The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
RECENT VOLCANIC 0UTBURsT.
One Of the Greatest OF Modern Lava Flows
Discovered in Central Africa.

When the news Of the home coming OF Mr..
Grogan reached England a few months ago,
Il was reported by telegraph that he had dis
covered recent lava flows to the north Of Lake
Kiyu, that had buried herds Of elephants and
destroyed many native villages. The news
was received with considerable incredulity.
for IL was not very long ago that the German
explorer, Count Won Gotten. had visited these
mountains and discovered the only known
volcano in an active state In the lake region Of
central Africa. It was in a mild state of eruption.
steam escaping. from its crater and lava bub-
bling up In its depths. He reported no such
cataclysm as that which MT. Grogan was SAID
TO have discovered.
The accuracy of Mr.. Grogan's report is, how
ever, confirmed by the details he has given
since his arrival In England and by the report
of the Moore expedition to Tanganyika, which
has lust returned home. 1t now seems certain
that no outpouring Of Law. in this century,.
except in the island Of Hawaii. has equalled
that which occurred on the south side OF the
yinnga Mountains, 1875 miles north Of Lake
Tanganyika, about three years ago.
On the south side Of these mountains, be-
tween them and Lake kivu, Is a plain whose
rich soil supports a dense population. Before
tine recent eruption large plantations of ba-
nanas, maize, rice, sweet potatoes. beans and
peas were spread over the whole Of this plain.
A part OF thi, plain Is nov covered by a
thick bed Of lava and a sufficient time has not
elapsed Tor the dlslntegratlOn OF the rock ana
tine formation OF sou, there Is no vesetatlyh
where a niue while ago were teemlng 1elds
ex,ppt where some bushes have tahen root
IN the CreVlCes OF the lava,
Mir. Grogan found the volcano which Count
Won Gotlen had assembled II was sun in mod
crate activity. But another Volcano had
formed near it after the visit OF Won Gotten
and IL was this which did the mischief. The
EXPLORER named this new volcano Mount Sharp,
| after his companion on the journey. Its crater
| also showed considerable activity.
According TO the native reports about two
wears before Grogan's arrival IN the country
a new crater was opened and from II came a
terrible eruption which formed the second
| from the crater, the largest OF which travelled
for a distance of thirty miles. from ills source.
Mhere the lava overtiowed the plain, two Of
| The streams uniting before they reached this
| comparatively ieve. tract, the width oil the flow
is about fifteen miles. The valley OF the Ru-
say that here large herds of elephants were
destroyed As far as the explorer was able
to judge the catastrophe was OF very sudden
| occurrence and was soon over. he was unable,
| however, TO obtain precise information from
tie natives. They had suffered terribly from
| The occurrence and seemed To fear that further
eyil would befall them If they talked about II,
When he asked them questions about the erup-
| ton they would try to change the converse
The third lava flow covered an enormous
area. but the explorer was unable 10 ascertain
its limits. In addition 10 lne laNa theTe was q
great outpouring Of large blocks Of stone which
In places covered the lava surface 10 a depth
| Of fourteen TO seventeen feet. Four other
| volcanoes were found among these mountains,
hut thew have long been extinct.
Only one other centre ol volcanic activity
is now known in Africa and this is Teleki Vol
| Cano, discovered by the Austrian explorer OF
TINT name, TO the south OF Lake Rudolf. DR..
Donaldson Smith, in 1895, came within about
thirty miles Of II He wrote: "Teleki Volcano
sent up clouds Of smoke and nj night a great
| stream Of glowing lava could be seen pouring
from one OF the c%raters.'