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Alphonse van Gèle
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Alphonse van Gèle
Alphonse van Gèle, also written van Gele or Vangele (25 April 1848 – 23 February 1939), was a Belgian soldier who served as the Vice-Governor General of the Congo Free State from December 1897 until January 1899. He established the Equator Station, or Station de l’Équateur, today Mbandaka, and concluded a treaty with the powerful Zanzibar trader Tippu Tip at the Stanley Falls station, today Kisangani. He is known for having confirmed that the Uele River was the upper part of the Ubangi River.
Alphonse van Gèle was born in Brussels on 25 April 1848. He enlisted as a volunteer in the 8th Line Regiment in 1867, was made a sub-lieutenant in 1872 and became a lieutenant in the 3rd Line Regiment in 1878. He was appointed Adjoint d'État-Major (Deputy Chief of Staff) in 1881.
In 1881 Van Gèle offered his services to the International African Association as Deputy Lieutenant to the State Major, and received a short training course at the Institut Cartographique Militaire. On 5 May 1882 he embarked at Southampton for Cape Town, where he joined the engineer Lieutenant Louis Valcke, who had gone to the east coast of Africa to recruit 250 Zanzibaris there and bring them to the estuary of Congo River. They reached the mouth of the Congo on 3 July 1882, then traveled to Banana and Vivi.
Henry Morton Stanley had arrived in Vivi on 4 July 1882 and was organizing an expedition up the Congo River to the Stanley Falls, which would take control of the country along the route. When Valcke and Van Gèle arrived in Vivi with their contingent, Stanley at once instructed them to work on construction of the road from Vivi to Isangila, bypassing the rapids and leading to the navigable section up to Manyanga, then to connect Manyanga to Léopoldville. The work had to be done quickly so the dismantled Association internationale Africaine steamer and goods could be carried to Léopoldville for the planned expedition. In the course of the work Van Gèle suffered from violent bouts of fever and had to be evacuated to Boma. He recovered, rejoined Valcke, and helped him until a post was erected on the territory of Chief Lutete as a staging point for the Manyanga-Léopoldville transport. Van Gèle took charge of the Lutete post and ran it effectively until 1 April 1883, when he was appointed to replace Valcke, who had himself been appointed to replace Charles-Marie de Braconnier in Léopoldville.
In May 1883 Van Gèle and Camille Coquilhat were appointed to accompany Stanley in his expedition to the Upper Congo. The expedition left Léopoldville on 9 May 1883 with all their steamers: En Avant, Eclaireur, Royal and A.I.A.. The expedition had seven Europeans and 67 Africans. Stanley reached the mouth of the Ruki River on 9 June 1883 and directed Van Gèle and Coquilhat to build a station there. On 20 June 1883 Van Gèle signed a treaty with Ikenge, principal chief in the district of Ibonga-Wangata, and Ipambi, principal chief in the same district, in which they ceded all property in perpetuity, the land and the rights to exploit the resources of the country and to create and roads and establishments suitable for developing the commercial and other relations of the Committee and Expedition.
Assisted by Coquilhat, Van Gèle built a model station and was named its commander. It was called Equator Station, or Station de l’Équateur, then Equateurville, later Coquilhatville, today Mbandaka. The Belgians became involved in local power struggles. In one conflict a local ruler was killed and the spoils of war ended up in Van Gèle's ethnographic collection. While the Équateur station was being built, Stanley explored the Lulonga River and Lake Tumba. He returned to Leopoldville, then immediately left for the Falls. He returned to Équateurville, where he praised the station, the discipline of the soldiers and the good but not over-familiar relations with the local people.
At the beginning of April 1884 Van Gèle briefly explored the course of the Ruki River. On 17 April 1884 Edmond Hanssens, who had replaced Stanley in the Upper Congo, arrived in Equateurville. Two days later Hanssens and Van Gèle set out in the En Avant to explore the Ubangi River with the pharmacist Courtois, de Guérin and the mechanic Amelot, a crew of ten Zanzibaris and a local African who was to act as their interpreter.
Going downstream the steamer skirted the right bank of the Congo River, but was carried by the current into a maze of islands. After three days they saw some native fishermen in a canoe. Van Gèle managed to persuade them to act as pilots, and after four hours of full steam on 21 April 1884 entered a strong stream of yellow water, the Ubangi, which they ascended to the Bisongo village. They received a friendly reception, and Hanssens exchanged blood with Chief Mkoko. The chief agreed to place both banks of the Ubangi under the protection of the International African Association. After returning to Equateurville Hanssens left Van Gèle in charge and took Coquihat with him to found the Bangala station, the future Nouvelle Anvers. Van Gèle concluded nine treaties between 26 April and 16 July 1884, including several that were signed in the Ruki River region.
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Alphonse van Gèle
Alphonse van Gèle, also written van Gele or Vangele (25 April 1848 – 23 February 1939), was a Belgian soldier who served as the Vice-Governor General of the Congo Free State from December 1897 until January 1899. He established the Equator Station, or Station de l’Équateur, today Mbandaka, and concluded a treaty with the powerful Zanzibar trader Tippu Tip at the Stanley Falls station, today Kisangani. He is known for having confirmed that the Uele River was the upper part of the Ubangi River.
Alphonse van Gèle was born in Brussels on 25 April 1848. He enlisted as a volunteer in the 8th Line Regiment in 1867, was made a sub-lieutenant in 1872 and became a lieutenant in the 3rd Line Regiment in 1878. He was appointed Adjoint d'État-Major (Deputy Chief of Staff) in 1881.
In 1881 Van Gèle offered his services to the International African Association as Deputy Lieutenant to the State Major, and received a short training course at the Institut Cartographique Militaire. On 5 May 1882 he embarked at Southampton for Cape Town, where he joined the engineer Lieutenant Louis Valcke, who had gone to the east coast of Africa to recruit 250 Zanzibaris there and bring them to the estuary of Congo River. They reached the mouth of the Congo on 3 July 1882, then traveled to Banana and Vivi.
Henry Morton Stanley had arrived in Vivi on 4 July 1882 and was organizing an expedition up the Congo River to the Stanley Falls, which would take control of the country along the route. When Valcke and Van Gèle arrived in Vivi with their contingent, Stanley at once instructed them to work on construction of the road from Vivi to Isangila, bypassing the rapids and leading to the navigable section up to Manyanga, then to connect Manyanga to Léopoldville. The work had to be done quickly so the dismantled Association internationale Africaine steamer and goods could be carried to Léopoldville for the planned expedition. In the course of the work Van Gèle suffered from violent bouts of fever and had to be evacuated to Boma. He recovered, rejoined Valcke, and helped him until a post was erected on the territory of Chief Lutete as a staging point for the Manyanga-Léopoldville transport. Van Gèle took charge of the Lutete post and ran it effectively until 1 April 1883, when he was appointed to replace Valcke, who had himself been appointed to replace Charles-Marie de Braconnier in Léopoldville.
In May 1883 Van Gèle and Camille Coquilhat were appointed to accompany Stanley in his expedition to the Upper Congo. The expedition left Léopoldville on 9 May 1883 with all their steamers: En Avant, Eclaireur, Royal and A.I.A.. The expedition had seven Europeans and 67 Africans. Stanley reached the mouth of the Ruki River on 9 June 1883 and directed Van Gèle and Coquilhat to build a station there. On 20 June 1883 Van Gèle signed a treaty with Ikenge, principal chief in the district of Ibonga-Wangata, and Ipambi, principal chief in the same district, in which they ceded all property in perpetuity, the land and the rights to exploit the resources of the country and to create and roads and establishments suitable for developing the commercial and other relations of the Committee and Expedition.
Assisted by Coquilhat, Van Gèle built a model station and was named its commander. It was called Equator Station, or Station de l’Équateur, then Equateurville, later Coquilhatville, today Mbandaka. The Belgians became involved in local power struggles. In one conflict a local ruler was killed and the spoils of war ended up in Van Gèle's ethnographic collection. While the Équateur station was being built, Stanley explored the Lulonga River and Lake Tumba. He returned to Leopoldville, then immediately left for the Falls. He returned to Équateurville, where he praised the station, the discipline of the soldiers and the good but not over-familiar relations with the local people.
At the beginning of April 1884 Van Gèle briefly explored the course of the Ruki River. On 17 April 1884 Edmond Hanssens, who had replaced Stanley in the Upper Congo, arrived in Equateurville. Two days later Hanssens and Van Gèle set out in the En Avant to explore the Ubangi River with the pharmacist Courtois, de Guérin and the mechanic Amelot, a crew of ten Zanzibaris and a local African who was to act as their interpreter.
Going downstream the steamer skirted the right bank of the Congo River, but was carried by the current into a maze of islands. After three days they saw some native fishermen in a canoe. Van Gèle managed to persuade them to act as pilots, and after four hours of full steam on 21 April 1884 entered a strong stream of yellow water, the Ubangi, which they ascended to the Bisongo village. They received a friendly reception, and Hanssens exchanged blood with Chief Mkoko. The chief agreed to place both banks of the Ubangi under the protection of the International African Association. After returning to Equateurville Hanssens left Van Gèle in charge and took Coquihat with him to found the Bangala station, the future Nouvelle Anvers. Van Gèle concluded nine treaties between 26 April and 16 July 1884, including several that were signed in the Ruki River region.
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