The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-07-16

The mystery that has always cur
rounded the great lakes of Central
Africa is largely solved in the new
number of the Geographical Journal
by Mr.. ]. z. s. Moore His explora-
tions have linked together much in
formation previously rather fragmen-
sary- Tanganyika was discovered by
Burton and Spoke in 1857, and the lat
ter brought to England few shells
picked up on its shore which found
their way TO the British museum. Some
OF them puzzled the experts, for,
though taken from a fresh water lake
very far inland, they strongly resem-
Dled genera which inhabit the sea
They had also a curiously old world
aspect, as if they were lineal descend
ants Of shells which lived about the
time when the limestones called ool-
ties were formed, or considerably be-
fore our chalk was deposited. But the
little known about Africa had led ge-
the central and southern parts had
been above the sea far longer than
this. In course Of time, however, more
discoveries were mad in Tanganyika.
I including shells of similar types, Pc
culiar fishes, crabs, prawns, sponges.
and even jelly fsh-in fact, num-
Der of creatures. all suggesting that
their ancestors had been marine. Then
in 1897 Mr.. Moore visited the lake
and brought back collections which
placed the matter beyond doubt But
the settlement of that question only
raised another In what way did Tan
ganyika communicate with the sea
Some ten years ago Prof Suess, of vi
emma, by piecing together the informa-
ton gathered by travellers in the more
central parts of Africa, came to the
conclusion that the continent on Its
eastern side was traversed by a re
markable group OF riffs, which had
resulted in the formation Of valleys
In these lay the longer and narrower
Of the African lakes He traced tn,
rift system" from Syria, along tn,
valley of the Jordan. down the Rex
sea. southwark into Africa Near LAX
Rudolf it divides the two branche.
opening out to inclose a broad trac
OF highlands in the middle Of whicl
is the wide Victoria Nyanza- Tn
western arm passes through the Al
bert lake. Kivu and Tanganyika, turn
ing eastward from the south end O
! the last to the head of Nyassa- Her
: it is very probably joined by the east
/ ern branch, which can be traced fo
: long way. passing to the west {
Kenya and Kilimanjaro These gres
riffs would seem to be the nature
lines of connection with the ancier
ocean, and, if so. that could be tracke
by seeing which of the lakes containe
! the strange creatures of Tanganyiki
So a second expedition was organize,
headed by Mr.. Moore to examine III
whole chain of lakes along the ives
ern Rife Valley" from Nyassa to Ii
Albert Nyanza- His former exped
ton had made it almost certain thu
:, Nyassa had never been in commun
cation with the sea Consequent
!. the way could not have been from Il
south. In Tanganyika he found sti
more evidence of an ancient marir
: fauna which had tenanted its watel
at time when the lake covered
much larger area. But neither
Kivu nor in the Albert Edward lax
nor in the Albert Nyanza could he di
i cover any traces OF these marine ere.
! lures. Their fauna. like that OF n,
u ASA, was wholly lacustrine More ths
i that, Mr.. Moore found that the riv,
{ draining Kivu descen6s as a torrel
. through an upland region TO the o
head Of Tanganyika and that the 70
= mer lake is cut OF from the Abe
Il Edward by huge mass of volcano
u some of which are still active. Stran,
as 1t may seem he gives good reason
&c for believing that Kivu had be,
, formed by the outbreaking Of the
y volcanoes, which have damned up
5 stream that formerly ran to the nor
'e till the water at last found an ou
let in the opposite direction down
Tanganyika- Thus, strange as ii nj
seem, the sea can only have lain
l. the west, over the present basin of t
ye Congo.-London Standard.