The Irish standard., 1886-10-02
THE DARK CONTINENT.
Important and Remarkable Discoveries
Recently Made in Africa.

\
made the most remarkable addition tt
our knowledge OF Africa that has beer
made since Stanley foated down the
Congo. His discovery is the last ant
greatest of series of four big sur
prises that in the past year and q half
since Stanley's last map was issued
have entirely upset previous notions O.
the photography of the Congo basin.
Lieutenant Wissmann last summer
laid the foundation for DR.. VOLTS dis
covery. 1t will be remembered tina,
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 q large curve to
the west, received the waters of the
! Quango river, and reached the Congo
about l60 miles south of the equator at
Kwamouth, which was supposed to lie
the mouth OF the Kwa or Quango river
only. In his Journey down the Kassai
. he discovered great river coming
from the east, which emptied into the
kassai BY two mouths, $50 and 1,0O(
feet in width.
Or. Wolf was one of the three Euro
peans who accompanied Wissmann on
this journey. After they reached
Stanley Pool DR.. Volt was commits
stoned to reascend the Kassai in the
steamer En- Avant, TO return to their
homes large party of Kassssi natives
who had accompanied the expedition
to the Congo, and to explore the ,nys-
terious eastern tributary that WFiss.
mann had discovered. The fact that
this river, known as the ssanknru, 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.
Ii 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-
cluding the astronomical deternlina-
lion Of this point, are received, the
confluence may be said to be at
about degrees 30 minutes south lati-
:tude and 20 degrees cast longitude.
During January, February and Marct,
of this year he travelled leisurely up
this river, finding it splendid water
way. fulfilling all the requirements OF
navigation. His course was east with
IA slight curve toward the north.
He finally entered a large tributary
coming from the south known as the
Lomami, already known in it's upper
waters, ! be geographers had selected
a river emptying into the Congo at IS
degrees 50 minutes east longitude
as the probable mouth Of the Lomanli,
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 it's
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.
DR.. Wolf turned the PROV of the En-
Avant southeast into the Lomarni and
ascended that river to 5 degrees 50
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 stean1-
boat for distance of 500 miles east Of
the Kassai, and had reached with
in 100 to 12O miles of Nyangwe,
the great native trading point on
the upper Congo, with which the writ
ings OF Livingston, Cameron and STAN
ley have made US so familiar. 1t is
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 lower
Congo, around which the proposed
railroad will sooner Or later be built.
The Congo valley, therefore, offers
two great navigable highways leading
to Central Africa. AS a route to the
far interior the Sankuru would seem
to possess some advantages over the
Congo, first because it strikes straight
for Central Africa, while the Congo
makes long detour to the north, and
secondly, because it is not impeded by
cataracts, as the Congo is in its upper
course at Stanley Falls.-N. z. S4as.