Wichita eagle., 1889-12-06
ON LAKE ALBERT.
Something About the Lake Found BY
Stanley on an Earlier Trip.

| LONDON, Dec. 5.-The following letter
from Stanley gives results of MS explora-
| tions during the earlier months of his
journey in Africa:
VILLAGES OF BATUNDU, Ituria River,
Central Africa, Sept. s, 1883 My Dear
Grant: I have only been able to write
scrappy letters hitherto, though / start
them with strong inclination to give
our friends q complete story Of our
various marches and their incidents.
But so far l have been compelled
TO hurriedly close lest l should
miss the opportunity to send them. This
one, for instance, know not how to send
caravan or an accidental detention of the
expedition may furnish the means. will
trust to chance and write, nevertheless.
You more than any of the committee are
interested in Lake Albert. Let us deal
with that first. When on December IS,
1887, we sighted the lake, the southern
part lay at our feet almost like an immense
map We glanced rapidly over the grossen
details, the lofty plateau, the wall OF IN
yoro to the east and that of Baregga to the
west, rising nearly 5000 feet above the
silver water, and between the hills
the scratched out plains, seemingly very
fiat and grassy with here and there dark
clump of brushwood which, as the plain
trended southwesterly, became a thin for
est. The southwest edge of the lake fixed
at nine miles in a direct sOuthwesterly line
from this place. This will make the termi-
nus of the southwest corner l degree and
II minutes north latitude, by prismatie
compass, magnetic bearing; of the south
east corner just south of a number of falls
! degree 81 minutes. This will make it
about l degree. IL minutes, so seconds
north latitude, magnetic bearing OF de-
gree, As minutes. Taken from north
latitude / degree, 3 minutes.
30 seconds. this exactly describes
the line OF shore running from the south
west corner of the lake to the southeast
corner of Albert. Baker fixed his position
in latitude l degree Is minutes north if |
recollect rightly. The centre OF Mbakovia
terrace bears l degree 81 minutes 30 sec
onds magnetic from my first point OF OBJ
servatiop. This will make his Vacovia
about degree Is minutes 40 seconds, al
lowing 10 degrees west variation.
In trying to solve the problem of the in
finity Of Lake Albert, as sketched by
Baker, and finding that the lake terminus
is only four miles south of where he stood
and on "a beautiful clear day." one
would feel almost justified in saying
he had never seen the lake. But
his position OF Vacovia proves that he
actually was there and the general cor
rectness Of his outline of the east coast of
Vacovia to Magungo also proves that he
navigated the lake.
When we turn our faces northeast we
say that Baker had done exceedingly we'll;
but when we turn them southwark our
senses in vain try to penetrate the mystery,
because our eyes see not what Baker saw.
With Lieutenant Stairs, Mounteney, Jeph-
son, Surgeon Parke. Emin PaShe, Captain
Casati, / look with my own eyes upon the
scene. l find Baker has made an error. |
am somewhat surprised also at Bakers
attitudes of Lake Albert and
the Blue mountains, and the
the breadth attributed by him to the lake
The shore opposite Vacovia is ten and a
quarter miles distant, not forty or fifty
miles. The Blue mountains are nothing
else but a vast upland, the highest cone or
hill being not more than 5000 feet above
the level of the sea. The altitude of Lake
Albert by the aneroid and the boiling
point will not exceed 1900 feet
Last OF ALL away to the southwest, where
he has sketcbed his infinite sketch OF the
lake. there rises, about forty miles from
Nacovia, an immense snowy noun
tain, solid, square-browed mass,
with an almost level summit, between
two lofty ridges. If it was beauti-
fully clear day he should have seen this.
Z,
miles than | was.
About the lake discovered by me in 1876
| can learn very little from the natives. At
the chief of kavailis | saw two natives
who came from that region. One Of them
hailed from Unyampaka and the other
from Usongora The first said that the
Albert Lake was much larger than that
near Cnyampaka The other said that the
lake is the larger, as it takes
two days to cross it. He describes
ii as being a months march from
kavallis. Their accounts differ SO much
that one is almost tempted 10 believe that
there are two lakes, the smaller one near
Unvampaka and connected by a river or
channel with that of Usongora,
My interest is greatly excited, as you
may imagine, by the discovery of Ruwen-
Zori, the snowy mountain and possibly
rival of kilima Marc. Remember that
we are In north latitude and that this
must be near or on the equator
itself; that it is summer now, and that we
saw it in the latter part of May; that the
snow line was estimated at about only
J. 600 feet below the summit.
Hence, / conclude that 1t is not Mount !
Gordon Bennett seen in December, 1876 |
though 1t may be So-whIch the natives
said had only snow occasionally. AT the |
time | saw the latter there was no snow
visible. 1t is little further east, accord /
ing TO the position | gave it, than Ruwen- |
zori. All questions which this mountain
gives rise to will DE settled |
hope, by this expedition before it returns !
to the sea.
If at all near my line of march. its |
length height and local history Will be- as
Many rivers will be found 10 is /
sue from this curious land between the /
two Muta Nziges. What rivers are they? |
Do they belong to the Nile or the Congot |
I = M var aSt hao
from this section except the katonga and |
hatur, and both must receive, If any. but |
4 very small supply from Mount Gordon /
Bennett and the Ruwenzori The new
mountains must, therefore. be drained /
south and west-if the south. /
the streams have connection with the lake /
south, If west, Semlliki, a tributary of |
Lake Albert, and some river flow /
ing TO The Congo must receive the rest Of |
its waters Then, if the lake south re-
ceives any considerable supply the inter- /
est deepeus. Does the lake discharge its 1
surplus TO the Nile or the Congos II 10 4
the former then ii would be of great inter
est to you and you Will have to admit that /
Lake Victoria IS not the /
main source OF the Nile. If to /
the Congo, then the lake Will be the !
source Of the river Iowa or Loa. since il /
is the largest tributary 20 the Congo from
the east between The Aruwimi and Luna.
For your comfort | Will dare to venture
an opinion eTen now that the lake is the
source of the Lows, though l know moth
ing positive of the matter, but infer from
he bold manner IN which the Aruwimi
trenches upon the domain that any ona
would have imagined that it belonged to /
he Nile. lie was only ten minutes march /
the head OF one OF its streams to
the crest of the plateau whence we looked /
down upon Albert Nyanz2 From
the mouth of Aruwimi to the hesri 4