In Quest of a Mythical Beast

In 1926 W. Douglas Burden, great-grandson of railway magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, departed on a quest for dragons. Perhaps his membership in the Explorers Club, sponsored by Theodore Roosevelt’s son Kermit in 1924, spurred him on to new adventures. Whatever the impetus Burden found himself en route with his beautiful young wife to the Indonesian Island of Komodo, in search of a huge carnivorous reptile he dubbed for all posterity “the Komodo dragon”.

Burden described the island of Komodo as “…a vast mass of torn and splintered mountains.” Braving its treacherous currents in a vessel dubbed the S.S. Dog, Burden commented that, “With its fantastic sky line, its sentinel palms, its volcanic chimneys bared to the stars, it was a fitting abode for the great saurians we had come so far to seek.”

Komodo dragon

Establishing camp at an altitude of 2000 feet, Burden soon spotted huge tracks but no dragons. He had promised two living specimens to the Bronx Zoo and mounted specimens of the creature to the American Museum of Natural History.

He was not disappointed. Burden described the first great dragon as ‘enormous’. “He… approached step by step, the great bulk of his body held clear of the ground… the black beady eyes flashing in their deep sockets. A hoary customer, black as dead lava. Occasionally, he stopped and raised himself on those iron forelegs to look around… Nearer he came and nearer with grim head swinging heavily from side to side… obviously hunting, his sharp eyes searching for anything that moved. A primeval monster in a primeval setting.”

Full grown Komodo dragons can reach ten feet in length and weigh 400 lbs. They have razor sharp teeth and can consume 80% of their body weight in one feed. The giant lizards lay eggs and apparently do not need a mate to reproduce, through a process known as parthenogenesis.

Ironically emulating its medieval namesake, one dragon almost devoured the fair young Mrs. Burden. Only a last second rifle shot saved her from being rended by a large dragon, capable of shredding a pig’s carcass in a few seconds. She describes how, “The creature was less than five yards away, and the subtle reptilian smell was in my nostrils. Too late now to leap from hiding, I closed my eyes and waited…”

A total of twelve dragons were shot and preserved for the American Museum of Natural History but capturing one proved more problematic. Setting noose traps baited with full-sized boars, a monstrous ten-footer was captured, but snapped the tree to which the rope was tied and temporarily escaped. One of Burden’s assistants, named DeFosse (who had earlier saved Mrs. Burden) was able to lasso the dragon and recapture it. However, overnight the huge lizard managed to destroy a reinforced timber and steel cage and made its final escape, leaving behind only an incredible stench. The zoo and museum had to make do with lesser specimens.

Douglas Burden filmed his expedition and it subsequently provided film maker Merian C. Cooper with the inspiration for his 1933 classic, King Kong. Actress Fay Wray got to reprise Mrs. Burden’s role with an ape instead of a dragon…though being consumed for lunch did not seem to be Fay’s fate.

Here is a link to Burden’s original dragon footage.

Poster for 1933 film “King Kong”, inspired by explorer Doug Burden and his wife’s adventure in Komodo.

The following images include a letter recommending Douglas Burden for membership in the Explorers Club signed by president Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Kermit (yes, like the frog) as well as correspondence from Douglas and from the Museum of Natural History. I was Chapter Chair for the EC for years in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. I also have most of the original scientific reports on the expedition. Click images for large versions.