358 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
dreadful experience through which they 
had passed that for the time being they 
nearly or quite lost their reason, and 
later could give no intelligible account 
of what occurred. Special interest, 
therefore, attaches to the statement of 
private William C. Couch, Company 
"E," 2d Battalion, Engineers, U. S. A., 
who was at Bayuyuiigan, where the de- 
struction was only partial and where but 
98 persons out of 800 were killed. He 
says : 
"With a mapping and surveying- 
party I was camped at Bayuyuhgan, 
Batangas, on January 28, 191 1, when 
the Taal volcano went into a state of 
eruption. The camp was located about 
four miles northwest of the crater and 
about a quarter of a mile from the 
shore of Lake Taal. About 3 a. m., Jan- 
uary 28, the volcano showed signs of 
eruption. There were severe reports 
caused by the explosion of gases above 
the crater and an electrical display 
lighted up the heavens. Large volumes 
of smoke were pouring out of the crater 
and were carried ofif to the southward 
by the wind. This condition lasted about 
three minutes. Earthquakes of more or 
less severity were felt throughout the 
dawn of January 28. Smoke issued 
from the crater and ashes fell in our 
camp nearly all the day. 
"On January 29 heavy volumes of 
smoke poured out of the crater, accom- 
panied by slight earthquakes, until about 
4 p. m., when a severe quake was felt. 
I was asleep under a tree and was nearly 
thrown from my bunk by the violence 
that ensued. The shocks then lessened 
in frequency and severity until about 11 
p. m., when another heavy shock was 
felt. After this we went to sleep. 
"About I a. m., January 30, I was 
awakened by a loud rumbling noise. I 
got up and stepped outside of the tent. 
Looking across the lake in the vicinity 
of the volcano I saw great volumes of 
black smoke pouring out of the crater, 
accompanied by heavy explosions, re- 
sembling heavy artillery in action, and 
electrical display. The smoke drifted 
over our camp and there was a light fall 
of ashes. The explosions ceased, and 
thinking that the disturbance was at an 
end we again retired and most of the 
men had gone to sleep when the loud 
rumbling noise was again heard, and be- 
fore I could get out of bed an explosion 
of indescribable severity took place. 
"On getting out of the tent I saw the 
smoke was coming out of the crater in 
dense clouds. Thinking that there was 
going to be an eruption, I awakened the 
sleeping men and wanted to vacate the 
camp, but we finally concluded to re- 
main. 
"^Thc runibling noise grezu louder and 
louder and then a heavy report. I then 
saw the mud issuing from the crater as 
a cloud. In a fezv seconds I saw this 
cloud drifting across the lake toward 
our camp. Our camp was then swept 
by a heavy zvind zvhich broke the tent 
ropes and threzv the tent into the air. 
This atmospheric disturbance threzv me 
a distance of about ij feet. 
"Then there was a rain of ashes 
which fell to the depth of about 8 inches. 
The air was oppressive and we had to 
gasp for breath ; this lasted about 20 
seconds. Then there was a light warm 
shower of rain, followed by another fall 
of ashes, which lasted about half a min- 
ute. After this there was a cold heavy 
fall of rain that continued for about 15 
minutes. 
"By this time a tidal wave from the 
lake had reached our camp (a distance 
of about a quarter of a mile) and we 
took to a small hill about 50 yards away 
to the north of the camp. The bamboo 
and underbrush on this hill was so 
twisted that we could not penetrate it, 
but we had reached a safe elevation and 
we rested and waited for day to break. 
While waiting at this place a scout sol- 
dier came to us. Seeing a native com- 
ing across a field with a torch, the scout 
hailed -him and he came to us and took 
us to a native house near by, where we 
remained until daylight. 
"After daylight we returned to the 
site of our camp to recover what articles 
we could, but we found that everything 
had been washed away. We then started 
for Lemery, about 28 miles away, reach- 
ing that place about 5 p. m., January 30, 
