198 



October of the same year, when Krakatao was visited by the mem- 

 bers of the First Dutch Indian Congress for Natural Science (See 

 Chapter XI). After 1919 the house was deserted and fell gradually 

 into decay, in October 1921 only a mass of ruins 1 ) was left. 



On Oct. 6th 1919, after a rather long dry period' 2 ), the island 

 was visited by the members of the First Dutch Indian Congress 

 for Natural Science. One of these members set fire to the dry 

 grass in order to see whether it would burn. It did burn, to the 

 great amusement of many present. Mr. H a n d 1 wrote to me 

 about this case of arson: ,,Das Feuer griff so schnell um sich, 

 ,,dass im Augenblick ein Teil der Insel einem Feuersee glich. Bei 

 ,,dem Anblick dieses wild um sich greifenden Feuers, bei fiirch- 

 ,,terlichem Geknatter und Cekrach der brennenden Straucher und 

 ,,Baume freute sich die Gesellschaft ausserordentlich, aber keiner 

 ,,dieser Gesellschaft dachte, dass bei dieser trockenen Zeit in 

 ,,einem Augenblick die ganze Insel in vollen Brand kommen konnte 

 ,,und Menschen und Tiere mit meiner Unternehmung rettunglos leben- 



,,dig verbrennen miissen Mein Sohn, der uneingeladen von der 



,,Unternehmung aus auf das Schiff ging, sah, dass man zuriickfuhr 



1 ) D a m m e r in a n, I he Fauna of Krakatao, Verlaten Island and Sebesy, in 

 Treubia III (1923), p. 65. 



2 ) In 1919 the east-monsoon was in West-|ava and South-Sumatra much drier 

 than usually, as appears from the table herebeneath in which I have given the mean 

 rain-fall and the mean number of rain-days in July, August and September for the 

 rain-stations Anjer Kidool (West-Java) and lelok Betoeng arid Kalianda, both in South 

 Sumatra (See map). 



July Aug. Sept. 



Anier Kidool (West-|ava). Mean fall (27 years): 88 88 61 mm. 



Fall in 1919: 3 57 8 mm. 



Mean number of rain-days: 5,8 6,3 5,3 



Rain-days in 1919: 1 4 3 



Telok Betoeng (South-Sumatra). Mean fall (44 years): 109 132 129 mm. 



Fall in 1919: 46 52 27 mm. 



Mean number of rain-days: 9,3 10 9,2 



Rain-days in 1919: 889 



Kalianda (South-Sumatra). Mean fall (10 years): 89 98 120 mm. 



Fall in 1919: 45 28 85 mm. 



Mean number of rain-days: 7,4 8,3 7,6 



Rain-days in 1919: 443 



From 15 September till 5 October there fell in Anjer Kidool only 5 mm. (last rain- 

 day 24 Sept.), in Felok Betoeng 10 mm. (last rain-day 26 Sept.), in Kalianda 17 mm. 

 (last rain-day 24 Sept.). For Krakatao no definite figures are known but it is certain 

 that there also was about this time a period of drought as appears from a letter 8 ) of 

 Mr. H a n d I. He says: ,,Der Krakatau war gut disponiert fur einen Waldbrand, die 

 ,,Graser, Straucher und Biiume waren durch Mangel an Regen sehr trocken " 



3 ) Dated |une 28th 1927. 



