The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1892-07-15
nrRTOA,s GREATEST LAKE


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Ernest Gedge, who has spent con
siderable time on and around Victoria
Nyauza, has made some very interest
ing observations On the lake, which ID
the largest lake 10 Africa. Although
il has been visited by a number of ez-
plorers il is not very accurately
mapped vet. Mr.. Gedge says the
appearance Of The lake suggests the
formation at some remote period Of a
vast trough or valley. The shores on
the west side give striking indications
Of that, especially in Karagwe, where
the cliffs are perpendicular, with deep
water close in shore. Nothing on
The eastern orsouthern shores suggests
volcanic action. On the northern
shore are outcrops Of lava blocks.
The main visible sources of.the water
supply are from three rivers, which,
although diseharging continually a
certain amount of water into the lake,
are Of no great size except during the
rainy season, and they appear TO be
totally inadequate to maintain the
equilibrium Of the lake, when it is
considered that "a large volume is
carried of constantly by the Nile,
and that the loss through evaporation
from SO large an area must be great
The New York Sun thinks it is prob
able, therefore, that the lake derives 9
great deal Of water from springs
The lake has great depths in places
The water is fresh and clear, although
!, fiat and insipid to the taste. Fish are
numerous, and are caught mostly
, with rod and line. Hlppopotami art
! not very numerous, as they confint
: themselves generally to the coast
and rivers Those that are found il
: the lake are extremely vicious, and ar
much feared by the canoemen alOnl
the northern shores, who, strange Il
j, say, are unable to swim. That is, n,
= doubt, due largely to the fact that tn
2 lake is infested with alligatoTs, and
is dangerous for anyone TO enter il
waters.
Cyelonic storms Of great vIoleno
occur at certain seasons, and ar
:. dangerous to small craft. The storm
u occur usually at daybreak. They ar
II accompanied by much thunder an
- lightning. Following the coast lin
|, for lime they sweep across the lakr
raising a tremendous sea, and 0
n several of Mr.. Gedge's journeys hi
II party was IN great danger of swami
IL ing. One of the remarkable phi
"a nOmena he witnessed was the apparet
~ tide that Is observed at irregular int
70 walls, the waves coming 10 and owe
"a q wing tho beach il exactly the san
Il way as the tide on the seashnre, II
v rise and fall lasting from a half hoI
TO an hour or more. That has O.
Cured during a comparative cain
while at other times, while a stror
gale was setting off shore, Gedge d
not notice any difference in the lake
level 3; be therefore thinks that u
~ phenomenon is not attributable e.
"A tiTeIy to the wind backing mp Il
~ water. Another curious feature
'" the periodical rise and fall, whic
-, according 10 the natives, takes plat
-, ~ every twenty five years, and is ind
I, Gated by the water marks on Il
~ stones. At the time of his visit Il
:. lake was between s and 0 feet belo
~, ~ high water mark, and the people sa
~ that certain lands under cuItivati,
:, then would be flooded again in d
-. season, and that the peninsula
LSS which his camp was pitched won
~ become an island. Similar chang
NV of level have been noticed in la
;,b Tangunyika and lake Nvassa, and
b ,v is very desirable that continue
~ ~ observations should be made in ord
~ to define the real character of /
changes.