive. Two members of the escort will manage to escape and will tell that Jules Crevaux had been killed and eaten, like two other companions, by Tobas. It had just been 35 years old and left behind him the accounts of its voyages as well as a work entitled Grammaire and vocabulary Roucouyennes which will be published after its death.

Its name will be given, by decree of August 28th, 1882, with a street lately open in Paris by the Lyons Land Company which, according to the decree of Jules Grévy of January 16th, 1882, " supported the expenditure of work of viability, lighting and conduits of eau". The official nomenclature of the ways of Paris specifies that this street was called previously " street Dennery ". In fact, as it the plan of Paris of 1882 proves, it acted of a private way crossing the ground that Mr Dennery yielded to the Lyons Company Land except for what is the museum today of In. This street touve in the 16th district, perpendicular to the Which occurred Foch.

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