Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-07-16
THE NILE.

What Recent Explorations Have
Proven Concerning the Sources OF
the Famous Stream.
The notion is quite prevalent that the
explorations of the last rs years have COM
| pletely solved the problem Of the sources Of
! the Nile. The fact is, however, that the
mystery Of the Niles headwaters is not yet
entirely dispelled. We have further knowl.
edge to-day Of that later problem, the
sources of the Congo. than OF the interest
ing question that bsfled geographers for
ages until Spoke partially solved it.
Lakes Victoria and Albert Nyanza were
discovered respectively by Spoke and Sir
Samuel Baker, and for years these great
the twin sources Of the Nile. In 1876
Gessi Pasha. one Of General Gordon's as
sistants, circumnavigated Albert Nyanza
in q steam launch. The dense aquatic veg
citation at the southern end prevented him
from reaching the shore. but from his
masthead he could see noriver, and dur
ing his journey be did not discover a
single important tributary. From his voy-
age dated the notion that Albert NyAnza ia
not Q source, but only o backwater OF the
Nile. into which the river pours merely to
emerge again a little further north.
In the same year Stanley. travelling due
west from the north end of Victoria Ny.
ANA, reached a large lake, which he sup.
posed to be Lake Albert, not knowing that
Gessi had fixed the southern limit OF that
sheet OF water. This lake is believed from
native information to be about 140 miles
long and to cover about s, 900 square miles.
It's north end, q little north OF the equator
is supposed to be 60 or 80 miles south oil
Albert Nyanza. Its native name is Nuts
NZige.
A year later Albert Nysnza was explored
a second time by Mason Bey, who, reach
ing the south shore, made q very important
discovery that had escaped Gessi Pacha.
He found q river coming from the south
about 300 feet in width, reddish in color,
which poured it's sluggish stream into Al
bert Nyanza. Neither this river nor Nuts
Nzige has yet been explored. and geograph'
ers are divided In opinion as to whether
the large lake feeds the Nile or the Congo.
The question has some political "a well
as geographical interest, for the reason
that the Berlin Conference last year agreed
hat the northeast limit Of the Congo Free
State should be the water parting between
the Congo and the Nile systems. II Nuts
Nzige feeds the Nile, q theory that Is sup
| ported by the best geographical authority
on several excellent grounds, q large re-
gion tributary to the lake cannot. as d
present, figure much longer on the map Of
the Congo State.
Stanley argues that Muta Nzige mus
empty into the Congo, because, In his opin'
ion, the Lira and Lulu, tributaries Of thst
river, have not space enough without the
help Of this lake, to collect their large
volume Of water. It can be said. however
that without the lake they have ss much
drainage area as some other important
African rivers possess. Without enumer
sting here the many reasons for believing
that Muta Nzige is one Of the sources Of
the Nile, ii may be mentioned that it Ii
very difficult to explain how IL Is that the
Nile energies from Albert Nyanza with
nearly double the volume Of water it pouri
into it, unless that small lake is connected
with the far more important source Of sup
ply JUST q little south Of IL.
There can hardly fail to be an ample
supply Of volunteers for African explora
ton service az long as there is light sti i
to be shed upon so interesting 9 problem
as the sources OF the Nile.