The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-01-11
MYSTERY OF THE ONO.
Ceosrnphcrs and Explorers Are
Puzzled Mt the Course of an
African Stream.


miles to the southwest and south has
been the subject Of more speculation
and contradictory evidence for IL
years than any other stream in Africa.
The ONO river was known at its SOURCES
and at few points along its course
but the explorers who visited it and
the geographers who reviewed theiI
work could not agree as to its destinass
ton. It was geographical conur.'
drum, as the Congo and the Alger were
in the years when the hypothesis wasS
advanced that the Congo was probably
the lower part of the Niger. The truth
about the ONO river was discovered twc
years ago by one of the most unfortu
nate expeditions that ever entered AT
riea, and the two white survivors OF
the. Inflated party, who said their lead
er and comrades had fallen under the
FIRE Of savage foe and who were held
captive until King Menelek secured
their release, have been able this fall.
with wthe aid of the records that WERE
recovered, to publish in Italy the story
of the second Bottego expedition and
map of the ONO river.
Eleven years ago most magmakers
believed that the problem of the Ono
river had been solved, though the views
of the explorers were still widely di-
vergent. Count Teleki, Capt. HohneIi
and Mr.. Borelli maintained that the.
river flowed far to the southwest and
emptied into Lake Rudolf. Other ex-
plorers headed by lAbbadie, all OF
whom had visited the river. though,
it was the upper. course Of the Sobat
dent that Lake Rudolf, which is sub
ject to great evaporation, received q
large water supply from some source
and this consideration led most cartog-
raphers to represent the ONO as a trib.
llltary of that lake at its northern end
This hypothesis was in great favor
at the time when DR.. Donaldson Smith,
the American explorer, came home
with information and opinions that
again unsettled the question. He hae
assembled the Nianam river, which emp
! ties into the northern end Of Lake Ru
| dolf, for 100 miles. He said it was a
small stream and he thought it most
unlikely that it was the lower part OF
the large ONO river. Twenty miles
away he saw the mountains where he
| believed the Nianam headed, and in
his opinion the ONO turned to the
ssoutheast somewhere and became the
Jub river, which empties into the In.
dian ocean. Dr.. Donaldson Smith did
much excellent geographical work on
this journey and some of the best map
makers accepted the new hypothesis
and showed the ONO as the upper part
Of the Jub.
| 1t was left to the second Bottego ex.
petition to trace the ONO from its
middle course to Lake Rudolf and prove
| that Donaldson. Smith was mistaken.
and that the Nianam was really the
lower course of the ONO. The incor.
rect impression Of the American ex.
| plorer was doubtless due chiefly to the
fact that he saw the Nianam in the
| dry season at a low stage of water.
No phase of African exploration has
given rise to so many perplexing ques.
lions as. the rivers, many of which were
known in part many years before their
entire courses were revealed. But the
photography Of the continent in all
/ its more important features is deter.
| mined at last satisfactorily.-N. Y. Sun.
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