Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-05-05
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BISHOP TAYLOR AND his STEAMER.
)aage and the fifth at Iulaaberg. Dondo
Is considerable town, situated about 2iO
miles from Loanda. 1t Is laid out in long
streets, and has sidewalks. lamps and
many other improvements"
."~
1t Is necessary In prosecuting mission.
airy work in the interior Of Africa to use
the waterways Of tho continent. Bishop
Taylor has small steamer on the Congo
river, In which he makes periodical jour
ncys into the country. 1t is built in SO"
tions. and can bo taken apart and trans
ported from ono stream to another to suit
his convenience. His work Is confined
mostly to that part of Africa known as
Congo Free State According to Stanley's
estimate. 1t embraces over 1,00000G
square miles, and has population of 27,.
100000 Tho natives arc barbarians, and
1t Is said that some of them hav been
guilty of cannibalism. When a king or
chief dies they kin ten or twelve persons
in Il most savage manner. and adorn their
houses with tho skulls. They believe In
fetiches and witchcraft.
When n man dies they believe that
some one has bewitched him, and they
try TO find out who 1t was, that they may
put him to death.
The country along the upper Congo is
ravaged by Arabs in pursuit of slaves. In
travelling along the upper Congo one may
SEQ villages that once contained 5000 and
G,0O0 Inhabitants desolate and In ruins.
Tho Arabs surrounded the villages and
burned them. having either killed tho
people or carried them into slavery. From
tho mouth of the Congo for nearly 130
miles the river Is navigable by the largest
vessels. Then come tho falls, or rapids,
which extend about $50 miles. The do
scent Is 800 feet. When Bishop Taylor's
steamer, tho Henry Reed. ascended the
river 1t was taken to pieces ut the foot Of
the falls, and one piece was given to each
native TO carry. With 1t was also given
scrap Of paper describing his load. At the
end of their journey they came to the
bishop. saying:
master. here is my load; look at the
paper; see 1t Is all right. Now give me
my pay and will 60 home"
To do justice to their honesty IL may be
stated that not rivet was lacking. Above
the falls n steamer can 60 200 miles on
the main stream, or 5000 miles on the
stream and its branches.
"a man who goes out to the Congo as q
missionary must be not less than 25
years old, of sound health, and careful
about adapting himself to the exigencies
of tho weather." said Bishop Taylor
10 your, correspondent. Total absti-
ncnce Is an absolute condition Of
health. A man must learn what not
to do. A young man came thero and in
sisted upon walking eighteen miles day.
In short time he was dead. Above all
man must not become frightened. There
were three men who came out from Eng
land, and on the voyage tho people on
board the vessel frightened them, telling
them that they would surely die. The men
made their last wills and testamcpts
and expected to die. Shortly after land
ing they were taken with fever. They
gave up all hope. The missionaries tried
to arouse them. but it proved useless.
They sank down into mood of despair
and died"
The future of the Congo Free State Is
very promising. Stanley. the explorer.
estimates the ivory production alone to
amount TO $l50,000 annually. but of
course ivory cannot be classed as staple
production. The vegetation is luxurious,
and as soon as experienced botanists In.
vestigate the country many valuable herbs
will undoubtedly be discovered
The temperature of tho Congo district
Is In the dry season, which answers to our
winter. about ~ degs. In the hot season
the average is 90 degs. and the limit
about 90 degs. There is always a fine
breeze blowing, so that the weather is
never suffocatingly hot. The country is
fenced in by mountain chains and threaded
with navigable rivers. There are in all
over 1000 miles of waterways in the Congo
district.