Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-10
Lieut.. Cameron's Great Achievement
i'm Africa.

Cameron at st. Paul de Loanda on the
18th Of November last is almost as sur
prising as it is gratifying. He is believed
10 have started from Lake Tanganyika on
his Journey acDss the continent last May
II was then his purpose to follow the Lu-
kuga--the presumed outlet of Tanganyika
to its junction with the Lualaba, and
then to descend the latter to its mouth.
The journey was one of unexampled
length in the annals of African travel, and
its dangers and difficulties were so great
that none but the most sanguine enter
tanned any hope that II would be success
fully made 1t was certain that the brave
and indomitable Cameron would do all
that any man could do. but, when he dis
appeared into the unknown wilderness of
the heart Of Africa, the chances that he
would never reach the Atlantic or return
to Ujiji were extremely slight. Never
theless, he has triumphed over every
obstacle, and has accomplished the long
est and most difficult journey that has
ever yet been made by any African ex:
plorer.
Cameron's path across the continent
lay for the most part between the 9Th and
9Th degrees OF south latitude. He is the
first man who has ever travelled from
ocean to ocean within so short distance
TO the equator. Livingstone's first great
Journey extended from st. Paul de
Loanda, in latitude 8 deg. 4S min, to the
mouth of the Zambeze, in latitude II deg.
SO min. 1t was certainly ma nificent
achievement, but it had been substantially
anticipated by the Portuguese. and has
since been surpassed by the journey
OF Silva Porto. In 1906 II two negro
slaves, generally known as the two Pom
beiros, travelled from St. Paul to the Port
uguese outposts on the ZambeZe; and in
1S53-'54 Silva Porto crossed from sea TO
sea, pursuing route somewhat south OF
Liyingstone's, between St. Paul and the
twenty third meridian, and n hong distance
north Of it, between the aforementioned
point and the Indian Ocean. But, both
In length and difficulty, Cameron's Jour-
ney dwarfs those of the Portuguese and
that Of DIR. Livingstone. He travefsed a
wilderness In which no trader or explorer
had ever set his foot. The Congo-for
that name must henceforth be applied to
the Lualaba-presented obstacles TO ex-
ploration which had defeated every effort
to ascend the river, from the expedition
OF Turkey In 1915 to that sent out by the
Germans a year ago. Cameron had to
force his way through tribes of savages
who had repeatedly shown during more
than half q century their hostility TO
Europeans. He had TO pass rapids which
had baffied Turkey and his successors, and
he had 20 encounter the deadly malaria of
the West Coast lowlands His success Is
little less than miracle, and II gives to
him nj once the first rank among African
explorers. BY virtue OF so splendid an
achievement, he outranks Livingstone.
Spoke and Baker, and he has not left
Stanley work enough to do to make him
possible rival in the field Of geographical
discovery.
Cameron's explorations have now
demonstrated practically what the arm
chair geographers had demonstrated the
oretically, that the Lualaba is the Congo,
and not the Nile. He has rendered 1t I'M
necessary for Stanley TO ascertain whether
or not the Lualaba flows into the Albert
Lake. When he makes his report we
shall know whether Livingstone's hypo-
thetical Lake kamolonda has any exist
ence save In the imagination OF Living
stones native informants, and whether
the West Lualaba. which has no better
claim than Lake Kamolonda to place on
the map, Ia an actual or an imaginary
river. 1t is quite probable that Cameron
has passed through the country Of the
dwarfs, for Schweinfurth gives us reason
To suppose that the little folks are found
some distance south Of the equator. Doubt
less he has met with other and equally
strange races of men. The stories Of
tribes of African dwarfs and OF savages
with tails have been scoifed al BY anthro-
DOiOglsts ever since peouie harama emf
ficiently civilized to decline to believe
anything contrary TO their personal ex.
perience. But we now know that the
story of the dwarf nation was true, and 1t
is not absolutely impossible that Cameron
may have found that the story of the peo-
pie with tails has some foundation In
fact.
The field of African exploration which
twenty -fiye years ago was so vast and
aliuring Is now reduced TO marrow limits.