The River Trains 85 



with barges. As the exports of the Belgian 

 Congo are for the most part of a heavy 

 nature, it is clear that aircraft whilst useful 

 for fast and light traffic, and particularly 

 for passengers, cannot take the place of 

 river transport hence the river train. 



Up to its coming the mode of transport 

 was slow and costly, consisting of light 

 draught canoes with hand portage wher- 

 ever the rapids were encountered, or again 

 where shallows made navigation imprac- 

 ticable. 



The amount of trans-shipment rendered 

 necessary from such a course was tremen- 

 dous, and the exports and imports to the 

 Belgian Congo suffered considerably in 

 handling. 



The double-hulled barges comprising the 

 river train take to land wherever the river 

 is impracticable, becoming, for the time 

 being, a mono-rail train. Assume for a 

 moment that the barges are in tow of the 

 tug and making good progress upstream. 

 There are rapids ahead which will check 

 the progress of the river train. But at the 



