AN INCIDENT OF THE JAVA ERUPTIONS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3335, 10 December 1883, Page 2

AN INCIDENT OF THE JAVA ERUPTIONS.

(From tho “ Times of India,” Oct. 12.)

Amongst the many werid stories related in the Batavia papers of marvellous escapes from the effects of the terrible volcanic disturbances in the Sunda Straits, there is none more dramatically interesting than that told by the captain of the German ship Berbice, which was in the Sunda Straits with a cargo of petroleum oil during the outburst. On Sunday afternoon, a few hours before the eruption, the sun was burning hot, and as the weather was very threatening,the sails were taken in. At 6 p.m. there was heavy thunder, accompanied by brilliant lightning and showers of hot ashes. These manifestations continued until midnight, when, to adopt the captain’s words, “ the ash shower became heavier, and was intermixed with fragments of pumice-stone. The lightning and thunder became worse and worse. Lightning flames shot fast around the ship. Fireballs continually fell on deck and burst into sparks. We saw flashes of light fall quite close to us on the ship, heard fearful rumbles and explosions, sometimes upon the deck and sometimes among the rigging. The man at the rudder received heavy shocks on one arm. The copper sheathing of the rudder became glowing hot from the electric discharges. The fiery phenomena on board the ship manifested themselves at every moment. Now and then, when any sailor complained that he had been struck, I did my best to set his mind at ease, and talk the idea out of him, until I myself, holding fast at the time to some ropes in the rigging with one hand, and bending my head out of reach of the blinding ash shower which swept past my face, had to lot go my hold, owing to a severe shock in the arm, upon which I was unable to move for several minutes afterwards. I now had sails laid over the hatches, for fear lest the fire round set my cargo ablaze. I also directed the rudder to be securely fastened, ordered all the men below, and remained on deck with only Morland, the mate, Monday, 2 a.m.—-Ashes three feet thick are now lying on the ship. I had continually to pull my legs oat of the ashy layers to prevent them from being buried therein. I now called all hands on deck with lanterns to clear away the ashes, though the weather was unchanged, and the fearful electric phenomena, explosions and rumbles still continued. The ashes were hot, for though not_ peceived to be so at the moment of their coming into contact with the skin, they burned large holes in our clothing and the sails. At 8 a.m., there was no change. At that hour it was still quite dark, and the ash showers were becoming heavier, Clearing away the ashes was continually proceeded with. At 11 a.m. a high con. tinuous wind set in from the south-east, which, veering afterwards, made the ship list considerably. At 3 a.m., suddenly a heavy sea came rushing on, which, rising to the height of 20 feet, swept over the ship, making her quiver from stem to stern with the shock. Meanwhile the storm continued. The mercury and the pointers of the barometers did not stand still a single moment, but unceasingly went up and down from 28 to 30 inches. Becoming desirous to see bow the chronometers had behaved, I went below and found they had all stopped, owing to the shaking of the ship. 6 p.m.—The darkness and the storm still continued, but the sea had become relatively oalm. Saw by flashes of lightning that pumice was spreading over the sea on all sides. Midnight—The weather shows signs of moderating, and the lightning becomes more distant. Tuesday, 4 a.m.—The weather greatly moderated. Hoisted the lower maintopsail. 8 a.m.—Saw daylight again. The weather was calm and fine. The whole ship was covered with a layer of ashes, eight English inches thick. The yards and ropes were coated with ashes hardened by contact with rain water. Altogether we had to clear away 40 tons of ashes from the ship. I had more sails hoisted. Midday—Under all sail steered towards Java Head. The thick fields of pumice cheeked our progress. Midnight—Saw the light on Java Head. When we passed Princes’ Island we saw extensive banks of pumice stone, from 18 English inches to 2 feet thick. In the afternoon we passed east of Krakatau. From what I could seo that island had been split into three by two wide clifts. The sea still continued to be covered with pumice stome, and we saw corpses floating in all directions. Near Ath-wart-the-way island I fancied I saw a newly formed reef extending from there to Anjer." The “ Batavia Dagblad,” referring to the above, says:—“ The captain declared that after what be has gone through in his ship (of which the sails were in fact the only portion damaged), he is not now afraid of any weather whatever when aboard of her. Not one person on board thought of eating or drinking during those fearful 24 hours.” 1