The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-02
He Business Manager OF
theatC Congo Mission and
Native Of Virginia.
THE LAPsLEY WAS
BUILT IN RICHMOND
Constructed at the ~. r Trigg
Yards and Launched tlr!,;: I. !. Here
About About Two =. Years ca {. Ago.
Particulars Of the Tra-
gedy Are as Yet En-
tremely Meagre.

s Throughoutht length and breadth OF
Richmond yesterday, i aud particularly
among the Presbyterlans OF the city,.
there was received with profound sorrow
the news of the disaster in far away
Africa. that cost one devoted missionary
and twenty-three native Christians their
lives, and that narrowly escaped inflict
Ing similar fate upon others in the
little band. II n fl 4 Il 4, 3ta2 9ii.t NJ,
4 A half dozen brief words by telegram
from Nashville, tho / Presbyterian mission
conveyed to the denorntna-
:tion here the sad ( story that was later
amplified to some extent by, press dis
patches from the same place. All told,
however, the formation obtained was
'distressincly meagre, conveying thins
but the, cold u hare fact that the little
Congo boat IIapsley, built here. had cap
sized In Il trnidstrcan, and \ that twenty
four persons had met death by dro wnins,
including H. c.. Slaymak aker,, e,Yirginirnl1. !l1.
well known I III !. RI Richrnon !, Beyond; this
tha sIexraiitan A stn tsd 3knothtng hut' the
sadditfoHal fact stliat tWo: other MI ission-
saries-Eaft!n u nd va ss7T-had NJ n esca ped:
How the; horrible accid dent h occurred n no
one yet Knows, know k nntlI those
prov!dentialy saved can write 1l 'oll'e. \
Lapsley Built Here.
Among tbs Presbyt rians of the South
and particularly or Richmond the Congo 3;
mission, iny the heart tof the dark cont,
nent, has been a source or iconstant ano
cha nters Mn & the denominational history
we're recorded by the sIdo OF this. mys-t
terious river, In the self-sacriflc!ng la
bors OF devoted men, som 9 OF whom iaiu
down theirSlives for tho church Lack or
suff1cientG L funds has spreNepted $50 I. great
n development. OF Z the Z work y there J. as
might have been wished, but tho reguiar
reports 4 from the field told or 1. da,ty
wonders being accomplished VIII. the
ia or tho little steamer that piled up
and down the stream to they wonder
and anazement OF tho Ssimpla-nlinded1
The The si Samuel N. Lapsley was what the
boat was called In memory or the great
missionary who devoted his best years 70
missionary work !. in Africa ana other
places. 1t was built In Richmond gnpout
two years ago by the e9yVlllam r. TrigE
Company,6and was Immediately sent to
Africa as d mission boat: Since then It
hns been In constant: :,uso on the Congo
T,he Iapsley Il was eatlys + htted-iup anu
was equipped with all the conyeniences
OF a modern steamship. The chrlstenlns
exercises here will esrecallcd ny many.
Dr. rR. s|p,. Kerr, lnte OF Richmond, now
Of Baltimore: presided and aInumber Of
ministers were present at the launching
! .: Crippled the Mission. /.
Recently the. conlinIttce on. Foreign
Missions has been enabled to make a
nucf-needed Increase in the number OF
the missionaries In the field. Two a.of
them recently set sail for the Congo.
one to take charge OF the business IN
terests, Of the mission, ana the otnsr 70