Evening star., 1901-11-23
Graphic Description of the Many
Wonders of Tengger.
JAVA Is A LAND OF FIRE
Lonely Ride Over a Remarkable
Sea of Sand.
LIKE a RUINED WORLD
Copyright. 1901. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Copyright. 1901. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
TOSARI. Java
In the heart of the Tengger mountains.
more than a mile above the level of the
Indian ocean. surrounded by some of the
mightiest volcanoes upon earth, 1 write
these notes for my American readers. 1
am in the town of Tosari, in the widest
section of east Java. l can hear the rum
bling and grumbling of the mighty volcano
OF Smeroe. and by going outside can see it
sending vast volumes of steam into the
air. 1 have just returned from a visit of
exploration to the active volcano of Bromo,
which has sprung up in the mighty crater
of the Tengger the greatest volcanic crater
on earth.
This island has been called the land of
fire. 1t has more volcanoes in proportion
20 its area than any other part of the
globe and almost every other island of
this great archipelago from the Philippines
TO Australia has its mountains which spout
forth steam, fire and volcanic mud. In
crossing Java | was In sight of volcanoes
all the way. The island as l have said is
about as big as New York state, but it has
more than fifty mountain peaks which end
in craters. some sleeping. some dead, and
some still Dreaming forth volumes of sui
phur and steam. 1t has ten volcanoes each
of which pierces the clouds at over 12,0O0
feet. There are FIVE other volcanoes which
are more than 1000 feet high. and ten each
of which is 1000 feet and upward.
1 could See the volcanoes of Salak and
Gedeh at Batavia, and in coming eastward
l stopped off to investigate the great tea
and coffee plantations upon their slopes.
Gedeh is twice high as Mount Washing
tan. and Salak kisses the clouds at a mile
and a half above the sea. A little farther
on came to an enormous mountain which
#faZs col
name is Papandayang- 1t is an active vol
Cano which is always grumbling. a mighty
anvil upon which Vulcan is always striking
his hammer. There is a health resort near
It, and you can drive almost TO the crater
in carriage. and by a short walk look
down into the pools of mud and sulphur
which boil and spit.
Further still is Mount Galunggung which
has had some terrible eyuptions in the
present century. About the time that Mon
roe was President it vomitcd deluge of
hot water and mud. sweeping away trees
houses, beasts and human beings. 1t sent
up many stones that they fell like rain
and within three hours the rivers of boil
ing mud which came forth destroyed every
thing within a radius of twenty miles. Then
there was rest of four days At the close
of that time an earthquake came and The
whole top of the mountain shot into the air
The mud flowed for weeks burying ia vii
lagos. killing 1000 people, and covering
the whole country about with a layer of
greenish blue mud which in places was fifty
feet deep.
Volcanoes Which Vomit Mud
These rivers of mud are a characteristic
of the Java volcanoes. The whole island is
covered with the soil thrown out by them.
1t comes forth boiling hot, but drIes into
a kind of ash and eventually forms the
richest land upon earth. With the mud
come stones and ashes and steam Papan-
ddyanS covered the earth about 1t for
seven miles with five feet of mud in one of
its eruptions and drowned 5000 people.
Near BandOng l saw the volcano of he
uptuTned boat, mountain whose tOo looks
just like boat turned upside down. You
make your way to the volcano through uui-
nine plantations, and in the peak find two
craters. each about 600 feet deep both
seething and boiling and splitting out mud,
steam and gas In the sides of the craters
sulphuric crystals and flowers Near
DjOkjakarta / saw the volcano of Merapi
down which the lava is still running, and
further on saw half dozen other great
peaks each sending forth its column of
steam.
have come here to describe the Tengger.
and l send You the notes as they were
written right on the ground, part of them
with q handkerchief over my mouth to
keep out the fumes of the birthstone which
We're coming up from the hell pit below
The Tengger volcano is older than the rec
ords of history Its crater is so large that
other volcanoes have burst forth in it, and
OF these one, the Bromo. is still active. the
TeTgger itself is covered with a sea of
sand. and the Sand sea, or. as the Dutch
call II, Zand Zee, forming ths bed of this