Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-06-26
MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON.
the Very Heart OF Africn and tho
Sources OF the NiIe-COnfusiOn Of
Biographies Concerning the nIys-
ttcni Mountains.

HouECeh bt tue NtB-COntHhiDn OIL
Biographies Concerning the nIys-
t,cnt Mountains.
Mr.. Stanleys Address before tho Royal Geo
| graphical Society.
Among the most interesting discover
| les that we wore enabled to make daring
our late expedition are the connection
between the Lake Albert Edward and Lake
Albert, the famous Mountains of the
Moon, and the extension OF Lake Victoria
to the southwest. Lake Albert, dis
covered by Sir Samuel Baker in 1864,
called Muta Nzige by the natives around
it, begins in north latitude / degree 10
minutes, or thereabouts. Noar it's head
there enters q powerful river loo yards
wide, niue feet deep, and a current Of
three knots. 1t is called the Semliki, and
on following that daep-sunken trough,
which is prolongaiion of that occupied
by the Albert lake, we find, after follow
ing winding course Of l50 miles, that
1t issues from another Muta Nzige Lake,
now called Albert Edward, situated at an
altitude of sbout 900 feet above Lake
Albert, or 3,307 feet above the sea. At q
distance from the right bank Of the Sem
liki river Of from Ave to Is miles there rises
lofty range of snow mountains. As the
snow line on the equator is found at 49,
260 feet above the sea, and as the height
of snow visible above that was between
5000 feet and 1000 feet, the altitude of
the highest peak Of Ruwenzori, as the
Wshums call it, must be between $4,000
feet and 1900 feet.
In the chapter ON geology which / find
in your last edition Of "Hints to Tray
elers," find very peculiar sentence,
which reads :''Few, if any, geologists
now believe that mountains were simply
thrust up from below" All can say is
that l am sorry for the geolosiuts, for
who that sees pile Of earth above Q
fox's hole Will doubt that the material
came from the hole In the case Of that
trough $50 miles long and 80 miles wide,
5000 feet deep, occupied by the two
lakes Albert Edward and Albert, and the
Semliki Valley, in the midst Of what was
once an elevated plateau 5000 feet to
5000 feet above the sea, and seeing that
enormous range upheayed above the
plateau, who can doubt that the material
came from that trough? The rocks of
Ruwerzori are igneous its sorrated sum
mits and their semi-oiroular formation
indicate the existence ut one time Of
craterH, and since the upheaval the sides
hhNo bcou ktOofou ny Blhotoibt pooutou
by torrentisl rsinfalls, and channeled
into deep ravines by the three SCORE Of
streams and their nfll tents formed by the
melted SHOWS, and the debris has been
spread over the Semliki Valley aud into
the beds Of the two lakes.
LOOKING BACKWARD.
Ihumbly crave your pardon il say any
thing extraordinary, but my exceeding in
terest in the subject Of the Semliki Valley
leads me to suggest what am about to
say, in order that some gifted person
connected with geology may turn his
earnest attention to this theme and throw
more light upon it. Thoroughly beliey-
ing, as do, that the abyss now occupied
by the two lakes and Semliki Valley was
formed by sudden subsidenoe, which
compressed the vapors and gases beneath
to be vented by the craters of Ruwenzori.
have been speculating as to what aspect
the awful ohasm bore after the volcanoes
had belched their contents and formed
the snowy range. Let us suppose that
we are far back in the prehistoric period,
and looking down from the western edge
OF the disrupted plateau into the pro-
found abyss just formed. Ruwenzori is
active, tall columns of smoke and fire
spring up from the vents, rivers of lava
pour down the sides, fragments of rock
are buried far up and fall crashing on the
slopes, tbuudering down to the bottom,
until nearly midway between the lakes
! are formed dykes of concealed lava and
arrested rock. and in the course of time
Ruyepzori has ceased to be disturbed,
and rises in q series of caves formed OF
igneous rock and debris. The SHOWS
gather over what was lately molten rock,
cipders and huge fragments thrown up.
The temperature in the bottom OF the
: abyss ie torrid above the snow line it ia
: below zero; but the heated vapors from
below and the hot equatorial suu effect q
constant descending movement of the
snow above, and ruinous avalanohes roll
down, crashing, and formidable glaciers
drive irresistibly downward, eaoh bear
, ing msBGes of earth to restore the ma
tsrial whence it came, aud the tropic
: rains begin to score aud groove and
channel and wash away the loose soil
J aud fragments, some into the Albert
Edward and some into the Albert, and
some into tine valley, until at last they
have arrived at the summit OF their Oh
structions ut their respective northern
extremities, and when they are brimiul
: they run over the Albert northward,
. through the lower level OF the uplands
, north of Tunguru, the Albert Edward,
over the obstructive dykes in the Semiki
7 Valley, and when that period has arrived
} let us try aud discover what means we
have at present for measuring the lnpse
I of time. Thirteen yeara ago the French
: missionaries settled on Lake Victoria
and since then they have found that the
lake he's aubsided three feet, which would
be equal to two inches and eight-tentht
OF an inch per annuni. II tine upland
| Of the north end of Lake Albert had then
: an average altitude of 1900 feot above
the present level of the lake, it hos re-
. quired S,666 years for Lake Albert tc
4 reach its present stage, if the White Nile
t escaping from the north end has worn
. away its reefs and dykes q. the same rate
= that the Victoria Nile has worn the Liz
of its rocky distractions at the Ripor
Falls.
HOW OLD ABE THEYf
We have second means OF guessing
. within certain number OF centuries the
age OF the elapsed period in that recenI
increase in the extent OF the Seml,k
! Valley at the head OF Lake Albert, an6
! the exposure of the terrace at tho south
west end, which y .ss gradually from the
: edge OF the LAKE to the base OF th,
/; plateau wall that suddenly rises Q ,5Ol
/. feet behind it. From the south end OF
i the lake to the end OF tho dense tropica
+, forest there are about 80 miles in 1
,, straight line; the rise of the land is at the
! rate OF two feet in mile. For 20 mile,
i of the distance the bed Of the lako il
' covered with poor, innutritiou'
/ grass; for the remaining 10 miles il i.