Philip Neale

“ The great wave, sweeping all before it, was close on my heels as the rising ground brought me safely out of its reach. Its fury was much spent as it broke upon the hills, but it was very powerful even then. But the higher ground soon checked its force, and sent it back again towards the sea. Of the actual destruction I saw but little. I was too much frightened to stop and watch the ruin it caused. My one idea was to get as high up as I was able, and of course I thought of nothing else at the time. ”

“ On ascending rising ground, or on any other occasion when the speed is slackened, at a shrill cry from the driver these runners jump down and run swiftly to the ponies’ heads. There, partly by an application of the short whips which they carry, but more especially by their noisy shouts, they urge on the ponies again, and at length, when the pace is increased, tired and breathless with their exertions, they scramble up behind as the carriage at full speed rolls past them. ”

“ On Monday morning, when the great wave burst upon the shore, the strong stone lighthouse at Anjer was, washed away, and at the time of my visit to the place there was no trace even of the foundations to be seen. The man in charge had kept bravely to his post until the last. In the early morning, when he found the sun obscured and the darkness coming on, he had relighted his warning beacon. One of his duties was to telegraph to Batavia the passing of each vessel. ”

“ Rising majestically from the water’s edge, towering grandly up to an immense height, rose a perfect conical-shaped mountain, its green, sloping sides being one dense mass of tropical vegetation and pathless jungle — the undisturbed abode of tigers and other wild animals. ”

“ The Dutch are not much given to making excursions either by sea or land. Excursion trains or cheap trips by steamer are things quite unknown. Of course, the climate has a good deal to answer for in this respect. Exertion on land is far from tempting in the damp, tropical heat of Batavia, but one would have thought that a short sea voyage, with cool, refreshing breezes, would have offered attractions even to a phlegmatic Dutchman. But although the Netherlands-India Steamship Company has a large fleet of vessels employed in the Java Sea, they are used exclusively for ordinary traffic. ”

“ The same scene of ruin and death, such as we had just left behind us at Merak, again presented itself. Fallen trees and fallen houses were all that remained of what was once a well-built and thriving Dutch town. I had seen photographs of what Anjer had been in its original state six weeks before, but only one feature in it was at all recognizable, and that was a strongly built fort, which now lay in a ruined state. It had been too strong to be carried away bodily by the wave, but had nevertheless suffered severely. ”

“ Many a portly Dutchman could be seen strolling about the streets, in the hope of finding greater safety than in his own dwelling. Whole families of women and children again were huddled together beneath the tropical trees and shrubs in their gardens, whilst others paced with anxious steps the wide marble verandahs surrounding their houses, ready to rush forth at the slightest sign of coming destruction.
Wearily the hours of night dragged on. About 2 A.M., after an explosive shock more severe than the rest, the alarming discovery was made that the gas in Batavia had been affected. ”

“ Mile after mile, amid the most melancholy surroundings of death and destruction, had to be traversed before we reached our first halting-place at Merak. And very weary miles they were. It is most unusual in any part of Java for a European to be seen walking beneath the rays of the fierce tropical sun, but on this occasion there was no help for it. We must either walk or remain behind. ”

“ The abject terror of the poor natives, cowering down in the most helpless way, was quite a sight to behold. These followers of Mohammed, clinging tenaciously to their fatalistic creed, calmly said,” It is Allah,” and resigned themselves to their fate. In times of difficulty and danger the natives of Java, and indeed the whole of the Malay archipelago, are some of the most helpless and useless people under the sun. ”

“ This hotel, in its management, brings a remarkable Java custom to light. It is kept up at the expense of the Dutch government, and is under the direction of an official appointed by them. In this and other remote districts of the island, where there are not sufficient travellers to make it worth a man’s while to become an hotel-keeper, the government undertakes the management of the establishment, and bears whatever annual loss there may be. Owing to this piece of forethought, the traveller in Java frequently meets with some of the best accommodation in the most unlikely districts. ”

“ A second glance — and a very hurried one it was — convinced me that it was a lofty ridge of water many feet high, and worse still, that it would soon break upon the coast near the town. There was no time to give any warning, and so I turned and ran for my life. My running days have long gone by, but you may be sure that I did my best. In a few minutes I heard the water with a loud roar break upon the shore. Everything was engulfed. Another glance around showed the houses being swept away and the trees thrown down on every side. ”

“ Here our ponies were taken out, and a crowd of natives surrounded the carriage preparing to ferry it across. Native labor is both cheap and plentiful all over Java, and it was not surprising, therefore, to find that it took the united exertions of no less than fifteen coolies to lower the carriage down the sloping road to the ferry-boat. The mode of working it across is somewhat peculiar. A strong climbing plant known as the rattan palm, is joined together and stretched across the wide river, and forms a cheap substitute for rope or chain. ”

“ Java is a long, narrow island, situate six degrees south of the equator, and although its area is only that of Ireland, it is the unfortunate possessor of more than forty volcanoes. Of course the greater part of these are extinct or inactive, but still there are about a dozen which are liable at any moment to break out afresh in their work of destruction. Running from east to west through the centre of the island is a lofty range of mountains, in many places as much as ten thousand feet above the ocean level. ”

“ It was in the Merak district that the greatest loss of life had occurred. Thousands upon thousands had here perished, and as many as three thousand bodies had actually been recovered in the neighborhood, in spite of the receding waters which carried all before them. To account for this immense loss of life it must be remembered that the island of Java is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. In calculating the average number of inhabitants to a square mile, there is only one country, I believe, which exceeds it. ”

“ Long before that vessel reached her destination the faithful lighthouse keeper had been swept away. All honor to men such as these, who at duty’s call keep true to their trust and die bravely at their posts.
Batavia is a great shipping centre, vessels coming there from all quarters to bear away the Eastern produce. From the captains of some of the British ships I gleaned much interesting information relating to their passage through the Soenda Straits at the time of the eruption.
The captain of an American vessel told me some of his experiences. ”

“ All the natives in the neighboring kampongs turned against us, and refused those of us who had escaped the least help or food. Many of the Europeans — especially the women — exhausted with fatigue, and almost frightened out of their lives, were sinking down in a helpless state by the wayside. Although the worst was over as regards the volcanic wave, many sank down and died on the road from exhaustion and neglect. Not only did many of the natives refuse to help us in the least, but they actually drove us fiercely from their houses. ”

“ Not long afterwards I steamed down the canal in a launch, and saw the destruction which had been caused. In several places the massive brickwork lining, the sides had been swept away, leaving huge gaps in the masonry of many feet. The surrounding country also had been seriously inundated, great pools of water being visible everywhere. Fortunately the loss of life in Batavia was very small, and must have been confined to the natives who are always to be found along the banks of the canal. ”

“ We made an early start from one of the suburbs of Batavia, and drove into the city at daybreak, there to commence our long journey by road to the western coast. Posting in Java is rather a novelty, and is worth being described a little in detail. The traveller has to provide his own carriage, and the government finds the post-horses. The latter term is a misnomer, and rather deceptive, as the four animals provided for each stage are the diminutive ponies so commonly used in every part of Java. ”

“ Whilst this novel plan of obtaining a drink was being carried out, one of the Javanese laborers who had been at Merak on the day of its destruction gave me an interesting account of what had happened to him and his companions.
“I was working,” he said, “a long way from the sea — four or five paalen from the coast. A lot of other natives were with me in the paddee field. We were cultivating rice. We had gone to work as usual, in spite of the volcano. We did not think it would hurt us. ”

“ The first thing we noticed on the road from Serang was a picturesque village once embosomed in trees, but now partly in ruins. This kampong consisted of the usual cottages made of bamboo, and the roof thatched with dry palm-leaves, which naturally offered very little resistance to a great rushing torrent of water. Many of the cocoanut palm-trees were snapped off, just as a stick might be. ”

“ At length we began to realize the worst. Some fifteen miles or more of the coast had been inundated by the gigantic wave, which had swept over an extent of country several miles in width. Houses, trees, and people had been literally washed away, and the towns of Karang, Merak, Anjer, and Tji-ringin, with many other smaller native villages, had been completely destroyed. Of these places Anjer was the most important. It was a busy, thriving seaport, where sailing vessels frequently called for instructions, and also for supplies of food and water. ”

“ It was on this hill overlooking the sea at Merak that we were able to form a correct idea of the height of the volcanic wave when it first broke upon the Java coast, and this is how we came to our conclusion that the wave must have been at least one hundred and twenty feet high. The ground on which we were standing was more than one hundred feet above the sea level, and on the highest part of it had been erected a large brick house, occupied by the resident engineer connected with the quarries. ”

“ The Dutch residents in Java take things very quietly, and show little or no interest in what is going on around them. Not even a volcanic eruption in their neighborhood and the bursting of a volcanic wave on the adjacent shore were of sufficient importance to stir them from their apathy. ”