Tucked away under some trees on the hospital site at Bolobo is a cylindrical metal object on a concrete plinth. It's a boiler, but it's not just any old boiler. It is the boiler from the "Peace", the famous BMS steamer used by George Grenfell to explore and chart the Congo river basin in the 1880s.
The "Peace" was built by Thorneycrofts at Chiswick in London in 1882, but then broken down into 800 numbered parcels of not more than 60 lbs. These were transported by 400 porters over the 250 miles from Matadi to Stanley Pool in 1883.
Amazingly, hardly any parcels were lost, although P111 (a crankshaft) turned up late, having been "resting" in someone's hut and delays in reassembly meant that the first voyage was not made until July 1884.
The "Peace" was wood burning, 70 feet long and 10 ft 6 in wide, but with a draught specified for the Congo of only 12 in and between 1884 and 1886 Grenfell used the "Peace" to chart 3,400 miles of waterways in the Congo basin ( for which he was awarded the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society). He also assessed the best locations for mission stations, including Bolobo (which was founded in 1888).
PostScript
Fred Stainthorpe tells me that the boiler was mounted on the plinth in the late 1950s and it was unveiled at a ceremony attended by the local Belgian colonial administrator and a brass band.