(Copyright, 1901, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
m
IGSAIU, Java, Oct. 10. (Special
CorrcRpondonco of Tho Bee.)
In thu heart of thu Tongger
tnouiituliiH, mora than a mllu
nliovo thu level of tho Indian
ocean, tmrroiinded by hoiiio of tho mightiest
volcanoca upon earth, 1 wrlto thoco notes
for my American readers. I am in the
town of Tosnrl, In tho wildest section of
cast Java. I can hear tho rumbling and
grumbling of the mighty volcano of Smoroo,
and by going outside can seo It sending vast
volumes of steam Into tho air. I havo Just
roturned from n visit of exploration to the
nctlvo volcano of Dromo, which has sprung
up In tho mighty crater of thu Tenggor, thu
greatest volcanic crater on earth.
In (lie I. mill of Fire.
This Island has bocn called tho land of
flro. It has moro volcanoes In proportion to
Its area than any other part of the globe,
and almost ovcry othor Island of this great
archipelago from tho Philippines to Aus
tralia hns Its mountains which spout forth
steam, flro and volcanic mud. In crossing
Java I was In sight of volcanoes all the
way. Tho Island, as I havo said, Is about
as big us Now York statu, but It has mora
than fifty mountain peaks which end In
craters, porno Bleeping, somo dead and somo
stilt breathing forth volumes of sulphur and
steam. It has ten volcanoes, each of which
pierces tho clouds at ovor 12,000 feet. Thero
aro Ovo othor volcanoes which aro more
than 9,000 feet high, and ten each of which
Is 7,000 feet and upward.
I could soo tho volcanoca of Salak and
Godot) at Datavla, and In coming eastward
WW
in
BATOK VOLCANO, WITH THE
I stopped off to Investigate tho great tea
and coffee plantations upon their slopes.
Ocdoh Is twlco as high as Mount Washing
ton and Salak klssos the clouds at a mllo
and a halt above tho seu, A llttlo farther
on I enmu to an enormous mountain which
tho natives call tho Forge. Tho Javaneso
name Is Pupandayang. It Is an actlvo vol
cano which Is always grumbling, a mighty
anvil upon which Vulcan Is always striking
his hammer. Thero Is a health resort near
It and you can drlvo almost to tho crator
In a cnrrlago, and by a short walk look
down Into the pools of mud and sulphur
which boll and spit.
Further still Is Mount Oalunggung, which
has had somo terrible eruptions In tho
present contury. About tho tltno that Mon
roo was president It vomited a doluge of
hot water and mud, sweeping away trees,
houses, beasts and human beings. It sent
up so many stones that thoy fell llko rain
and within thrco hours the rivers of boil
ing mud which came forth destroyod every
thing within a radius ot twenty miles. Then
there was a rest ot four days. At the close
Among the Stupendous Volcanoes of Java
TOSAKI, ONE OP JAVA'S MOUNTAIN TOWNS.
of that time an earthquake canio and tho
wholo top of the mountain shot Into tho air.
Tho mud tlowcd for weeks, burying 114 vil
lages, killing 4,000 pcoplo and covering tho
wholo country nbout with a layer of green
ish blue mud, which In places was fifty feet
deep.
Viilt'iuioi-M Which Vomit Mud.
Thcso rivers of mud aro n characteristic
of tho Java volcanoes. Tho wholo Island Is
covered with tho soil thrown out by them.
It comes forth boiling hot, but dries Into
a kind of ash and eventually forms tho
richest land upon earth. With tho mud
come stones and nshes and steam. Papan
dayang covered tho earth about It for soven
miles with Ilvo feet of mud In ono of Its
eruptions and drowned 3,000 people.
Near Dnndong I saw tho volcano of tho
upturned boat, n mountain whoso top looks
Just llko a boat turned upsldo down. You
mako your way to tho volcano through qul
nlno plantations and In tho peak And two
craters, each about COO feet deep, both
soothing and boiling and spitting out mud,
steam and gas. In tho sides of tho craters
aro sulphuric crystals and flowers. Near,
Djokjakarta I saw tho volcano of Mcrapl,'
down which tho lava Is still running, and
further on I saw a halt dozen othor great
peaks, each sending forth Its column of
steam.
I huvo como hero to describe tho Tcnggcr
and I send you tho notes as thoy wero
written right on tho ground, part of them
with a handkerchief over my mouth to
keep out tho fumes of tho brlmstono which
wero coming up from tho hell pit bolow.
Tho Tonsgcr volcano Is older than tho rec
ord of hlBtory. Its crater Is so large that
t
SMKIIOK IN THE DISTANCE.
other volcanoes havo burst forth In It aud
ot theso one, tho Bromo, Is still active. The
Tonggor Itself Is covered with a sea ot
sand and the Sand soe, or, as tho Dutch
call It, Zand Zee. forming tho bed ot this
mightiest crater Is ono of tho wonders of
tho world.
Trnvt'llnic Anionic (lie Cloud.
This town of Toiarl Is tho starting point
for tho volcano. It Is situated In tho Teng
gor mountains, higher abovo tho sea than
tho top ot Mount Washington, In a region
covered with luxuriant vegetation. Tho
town Is ono ot thatched huts, with a Dutch
sanitarium on tho hill over It. Tho In
habitants aro Javanese mountalncors, toaia
ot them naturo worshipers, who Ilvo on
tho odgo of the volcano and who sacrldco
to It. It Is at tho sanitarium I am staying
and It was from hero that 1 started yes
terday morning with my gutdo for the
Dromo. Wo had two ratty JavaneBo pontrs
and thrco mountain coolies to tako caro of
tho horses and carry tho lunch.
W left T'otarl In the ghostly light of the
enrly morning, when tho world below us
was hidden In clouds. Wo seemed to be
traveling over a sea of clouds and thero
wero other clouds abovo us nestling here
nnd thero lu tho mountains. As the sun
broke forth It painted thcso masses ot va
por with different tints and shades ot gold
nnd as It roso higher tho mountains to the
eastward leaned, as It were, against tho
walls ot molten gold, tho rich dark blue ot
their sides bucked by tho gorgeous yollow.
A moment later a black sheet ot clouds
came right In tho faco ot tho sun, which
shot Its rayB through a placa In the conter
whero tho sheet was thinnest. In a few
tnomonts It bored a hole, as It wero,
through this sheet and mado a funncl-llko
road ot bluo through tho golden wall ot tho
Bky. It seemed a very road to heaven It
self. Our ponies drugged us through clouds
llko thcso climbing up tho Htccp hills. Wo
wound this way and that, now crawling up
steps ot corduroy and now hanging over
tho edges of ravines, down which wo could
look for 1,000 feet Into beds of snowy
lavender clouds, whllo abovo us wero tho
mountains piercing tho bluo.
Jiivii'n Slounttiln FarniH.
Tho scenes of tho earth wero qulto as
wondorful as those ot tho heavens. Somo
of tho canyons wero 1,000 feet deep and
so steep that you would think the crops
would fall out ot the ground. Still thcso
canyons wero cultivated clear to tho road
way and on high above It. Tho crops wero
Indian corn, cabbages and potatoes. Tho
mountains aro cut up with drains and tho
cabbago and potato patches aro Bpadcd and
hoed. You could not possibly plow them
without tying your horso tu a treo to keep
him from falling down tho mountain. Tho
cabbages and potatoes are carried down to
tho lowlands to markot. Tho potatoes nro
delicious, as aro also tho cabbages, but
tho latter grow on trecB, as It woro. Each
cabbago has a stem two, thrco or four feet
long and my guldo told mo that when you
cut off tho head from a stem another cab
bago head will grow upon It. I don't think
ho lied.
Tho vegetation grow scantier as wo
climbed on up tho mountains. At the start
we rodo a long distance through fern trees.
Tho road Itself Is lined with ferns and
thcso and tho orchids hanging In tho trees
mado tho country a garden moro wondorful
than tho banging gardens ot Semlramls at
Dabylon.
Look nt the Miurror.
About an hour before coming to tho sand
sea I got a Ono vlow ot the highest volcano
of Java. This la tho Smeroo, whose crater
kisses tho sky at two miles and halt above
tho lovel ot tho Indian ocean. I saw tho vol
cano on rounding a bend In the mountain
path. It lay behind green hills, a navy
bluo cono painted, as It were, on tho lighter
wall ot the clouds. There were othor moun
tains at its feet, also blue. In the distance,
nnd out ot Its top as X looked came a pillar
ot steam. This pillar came forth In thin
wreaths. I stopped my pony and watched
It. As I looked It thickened and darkened,
tho volumo Increasing and at last a great
mass ot smoko ot black clouds shaped llko
two human heads, back to back, shot forth
und rested against tho bluo a two-headed
Janus, a guardian ot tho gates ot heaven
born ot Smcroe. As tho smoke roso It grew
thicker, until at last It formed a great
cloud ovor tho crater, rising high abovo It,
In a few moments It separated from tho
mountain and Smoroo Itself looked dead. It
seemed to mo a llttlo eruption gotten up
by tho great volcano for my especial beno
lit and I thanked Vulcan for It. As I still
looked another cloud camo out and took the
form ot Punch, a big-headed, tat-bellled
man ot tho clouds, rising Into tho heavens
and thero losing his shape.
Passing on, I had to descend about a half
mllo through fern forests leaded with orch
ids and then climb another mountain, going
up, up, up until I plorccd the very clouds.
The country was wilder, the vegetation
sssssssssWSffisBi
;t; : ? jjaBBessssrV
tWikmi. BBWrTlY iWiiiiilissaiaaaaaaMS issU
lBaapi,.''',,P, i1 rSfaVaHsssssssssssH
view op nnoMo from the sand sea.
Bcantlcr and tho earth was all rock and
volcanic ash.
'Wonderful Sitnd Sen.
My pony slid backward as ho climbed,
but at last we came to a break In tho top
of tho wall of tho mountains, a llttlo
crack on what seemed to mo to bo the edgo
ot the roof ot tho world. I rodo my pony
Into the crack and looked down. Bolow
mo was tho Sand sea, one of tho most won
dorful formations naturo has over made.
I was in the Mocngal pass, on tho rim
of tho mighty crater of tho Tenggcr.
About mo as far eyo could reach vol
cano piled Itself upon volcano, and below
me, surrounded by an almost circular wall
of volcanoes, lay a vast expanso of dark
brown sand as lovel as tho floor you aro
sitting on as you read this letter. Yes,
level, but only so whero It wns treo from
volcanoes, for out ot the sand rose other
volcanoes volcanoes which have burst forth
from ago to ago slnco tho days ot tho
far-gono-by, when this mighty Tengger shot
Its deluge ot Oro and stono and steam and
mud Into tho air, making tho richest of
tho lowlands of eastern Java.
Right In front of mo, In tho center ot the
Sand sea, I could seo the Batok. This Is a
symmetrical volcano or mighty cono of
dark brown, which looks as though It had
been plowed from peak to foot by the god
of Are. Its sides aro In perfect ridges,
mighty gutters down which flowed tho mol
ten lava at tho tlmo ot Its eruption.
Beyond tho Batok I could seo a donso
smoko rising out of tho top of another
mountain. That was tho tiromo, which Is
still actlvo and which I visited a llttlo later
on. At tho right ot this there was a third
volcano, tho Wldodarcn, and farther on tho
Girl. As I looked I saw two of tho natives
kneel down and pray to the mountains.
Thoy had mado holes In the walls ot the
Mocngal pass, In which I was standing,
and in them had placed their offerings of
coffco and corn. Thoy were on their knees
praying and with tho convulsions of na
turo about them and the wonderful grandeur
ot all the surroundings it did not seem
strange.
In thu Crater of the Tciikkci-.
Tho way down to the Sand sea was al
most precipitous. It was, I Judge, at least
1,000 feet and thero was a winding path
with railings hero and there to the foot.
This path Is cut out of the side ot tho crater
and as I slipped and slid and crawled down,
leading my pony, I could see the different
layers ot volcanic sand showing tho sev
eral deposits. Somo wero as One as the
finest sea sand, somo strata woro of peb
bles tho slzo of a lima bean and abovo all
lay a mass of cold lava ot a rich copper
color. Tho pebbles woro of ashy gray,
dark brown and sulphur yellow.
I could not approclato the size ot the
crater until I got to the bottom and began
to cross tho sea ot sand, which Is, per
haps, tho greatest amphitheater on earth.
The walls aro precipitous. They aro cov
ered with vegetation and thoy seemed to
bo roofed with tho clouds. The men at
tho top ot tho oath looked llko pygmies
when I was In the crater and as I rode on
and on over tho sand they grew smaller
until thoy wero almost lost to view.
I skirted tho Batok volcano. There was
thin grass upon Its brown sides near the
foot of the mountain and the sun shining
upon this gavo It a carpet of green velvet
to a height of several hundred feet.
At tilt Fiery llronio.
Hiding around Batok, n distance of sev
eral miles, I suddenly camo lu sight ot the
Bromo, which Is still spitting forth flro and
steam and volcanic stones. Tho mountain
Is ot baro gray lava; Its foot and si
corrugated with lava streams and tho wrin
kles ot tho nock filled with volcanic sand.
Tho crater Is llko an Irregular bowl and
tho whole looks like a mighty bowl as you
stand at tho toot and look at the volumes
of vapor rising from It.
It was far too steep for my pony, so I
left him with tho guldo and, staff In hand,
I climbed my way over tho lava up to a
great ladder which was built from the peak
of tho crater hundreds ot feet down the
mountain to aid tho climb ot the Dutch gov
ernor general, who was recently hero. I
found my breath growing shorter and
shorter as I mado my way up tho volcano.
There wero fumes of sulphur In the air and
I coughed repeatedly.
Resting from time to time I at last
reached tho very edge ot tho crater and
stood thero upon volcanic ash looking down
Into a mighty caldron, which bubbled and
steamed and sent up goyBers ot steam and
flame. All about and below mo was the
hardened lava, once molten, but now black
and rusty and cold. I walkod carefully for
a mllo, perhaps, along tho edge ot the
crater, trying to get to tho windward ot the
sulphur fumes and looking down as I did bo
Into tho great brown funnel In which tho
steaming yellow sulphur was bubbling
forth blue flames. I took a stone and rolled
It down. I could see It Jumping from level
to level until at last It mado a splash In
tho sea of sulphur at the bottom.
In the IIiiIiih of the World.
I picked my way around the narrow rim
ot tho crater, now through walls ot lava
ash, so precipitous that had I missed my
footing I should have rolled down Into that
steaming pit beneath me. As I stood there
the wind came up. It roared as It wound
Its way around the funnel ot the crater and
whirled Itself about Its sides. At the same
time the steam Increased. It burst forth
In a roaring, hissing sound llko the blow
ing oft ot 1,000 engines at once. It soon
filled tho crater and burst forth In great
volumes, enveloping the mountain top, In
cluding myself, and rolling on up into
clouds.
A fow moments later it had passed away
and I could again seo the vast crater filled
with sand and tho mighty volcanic won
ders about mo on ovcry side. I could Im
aglno tho day when tho vast amphitheater
was ono great mass of lava, when the air
for miles rbovo mo was filled with Are,
steam, stones and volcanic ash, when over
those great walls wero flowing perhaps the
greatest rivers of lava and mud tho worl
has over known. I could seo the great
volcano ot tho Batok opposite me now
dead, ridged with streams of flamo and the
other volcanoes nearby spouting forth their
terrlblo fires. As I thought thus I felt
somothlng upon my hand. I looked down
a bug as big as the head ot a pin was crawl
ing over It and below I could see a white
butterfly sitting upon a lump of sulphur
on tho vory edge of tho crator. The con
trast was Impressive. It was God's great
est and His smallest work side by side
and bb I looked I reverently raised ray
hat. FRANK O. CARPENTBR,
and i
ain
dr
