THE CONGO RIVER.
The Congo River flows into the Gulf of Guinea and is a most magnificent
river, more wonderful in some respects than the Nile. It is the only one
of the large rivers of Africa which has anything approaching an estuary;
all the others having delta mouths. So great is the volume of water
which it discharges at its mouth, that forty miles out at sea its water
is only partially mingled with that of the Atlantic, while nine miles
from the coast the water is perfectly fresh.
The Congo River was for many years a veritable Will-o'-the-wisp to
explorers. Its identity was lost so many times, that the geographers
looked upon the course of this river as one of the greatest problems
connected with the study of Africa they had ever been called upon to
solve.
The Congo has a length of more than three thousand miles. The maritime
region of the Congo River basin is restricted in its character. For a
few miles inward the ground has an upward slope; then the traveler is
confronted by ridge upon ridge of hills, which gradually assume the
character of high mountains.
The Congo rushes on through this mountainous section, as though through
one of our western canyons, till it reaches Stanley Pool. Here the
channel becomes much broader, the stream attaining a width of five
miles, with an extraordinary depth of water. As the river spreads itself
to attain this breadth, it flows placidly on through fertile plains,
rich in vegetation.
Geographers have, for convenience, divided the river into well-defined
sections, the Upper and the Lower Congo.
The Lower Congo has a length of about three hundred and thirty miles. It
is the part of the river between Leopoldville--situated on the banks of
Stanley Pool--and the sea and has a navigable current for about one
hundred miles, between Vivi and the sea. Above Vivi the river for about
fifty miles is lined on either side by high slate cliffs. These tend, of
course, to narrow the channel. It is in this section that the Lower
Livingstone Falls occur, and prevent navigation.
For a distance of about ninety miles above these falls the course of the
river is somewhat broken, but it becomes navigable as far as Manyanka.
Here the Upper Livingstone Falls are situated, and the river again
becomes unnavigable.
The Upper Congo starts at Stanley Pool, and as far as Stanley Falls--a
distance of over one thousand miles--has a navigable current. It is, in
fact, the grand highway for commerce right into the heart of Africa.
From Stanley Falls to Nyangwe, a distance of nearly four hundred miles,
the river has a more or less broken current.
Between Nyangwe and Lake Moero there is still another stretch of four
hundred miles.
More than two hundred miles from Lake Moero lies Lake Bangweolo, or
Bemba. At a distance of nearly four hundred miles from Bemba the Congo,
under the name of the Chambesi, takes its rise.
During Dr. Livingstone's explorations to discover the sources of the
Nile and to penetrate the secrets of the lake region of Africa, he
became much interested in the course of the Chambesi, which he thought,
at first, might be one section of the Zambesi. The names seemed to him
somewhat similar in sound, and he decided to make an exploration of the
stream.
Later, he became convinced that it was not a part of the Zambesi, but he
was firmly impressed that its identity with the Lualaba could be
established.
Many years of his life were devoted to the study of the Lualaba and the
great system of inland lakes of Africa.
Just as the whole of the civilized world looked eagerly for more
definite information of Livingstone's success, all news of him ceased.
Much anxiety for his safety and welfare was felt. Months of weary
waiting brought at last only the most conflicting reports. Finally the
news of his death was received.
This was sad news for the world to believe. Determined to know, if
possible, more definitely the fate of this intrepid explorer, those who
were most interested sent out relief parties in search of him.
As a final result of all this intense interest, Mr. Henry Stanley was
appointed commander of the celebrated expedition which afterwards
penetrated into the interior of Africa. The expedition had for its chief
object the finding of Livingstone, if he were living. If his life had
been sacrificed in the interests of science, the mission of the
expedition was to discover his resting place, and the journals and
letters that he must have left as a priceless legacy to the world.
The thrilling incidents of Stanley's labor of love, the accounts of the
hardships, privations, and stirring adventures, as he relates them in
his journals are intensely interesting.
Impressed by the results of Livingstone's work, Stanley followed the
Lualaba River from the point where Livingstone's investigations had
ceased, and named it the Livingstone, in honor of the great explorer.
Through Stanley's efforts, the identity of the Chambesi, the Lualaba,
and the Congo was fully established.
It seems unfortunate that the name Lualaba--which translated means
"mother of waters"--could not have been retained throughout the entire
course of the stream. It was a name which, to Livingstone, seemed most
appropriate for the wonderful river whose course he had delighted to
trace.
Stanley's work was a magnificent proof of what intrepid courage and
grand enthusiasm can accomplish. In one expedition after another he
completed the discoveries of other explorers, penetrated the mysteries
of the lake region and revealed its secrets, explored the very heart of
Africa, and traced the course of that wonderful river, Livingstone's
Lualaba, till it reached the sparkling waters of the South Atlantic.
The Congo has several large affluents. On the south we find the Kiva,
into which a most noble river, the Kasai, flows; the Lulongo, which
flows through a densely populated region; and the Ruki River, on the
mouth of which Equatorville has been built.
On the north bank of the river we find such tributaries as the Mobangi,
the most important of all the rivers flowing into the main stream; for
it drains, by means of its multitude of head streams, the whole of the
region that lies between the Congo and the equatorial provinces of
Egypt. The Itimbiri is another river flowing into the Congo from the
north. It enters the river just where the stream attains its greatest
breadth. About one hundred and fifty miles below Stanley Falls, the
waters of the Aruwimi enter the Congo to swell its current.