A "hollow Earth" story from the 19th century starring a lost tribe of Jews ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Sunday, January 18, 2026

A "hollow Earth" story from the 19th century starring a lost tribe of Jews

There used to be a popular theory that the Earth is hollow and there are people living on the inside. (Edmond Halley, of Halley's Comet fame, was one such theorist.)

One story about an alleged explorer who discovered a lost tribe of Jews in the interior Earth was published in the US in the Missouri Republican in 1826, and I found a copy in the Deseret Weekly from May 6, 1893, originally supposedly written by a Cornelius R. Broadnag.

Excerpts:

NEWS FROM THE INTERNAL REGIONS.

Some months ago a Canadian, of the Rocky Mountain party, to whom I had rendered some services, brought to me a bundle of papers, of which he gave me the following singular account: He said that beyond the mountains he fell in with a party of the Hudson Bay company: With this party be found a brother that he had not seen for many years. His brother gave him the bundle of papers, and informed him that about two years before, he had been on a hunting party, east of McKenzie's river, where he fell in with a tribe of Esquimaux Indians, from one of whom he received the bundle in exchange for a knife . The Indian told him that a long time ago, his band was encamped on the sea shore, a great distance to the northeast; that one day a strange man was seen on the ice, coming toward them; that the stranger was greatly exhausted from hunger and cold; that he took him to his tent and gave him food, but he died the next day, and left the bundle of papers, securely wrapped up in skins.

If my curiosity was excited at this singular history of those papers, it was much more so when, on examination, they proved to be a narrative of the travels and extraordinary adventures of an American by the name of Jonathan Wilder. The papers are in a greatly deranged state, and appeared to have suffered from the rude hands through which they had passed . The narrative is written partly on common paper, and partly on rude parchment, and what appears to be the bark of a tree.

It appears that Mr. Wilder was many years ago, wrecked on the coast of Africa; was taken prisoner by the natives, and was carried into the interior of the country; that he passed through many nations of Africa, as a slave to a black merchant; that he eventually fell in with, and was ransomed by the celebrated Mungo Park, whom he afterwards accompanied on his travels. He states that Mr. Park, himself and three natives, were descending a large river, (the name of which is rubbed out in the manuscript, but presumed to be the Niger), they came to a large city , at which they proposed to land, but were diverted from it by the hostile attitude of the natives, who appeared on the bank in immense numbers. They passed the city, followed by the natives on the banks, halloing and using singular gestures, which added to their apprehension that mischief was intended. In a short distance, the river became contracted, and the current greatly increased, which induced them to attempt a landing at all hazards, but it was now too late; the river became a perfect rapid; rocks and whirlpools beset them on all sides, and they soon lost all control over the direction of the boat.

.....

Reflecting on their late extraordinary adventures, and their present singular situation, Mr. Park was induced to examine a book which he had with him, containing some philosophical speculations on the organization of the globe. This book appeared about the 18th century, and is supposed to have been written by a Frenchman, under the title of Tellemeid, an East Indian philosopher. The writer had advanced the singular idea that the water had once covered the globe; that by some convulsion of nature the earth appeared; that mankind sprang from the sea, and originally had tails, which in time dropped off, like the tail of a tadpole, and that the globe was hollow within, and made up of concentric shells. At another time our party would have laughed at the speculation of this philosopher, as the visionary effusions of a crazed imagination; but, looking back to their late eventful voyage, and their present situation, in a pure, clear atmosphere, and seeing neither sun, moon nor stars, the truth flashed on their minds, that they bad penetrated the globe, and were then in the Internal Regions.

Full of this idea our party embarked and coasted along the shore some days, and at last came to a large, well built, populous city. The astonishment of our adventurers was not greater than that of the inhabitants, who flocked round them in immense numbers, conversing in a language, to Wilder unknown, but recognized by Park, as the Hebrew tongue; and the people proved to be a colony of Jews. Mr. Wilder gives a long and fanciful description of the city and its inhabitants, and enters minutely into a history of their manners, habits and customs, which do not appear to have undergone any material alteration from the manners and customs of their ancestors, as recorded in Holy Writ. The art of printing is unknown to this people; but they have written records of the great events, from the creation of the world, down to the sacking of Jerusalem by the king of Babylon, and their king and the people carried away captive. They have a tradition that when their King Zedekiah fled from the city of Jerusalem to the plains of Jericho, where himself and his army were made prisoners, an angel appeared to those who remained in the city, and after having selected all the virtuous and faithful led them forth by night and conducted them through many nations, and for many days, until they came to a cave or hole in the earth, which they entered, and which was closed behind them; and that they passed through the earth to the world they now inhabit, as a place of refuge, where they are to remain until the coming of the Messiah, who they believe is to lead them back to the land of their forefathers; and as a reward for their sufferings and their constancy, will make them a great and mighty nation, to whom all the other nations of the earth shall be subject. They said it was foretold them , that about the year of the world 5829 a great prophet would appear on the surface of the globe, who would build a city of refuge, and gather together the remnants of the scattered tribes of Israel, preparatory to the restoration. [Hebrew year 5829 would be 2068-2069 - EoZ.]

This people have immense wealth in all the precious metals, and an abundance of domestic animals, the most remarkable of which is an animal much larger than the elephant of the old world, and supposed by Mr. Wilder to be the mammoth, whose bones are occasionally found on the American continent. They have neither sun, moon nor stars, but receive light and heat from the reflection of the sun on an immense luminous body placed opposite two holes or openings, one at the North and the other at the South Pole, and the light and the seasons are regulated by the revolving of the earth. The inhabitants have spread over the most part of the interior world , but reside principally in cities. Though governed by the same laws, wars and rebellions are very frequent. Their chief city and their seat of government, where the king resides, is called the city of Noah. Whilst Wilder Was there, several cities rebelled against Mordecai, their king, but were subdued, and heavy contributions levied on them. Fire-arms have long since been known to them, and they have large magazines of arms and military stores. These magazines sometimes blow up and do great damage to lives and property. Mr. Wilder enters into some speculations as to the probable effect such concussions have on the external surface of the globe, and arrives at the conclusion that our earthquakes are caused by the blowing up of these powder houses.

Park aud Wilder traveled over the greater part of the internal world, and visited both the poles. The South Pole is surrounded by the sea; but at the North, a rim of land surrounds the opening, except a narrow strait connecting the external with the internal seas. This people say that about two thousand years ago a part of the nations rebelled and determined to return to Jerusalem. They journeyed northward, and went out at the north hole, and were never seen or heard of afterwards. This fact led Park and Wilder to entertain a hope of being able to return to their own country by the same route. Wilder makes some pertinent remarks and suggestions as to the probable origin of the Indians of the American continent.

....

As wonderful as the narrative appears to be, to me it has the stamp of authenticity.

CORNELIUS P. BROADNAG,

No. 179 North Q Street St. Louis

[There never was such an address in St. Louis - EoZ]