The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-08
THE DARK CONTINENT.
Important and Remarkable Discoveries
Recently Made In Africa.

Important and Remarkable Discoveries
Recently Made In Africa.
DR.. Wolf, the German traveller, has
made the most remarkable addition to
our knowledge of Africa that has been
made since Stanley hoated down the
Congo. His discovery is the last and
greatest of Il series Of four big sur
prises that in the past year and half.
since SANKEY'S last map was issued,
have entirely upset previous notions Of
the photography of the Congo basin.
Lieutenant Wissmann last summer
laid the foundation for DR.. VOLTS dis
covery. 1t will be remembered that
travelling overland from the west coast
he reached the middle course of the
great Kassai river, which was believed
to flow almost directly north and empty
into the Congo near the equator He
followed the great tributary to its
mouth, and found. much to his aston
ishment, that it made large curve to
the west, received the waters Of the
Quango river, and reached the Congo
about 1870 miles south of the equator at
Kwamouth, which was supposed to be
the mouth of the Kwa or Quango river
only. In his journey down the Kassai
he discovered a great river coming
from the east, which emptied into the
Kassai by two mouths, $50 and 1000
feet in width.
DR.. Wolf was one of the three Euro.
peans who accompanied. Wissmann on
this journey. After they reached
Stanley Pool DR.. Wolf was commits.
stoned to reascend the Kassai in the
steamer En- Avant, to return to their
homes a large party of Kassai natives
who had accompanied the expedition
to the Congo, and to explore the mys.
FERROUS eastern tributary that Wiss.
mann had discovered. The fact that
this river, known as the Sankuru, I'm.
impeded by any rapids or cataracts, is
available for steam navigation to the
very heart of the continent, is the dis.
covery that DR.. Wolf has made.
If the reader will take any map show.
ing the great northern bend of the Con-
go. he can trace approximately the
course of this important river. The
Sankuru, flowing almost directly from
east to west, practically subtends the
great arc formed by the Congo's north
ern bend. Wolf entered the river at
its confluence with the Kassai. Until
the full details of his journey, in.
GLIDING the astronomical determine.
| ton of this point, are received, the
confluence may be said to be at
about degrees 30 minutes south lati.
tude and 20 degrees east longitude.
During January, February and March
of this year he travelled leisurely up
this'river, finding it splendid water
way. fulfilling all the requirements o.
navigation. His course was east with
slight curve toward the north.
He finally entered large tributary
coming from the south known as the
Lomami, already known in its upper
waters, I he gcographers had selected
river emptying into the Congo at 70
degrees 80 minutes east longitude
as the probable mouth of the Lomami,
but it, in point of fact, reaches the
great river through the Sankuru and
kassai. nearly 1000 miles from the
supposed point of confluence. The
Sankuru also was slightly known in its
upper course. and its supposed junction
with the Congo is also noted on the
maps, about 400 miles northeast of the
place where it's waters meet the great
river.
DIR. Wolf turned the PROV of the En-
Avant southeast into the Lomami and
assembled that river to degrees &c
minutes south latitude. At his fur.
thest point he says the river is
still an open waterway, and he
turned back only because some
of the steamers machinery showed
signs of giving out, and he therefore
thought it prudent to return. He had
penetrated the continent on steam
boat for a distance of 500 miles east OF
the Kassai, and had reached with.
in 100 to 100 miles of Nyangwe
the great native trading point or
the upper Congo, with which the writ
ings of Livingston, Cameron and Stan
ley have made us so familiar. 1t il
doubtful if Africa will yield another geo
graphical secret so unexpected and sur.
prising as this-a great navigable wa
ter-way leading from the ocean to the
heart of Central Africa, interrupted
only by the cataracts of the lowel
Congo, around which the proposed
railroad will sooner or later be built.
The Congo valley, therefore, offer
two great navigable highways leading
to Central Africa. As route to thu
far interior the Sankuru would seen
to possess some advantages over tn,
Congo, first because it strikes straigh
for Central Africa, while the Cong,
makes long detour to the north, ant
secondly, because it is not impeded b,
cataracts, as the Congo is in its upper
course at Stanley Falls.-M Y. San.