The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-12-28
A SCENE OF DESTRUCTION.
JAvA'S APPEARANCE AFTER THE
VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
A Wilderness where Once E1Ouristing
Villages Existed - Wretchcd APP
penrnnce of the Island.

A wilderness Where Once E1ourishing
Villages Existed - WretChcd APP
pcnrance of the island.
A correspondent from Java, WAC ira
versed the country soon after the great
volcanic eruption, describes the desolated
region as follows: For miles there was
not tree standing, and where formerly
were numerous campongs (native villages
surrounded by paddy fields and cocoanut
groves), there was nothing but wilder
ness more resembling the bottom of the
sea than anything else; rocks or coral
stones and sea shells strewn everywhere.
Some of these solid masses of coral lying
miles inward could not be less than one
hundred tons weight Arriving at
Merak, the path was strewn with pieces
of iron, while here and there were por-
tions of the bedding and furniture of the
houses of the Europeans. We were in
formed officially that the number of
bodies burned in the district we
came through was 2,700. The vol
canic wave must, in my opinion,
have been even higher than the general
estimate of 100 feet, and base my opin-
ion on the fact that the official height of
the small hill of Merak is thirty-fve
metres, 115 feet, while the wave which
swept away the houses must have
been still higher than the top Of the hill,
and this additional height l estimate TO
be twenty feet. On the top of the hill at
Meralk the whole community of workmen
took refuge when the first wave came at
6 A. NJ, and, fancying themselves safe
there, they returned again, when the Sec
ond and much higher wave, at 8 A. NJ,
came, and swept them all away. Our
next point was to get back to our kahars
and make for AMER We soon again
came on the trace of destruction, the sea
here having entered long valley just be-
low Tjilegon, as far as six miles inland,
forming a great lagoon. Proceeding
farther on the road from Tjilegon to An
jer, we came to the old post station of
Tjiadieng, not one stone of it remaining,
building men, and horses having been car
ried away. Pushing on, we found the
road had been very well repaired till
within three miles of AMER and alto
gether the energy displayed every
where by the government is beyond all
praise hundreds of people were at
work in all directions, remaking roads,
strewing the ashes on the sea swept soil,
in the hope of future improvement.
Everywhere, in fact, there were activity
and energy, and where our road ended
and we had to walk there were rows of
rice carts, and the grain was being given
out by native officials to the various head
men for distribution in their villages
The appearance of the country was even
more wretched than before, and, from
the hill on the AMER shore, looking
northeast to Merak, eleven miles distant,
and inland to the foot of the hills, four
to five miles, this wedgelike plain of an
area of about forty square miles is one
vast scene of desolation, being COM
pletely swept from end to end, and not
one house or tree to be seen. Many
thousands were lost here. Getting around
this hill, we came at once into the
valley of AMER, semi-circle of four
mics from point to point, and extending
two miles inland, with fine range of
hills closing all in. In the centre of this
plateau, and fronting the sea, was origi-
nally situated the town of AMER, but
from where we stood, on first turning the
corner OF the PATH there was nothing to
be seen but lagoons, with here and there
great boulders cast about, and not YES
tige of house. We proceeded, how
ever, and at length came upon the site of
the town and fort. OF the fort there is
almost nothing LEFT, great blocks of ma
sorry being cast inland; of the town,
still less, for not one stone is to I've seen
above another. Mr.. Schmit, who lost
seven of his relations, went to look for
his house, but could not find trace OF
it, and after a time he concluded that the
river, which formerly formed the creek,
had changed its course and was flowing
over the spot where his house and that of
the assistant resident once stood. There
was not even Il ruin, everything having
been RACED to the ground, and it was diff
ticult to realize that the town of AMER
had ever existed.