The En Avant (Forward) was a small steam launch used in the early days of European exploration of the Congo River basin. It was carried in sections past the cataracts of the lower Congo, reassembled at Stanley Pool (Pool Malebo) and launched in December 1881, the first powered vessel on the long navigable section between the cataracts and the Stanley Falls (Boyoma Falls). In the years that followed it played an important role in exploring the Congo river system and carrying Europeans up and down the river and the tributaries as they established trading stations.
Construction
The En Avant was a steel side-wheel paddle steamer. She was built in Belgium by John Cockerill for the International Association of the Congo (AIA). She weighed 9 tons. The loading capacity was 5 tons. She was long, wide and had a draft of . The engine had a nominal 6 horsepower. The boat was painted gray, and had a striped awning fringed with red.
The steam boiler, engine and wheels were in the center of the boat, with the rudder in front of the machine. The crew and African passengers occupied the front, with a large space for storing wood and some space for goods. The Europeans travelled in the rear section, with an open kitchen, table and couches that could be used for beds. Sails were suspended from the roof to form the cabin walls. Henry Morton Stanley wrote in 1885,
Delivery (1879–1881)
The En Avant was one of two steamers brought from Europe in 1879 in portable sections, the other being the Royal. They were assembled at Banana and steamed up the river to Boma, and from there to Vivi. Between February 1880 and February 1881 a wagon trail was made from Vivi to Isangila, past the lower cataracts of the Congo River, a very laborious process. The steamer hulls were mounted in one piece on large steel wagons drawn by 150 to 200 Zanzibari and Loango men, while other wagons carried boilers, machinery and equipment. They had to cross rivers, build bridges, level the terrain, clear forests, climb hills and blow up rocks with dynamite.
Louis Valcke met Stanley, the expedition leader, at Ngoma in November 1880 and was told to build a road that would pass the foot of the Ngoma plateau . Valcke used explosives to blast rocks from the mountain, which combined with tree trunks were used to build the "Valcke's causeway" from Ngoma to N'Konzo. By 30 December the expedition had made camp from Isangila, and the steamers were in a cove from which a road could be made to haul them up to their launching place The boats were on shore in the camp on 2 January 1881 to be repaired, scraped and painted in readiness for the journey to Manyanga.
While Valcke developed the Isangila post, Stanley took the steamers En Avant and Royal up the navigable stretch of the river to Manyanga, where he started to build a post, which he entrusted to Victor Harou. He charged Charles-Marie de Braconnier with building a road from Manianga to the mouth of the Lufu River, bypassing the Ntombo-Mataka falls. In May 1881 Stanley fell ill with a serious fever at Manyanga. He was not able to consider moving on to Stanley Pool until mid-June. Valcke joined Stanley in Manianga on 14 July 1881. They left the next day with a contingent of native auxiliaries along the route marked out by Braconnier carrying the En Avant and two whalers they intended to launch at the Stanley Pool. They reached the Gordon-Bennett River (Djoué River) without difficulty. There they were informed that Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza had signed a treaty with Chief Makoka and claimed possession for France of the whole right shore of the Congo River north of the Pool.
The Belgians established a camp on the right bank of the Djoué, and on 3 August 1881 Stanley asked Valcke to return to the coast and try to catch the boat due on 20 August 1881 from Banana to St-Paul de Loanda, He should bring back trade goods to win the chief Ngaliéma over to the AIA. Stanley went on the Stanley Pool about the end of July 1881, where he found an agent of Brazza who claimed that a chief named Makako had sold the land to the north of the river to the French. The explorers met various other chiefs in different locations near the Pool, and came close to an agreement to found a post at Ntamo in the territory of Chief Ngaliéma. Stanley returned to collect the En Avant.