Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-11-23

low us was hidden I'm clouds we
seemed to be travelling over seh Vl
clouds and there were other Cluuun
above us nesting here ana there IN lne
mountains AS the eun broke iorln !.
painted these masses Of vapor WIN
different tinta and shades OF gou, anu
as II rose higher the mountains TO the
eastward leaned ms 1t were against the
walls Of molten gold, the rich dark plue
Of their sides backed by this gorgeous
yellow. A moment later q black sheet
Of clouds came right IN the face OF the
sun, which shot It's rays through u
place In the center where the sheet was
thinhest In a few moments i Dored
q hole, as Il were. through THIS sheet
and made a funnel-lke road of blue
through the golden wall Of the SKY II
seemed very road 10 heaven itsalt.
our ponies dragged us through clouds
like these climbing mn the steep mus
We wound this wax ard init now
crawling up steps II corduroy and now
hanging over the edges Of nvlnes
down which we corld lork for a thous-
and feet into beds Of snowy lavender
clouds, while above us were the noun
Ndlus pl'iNllB hlt plNO'
JAvAs MOUNTAIN FARMS.
The scenes of the earth were quite as
wonderful as those Of the heavens.
Some Of The canyons were a thousand
feet deep and SO steep that you would
think the crops would fall out of the
ground Still these canyons we're
cultivated clear TO the roadway and on
high above H. TIE crops were Indian
corn, cabbages and potatoes. The
mount0lns arc cut up with drains and
the cabbage ana potato patches are
Epnded ari hapd. You could not pose
slhly rloW ,ten without tying your
morse to a tree to Keep him from fall
Ing down he mountain. The cabbages
aud potatoes are carried down to TIE
'owands TO market. The potatoes are
delicious, as are also the cabbagts, but
the latter grow on trees as II We're
Each cabbage has a stem two three or
four feet long, and my guide told me
that when you cut Off the head from a
stem another cabbage head viii grow
upon Il. | don't think he lied
The vegetation grew scantler as we
climed on up the mountains, AT the
start we rode long distance through
fern trees The road Itself Is walled
with ferns and these and the orchids
hanging In the trees mode the country
garden more wonderful than the
Hanging Gardens Of Semlramls at Ba-
byOn.
LOOK AT THE sMEROE.
About an hour before coming to the
Sand sen / got a fine view Of the high
tst volcano Of Java. This Is the Sme-
roe, whose crater kisses the sky at two
miles and half above the level Of the
Indian ocean. ! saw the volcano Ola
rounding a bend IN the mountain path,
II lay behind green hills great navy
blue cone paidted as II were upon the
lighter wall Of the CLUBS. There were
other mountains at its feet also blue
in the distance, and out Of its top as
looked came a pillar of steam. This
pillar came foeth In thin wreaths.
stepped my pony and watched It. AS |
looked II thickenei and darkened, the
volume increased and at last a great
mass Of smoke OF black clouds shaped
like two human heads back TO back
hot forth and rested against the blue
a two-headed Janus, a guardian Of the
gates Of heaven born Of Smeroe. As the
smoke rose 1t grew thicker until at
last 1t formed a great cloud over tn
crater. rising high above It, In a few
moments II separated from the noun
tain and Smeroe itself looked dead 1t
seemed 90 me n little eruption gotten
up by the great volcano for my espe
tial benefit and ! thanked Vulcan for
It, AS | still looked another cloud
came out and took the form of Punch a
blg-headed. fat-bslled man Of the
clouds rising into the heavens and there
losing his shape.
Passing on, | had to descend about a
haf-mlle through fern forests loader
with orchids and then climb another
mountain, going up, up up until /
pierced the very clouds. The country
was wilder the vegetation scantier ana
the earth was all rock and volcanic ash
THE WONDERFUL SAND SEA.
Ny pony slid backward as he climbed.
but at last we came to a break In The
top of the wall OF the mountains, a lit
tie crack ON ynat seemed to me to be
the edge OF the roof Of the world. rode
my pony INTO the crack and looked
down. Below lac was the Sand sea, one
of the most wonderful formations ma.
ture has ever made, | was in the Moen-
gal pass, on the rim OF the mighty crat-
er of the Tengger About me as far as
eye coald reach volcano piled itself up
on volcano, and below me. surrounded
by an almost circular wall OF voi-
canoes, lay q vast expanse Of dark
brown sand as level as the floor you are
sitting on as you read this letter. Yes.
level, but only so where II was free
from volcanoes. for out of the sand
rose other volcanoes, volcanoes when
have burst forth from age to age since
the days Of the ar-gone-by, when this
mighty Tengger shot its deluge OF fire
and stone and steam and mud into the
air, making the richest Of the lowlands
of eastern Java.
Right In front of me In the center of
the Sand sea / could see the Batok.
This Is a symmetrical volcano or mighty
cone Of dark brown, which looks as
though II had been plowed from peak
TO foot by the god OF fire. It's sides
arc In perfect ridges, mighty cutters
down which flowed the molten lava at
Beyond the Batok ! could see a dense
smoke rising out Of the top OF another
mountain. That was the Bromo. which
Is still active and which visited a lit
tie later on AT the right of this there
was a third volcano. the Wldodaren,
and farther on the Girl. AS l looked
saw two Of the natives kneel down and
pray TO the mountains, They had made
holes In the walls OF the MOengal pass
IN which | was standing and In them
had placed their offerings OF coffee ana
corn, They were on their knees praying
and with the commissions OF nature
about them and the wonderful grandeur
Of all the surroundings 1t did not seem
strange.
IN THE CRATER OF THE TENG-
GER,
The way down TO the Sand sea YVES
almost prccipitous Il was, Judge. a
least a thousand feet. and there was
winding path VIII llinps here ana
here to tie foot. This path Is cut oui
of the siuc l tnl ,I.o-r, ana as
slipped ana slid and crawlca down,
leading my pony, | could see the differ
ent layers of volcanic sand showing
the several deposits. Some were as fine
as the finest sea sand, some stratas
were OF pebbles the size Of lima bean,
and above all lay a mass Of cold lava