The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-22
CONGO'S BIRTHPLACE.
Exploration of the Great Riv
er's Headwaters.
LEGENDARY INLAND SEA.
An Expedition shortly to Remove the
Last African Mystery Fabulous
Wealth Of Copper.
Brussels Cable, July Is.


The Commercial and Industrial Com
pany of the Congo has just sent out an ex-
petition headed by seven Europeans to
solve the remaining problems connected
with the upper waters OF the Congo. 1t is
known that the Congo is formed by three
great rivers. The most important of these
rivers is the Lualaba, which comes hum
dreds Of miles from the southwest, and
flows through long chain of lakes, two of
which have been explored by Cameron,
Bohm and Reichard. It is believed to be
the longest of the Congo headwaters, and
to contribute larger volume of water than
the others to the big river.
Further east is the Luafula river, discov-
cred by Livingstone. 1t drains the large
Lake BaugweolO, but the place where the
river leaves the lake was not known until
the French traveller Giraud discovered it a
few years ago. 1t flows in general north
erly direction, and passes through Lake
Meru. Then, coming from the East, is the
Lukuga, which leads the waters of the
great Lake Tanganyika TO Congo 1t has
been explored only at its eastern end Tor
about seventy miles. Nearly 300 miles OF
the Luafula river have never been traced,
and the Lualaba is wholly unknown the
greater part of its course.
According to Arab traders and native re-
ports these three big rivers come together
in q great inland sea which they call Lake
Landji No white man has ever seen this
lake. The Arabs say that the river issuing
from Lake Landj is very noble river and
that it is the Congo. From all the inform
alton we possess it is believed that the out
let of Lake Landji is the beginning of the
Congo proper. This, then, is the task be-
fore the present exoedition-to find if the
Congo really does issue from Lake Landji,
to explore and map the unknown portions
of the three big rivers that make the
Congo, and to study the countries, largely
unknown, through which they How. The
command of the expedition has been con-
ided to the veteran African worker, Alex
ander Delcommune, one of Stanley's Off
GERS when he first went to the great river,
and who has served on the Congo most OF
the time for the past seventeen years. As.
sociated with him are Lieutenant Hackan-
son, of the Swedish army, who has long
been an agent OF the Congo state and who
made the first exploration OF the lnkissi
river; DR.. Briart, the physician of the
party; Lieutenant Santschoff, of the Rus
sian army; Baron Marcel de Roest, Engi-
neer Didderich and Mr.. Protsch, of the
Daumas Congo Trading house. Messrs.
Hackanson, Briart, Santschoff and De
Roest left for the mouth OF the Congo on
June 3; Mr.. Delcommune started by way
of Lisbon on July s; Engineer Didderich
embarked on July D, ana MI. frOtScn Is
already on the Congo.
The party will rendezvous at Kinshassu.
on Stanley Pool, about the middle of Sep
tember. With an escort of $50 saldiers of
the Congo state they will then embark on
the steamer Rio DIES Belges, and will as
cend the river about 900 miles to the mouth
of the Lomami, which they will then as
cend about 400 miles to the head of navi-
cation. They will then be only three or
four days march overland from Nyangwe,
on the Congo, above which the river is
practically unknown. Their first duty then
will be to ascend the river to Lake Landji.
1t is expected that the exploration will oc-
cupy from year to year and half.
Much of the region which they will ex-
plore, particularly on the Luaiaba. is of
special interest. because all explorers who
have penetrated it a little way have brought
home astounding reporss OF the country.