-H: 



NATURE 



\_Jaii. lo, 1884 



the vessel, and threw it on the beach ; after the wave 

 had flowed oft", the Marie was literally on dry sand ; 

 one could have walked around the vessel. Part of 

 the crew left the ship. Froai the barracks at Telok 

 Betong, on the Talang Hill, about twenty-five 

 metres above the level of the sea, an eye-witness wrote : 

 .At 6.20 I went to Kampong (village) Kankong, about 

 1400 metres distant from the barracks, to see the destruc- 

 tion which the wave had caused the night before. After 

 I was there 1 saw a wave rushing on to us ; we hastened 

 to the hills, the villigers following us. When I had 

 reached the barracks, I saw Kampong Kankong had dis- 

 appeared, and so had the other villajjes near the beach, 

 liefore the darkness began the water rose. .At Katimbang 

 they perceived in the morning what damage had been 

 done — by little and little it became dark. 



At 10 o'clock it was so dark aboard the London that 

 not even outlines of the ship or persons were visible ; she 

 stopped for eighteen hours. Rain of mud covered the 

 deck o 50 metre thick. Needle of the compass violently 

 agitated ; barometer extremely high ; breathing difficult 

 through damp ; some people got unwell and sleepy. 

 After the darkness began the sea became violent, the 

 wind increased ; at last it was a hurricane. Then several 

 heavy seas came, some of which came across and almost 

 capsized the vessel. The flash of lightning struck the 

 Loudon seven times, went along the conductor, but, when 

 still above the deck, sprang over into the sea. This was 

 accompanied by a dreadful crackling. At such moaients 

 the vessel and the surroundings were brightly lighted; it 

 was a fearful sight, everything being covered with a 

 grayish mud. During all this time the Loudon was 

 under steam, steaming slowly at two anchors. St. 

 Elmo's fires at the masts and yards. August 28, at 

 4 a.m., feeble moonlight (moon's rise at Batavia, August 

 28, at 2.15 a.m ) at the horizon. After the sun had come 

 up she tried to leave the biy. It seems worth attention 

 that during all these fearful hours no detonations were 

 heard aboard the Loudon (this is expressly mentioned in 

 the report). 



At Merak an immense wave came by 9 o'clock from the 

 west and rushed to the east. The European who alone 

 escaped went to the hills, while darkness surrounded him. 

 The mate of the Marie writes: — By 10 a.m. (August 27) 

 three heavy seas came after each other ; quite dark ; at 

 once a fearful detonation. Sky in fire, damp. By 

 3 p.m. three seas again, after this the sea quite calm. 

 Dark till ne.\t morning, then (28th) Marie was found 

 afloat again. From the barracks ( Telok Betong) it is 

 reported :--By 9.30 a.m. a downpour of ashes, later stones 

 and mud ; about half an hour afterwards the level of the 

 water was only I or 2 metres below the top of the hill. 

 Now it was taken into consideration to give up the 

 barracks and retire to a higher point. In the night the 

 rain of mud ceased by little and little, the sky cleared up, 

 stars appeared. When, at Katimbang, it had become 

 quite dark, fearful detonations, like thunder and reports 

 of guns, were heard. By 11.30 pouring down of stones 

 began (the biggest as large as a fi^t). Half an hour 

 .ifter, 12 o'clock, it became quite dark; heavy rain of 

 .ishes soon afterwards, hot ashes (during a quarter of an 

 liour), then cold ashes; darkness continued (it is not 

 Slid when it dawned). From the Charles Bal is re- 

 potted: "At 1 1. 1 5 there was a dreadful explosion in the 

 direction of Krakatoa, now over thirty miles distant. We 

 saw a wave rush right onto the Button Island, apparently 

 sweeping right over the south part, and rising half way 

 tip to the north and east sides This we saw repeated 

 twice, but the helmsman says he saw it once before. 

 The same wave seemed also to run right on to the Java 

 shore. At the same time the sky rapidiy covered in, the 

 wind strong from south-west by south ; by 11.30 we were 

 inclosed in a darkness that might almost be felt, and at 

 the same time commenced a downpour of mud and sand. 



&c., v/hich put out the side lights. At noon the darkness was 

 so intense that we had to grope our way about the decks, 

 and although speaking to each other on the poop, yet 

 could not see each other. This horrible state and down- 

 pour continued till 1.30, the roarings of the volcano and 

 lightnings being something fearful. By 2 p.m. we could 

 see some of the yards aloft, and the fall of mud ceased. 

 (Here the explosion an I the beginning of the darkness 

 are reported about two hours later than from Lampong 

 Bay or from Anjer, and still more astonishing is it that 

 nothing is said about the wave which aimihilated Merak). 

 At 5 p.m. the sky cleared up in the north-east, but till mid- 

 night sky dark, now and then ashes falling. Though the 

 vessel was sixty-five to seventy miles distant from 

 Krakatoa, the roaring of the volcano was still audible." 

 From the Berbice is reported : At 1 1 a.m. (27th) strong 

 wind south-east ; at 3 p.m. high wave (about 20 feet high) 

 struck the vessel so hard that the chronometers were arrested. 

 Thunder, &c., continued, and the hands of the barometers 

 were violently agitated between 28 and 30 inches. At 6 p.m. 

 no change, sea relatively calm, lightning allowed us to see 

 the vessel surrounded by a sea of pumice stone ; at mid- 

 night, weather calm, lightning more remote. August .:8, at 

 4 a.m., calm, maintopsail set. Darkness continued. At 

 8 a.m. they saw daylight again. Weather calm and 

 bright, Ship covered with ashes about 8 inches thick. 

 During the eruption about 40 tons of ashes were thrown 

 overboard; more sail set; had full sail at 12 o'clock, 

 and went straight on to Java Head. Floating pumice- 

 stone diminished the speed of the vessel. At midnight 

 light of First Point was seen ; when they passed Prince's 

 Island they saw banks of pumice-stone 18 to 24 inches 

 thick. In the afternoon they passed between Krakatoa 

 and the Java shore. As far as they could see the island 

 was by two gaps divided into three parts. The sea was 

 covered with pumice-stones and floating corpses. 



I continue the report of the Loudon : — Ashes and 

 pumice-stone were still falling, but only slightly ; the 

 vessel was near the shore; it was a dreadful sight, tree^ 

 buried under ashes and mud, the sea covered with 

 pumice-stone and driftwood. Near Pulutiga the entrance 

 of the bay was obstructed by islands of pumice-stoi:e, like 

 cliffs ; they formed a bri'Jge between Pulutiga, Sebuku, 

 and the mainland. Since the channel of Lagundi Strait-, 

 seemed comparatively open, the Loudun made for it, but 

 she met there with an island of pumice-stone, about 3 ni. 

 thick ; she went aher-d against it, the pumice-stone g-ive 

 way, and though there were some difficulties at the 

 pumps, the Loudon got free ; now it was resolved to go 

 to Anjer, the vessel came to the Sunda Straits, west (i.i 

 the report is said east, which seems a slip to me), then 

 south of Krakatoa ; when this island was at larboard (I 

 think it means when the Loudon went to the north, pass- 

 ing between Krakatoa and the Java shore, for after 

 having left the Lagundi Straits, she continually had 

 Krakatoaon the larboard) it was seen that the greaterpart 

 of the island had disappeared ; there was a steep cratei- 

 wall, the peak as it were cut into two. In the wall \2s^ti 

 cracks filled with smoke were rennrked. In the sea 

 between Krakatoa and Sibessie several volcanic retfs were 

 seen, there, as it seemed, volcanic powers were still at 

 work. At eight different places columns arose, which, 

 after having originated in a dark point, grew larger, got 

 as it were a white bordering, arose to a considerable 

 height, and gave way to another column. It could not 

 be made out whether these phenomena were waterspouts 

 or volcanic eruptions. 



It is known that the detonations were heard all over the 

 Dutch colonies and further ; I only beg to record that at 

 .Achcen, 5r N. lat., they were so distinctly heard that mili- 

 tary forces were sent out, since it was supposed that a fort 

 had been attacked. It may be interesting to see a re- 

 port from Padang Panjang, which runs as follows : 

 August 27, 8.30 a.m., at once a heavy explosion, a single 



