SUMATRA 
165 
in no place was any earthquake recorded during the 
eruption. 
Throughout the 27 th August the eruption continued, 
though with decreasing severity, but the exact nature of 
the phenomena then occurring is unknown, as the Straits 
of Sunda and much of the surrounding country were en¬ 
veloped in complete darkness during the whole day. The 
vast quantity of dust and watery vapour which had been 
ejected hung like a pall over the scene, assuming the 
“ pine-tree ” shape noticed in the eruptions of Vesuvius. 
But while in the latter the cloud has been recorded as 
only attaining the height of four miles, the enormous 
body of ejecta thrown out by Krakatau was estimated by 
various observers as being from seventeen to twenty-three 
miles high. Then, slowly, the mass began to descend. 
For the most part it seems to have been composed of fine 
dust and watery particles, which deposited as a smooth 
mud, but in other cases pieces of pumice fell, some of 
which were as large as a pumpkin. A great part of 
this volcanic dust was no doubt caused by the collision 
of the individual pieces of the ejecta as they were shot 
out from the mouth of the crater, for the pumice was of 
a peculiarly brittle character, and crumbled easily be¬ 
tween the fingers. The darkness in the straits only 
lasted during the 27th. On the morning of the 28 th 
the explosions of the volcano, which had gradually been 
growing weaker and less frequent, finally ceased, and the 
great eruption of 1883 was at an end. 
The foregoing is a brief account of the events which 
occurred in the immediate neighbourhood of Krakatau at 
the time of the disaster. But, terrible as they were, the 
enormous loss of life which followed on them was not 
immediately suspected, while the wide-spread character 
of the resulting phenomena was not known until months 
