The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-06-16
&FTTcTs OF 4 WAVE
A STEAMER STANDS HIGH AND DRY
OVER TWO MILES INLAND.

A Tidal Wave That Carried Away Every
thing but Lighthouse and Destroyed
Over 10000 Lives-The Steamer Intact
butfs in the Midst Of n Jungle.
Tourists that visit Batavia nowadays
are quite out Of the fashion if they fail
30 make the passage through Sunda
ftrait and see all that is left of Krakatua
bind the vestiges Of the ruin wrought by
the terribleseruption of 1889. If they
push up the Bay Of Lampong, on the
Sumatra side Of the channel, they are
pikely to land on the low shores occu-
pied by the village of Telokh-Betong,
and hire carts for short jaunt into the
interior; and when they have gone about
two miles they will pause to take ia the
curious scene presented; for here is seen
pne OF the most interesting results of the
great wave of Krakatau.
There was Just one man amid all that
wild scene of death and devastation who
twas not overwhelmed in the common
ruin. He escaped while 40, 900 persisted.
He was the lighthouse keeper, who lived
alone on an isolated rock in the strait.
IT was broad daylight when Krakatau
burst asunder, but in a few moments
the heavens were SO densely shrouded by
hust, mud and smoke that the darkness
pr midnight covered all the channel.
'rhe guardian of the lighthouse was in
the lantern 1870 feet above the sea level.
Here he remained safe and sound in the
midst of the terrible commotion.
III al h. ~. Al
house, but it was so dark that he could
mot see the threatened danger. He did
mot know that tremendous wave had
almost overwhelmed the lighthouse,
and that its crest had nearly touched
the base Of the lantern. He did not hear
il because he was deafened by the awful
detonation of Krakatua.
In few moments the wave, over a
hundred feet in height, had swept along
h coast line Of a hundred miles on both
sides Of the channel.
Scores ofpopulous villages were buried
deep beneath the avalanche of water,
Great groves of cocoanut palms were
leveled to the ground Promontories
, were carried away. New bays were dug
out of the yielding littoral Every work
of human hands except that lighthouse
was destroyed, and 10000 persons per-
ished in the deluge that mounted from
/ the sea or beneath the rain of mud that
filled the heavens.
A little sidewheel steamboat was borne
, on the top of that wave through forests
and jungle, over two miles into the coun-
try, and was left as the wave receded.
1T will be remembered that for weeks
before the final cataclysm at Krakatau,
tho volcano was in state of eruption.
, Pleasure parties were made up at Ba.
, tavia to visit the volcano. Not few
people landed on the island, little dream.
ing that in the twinkling of an eye two,
. thirds of it was to be blown into the all
as though shot from Il gun. They wished
to get as near as they thought they might
safely venture to the growing, steaming
crater
!. This littlo steamboat, on the day be
fore the explosion, carried one of these
. parties to the island. There were only
twenty on board besides the crow. They
q spent a couple of hours around the is
land and then steamed up the deep and
/, narrow Bay of Lampong, and it is sup
!, posed they anchored for the night il
y front of the big town of Telokh-Betong
which was one of the largest settlements
on tho south coast Of Sumatra.
The i'll fated pleasure party was never
:, heard Of again. 1t is supposed that thu
:, boat was turned over and over like al
= eggshell in the surf. 1t had every APP
:, pearance Of such rough usage when i
was found some months later. The ma
chinery and furniture were badly broker
Il and were strewu about in the creates
y confusion. But the vessel held together
II and was finally set down in good shape
n erect on her keel.
Only two bodies were found in tn
vessel. They were, Of course, beloy
:, deck. As it was morning when she wa
!, picked up by the wave it is suppose
:, that nearly everybody was on shore
Not restige remains of the village
that lined the water edge But the hull
OF this little boat still stands, battcre,
u and broken, though as erect rs whel
Il she plowed the channel. and she is th
IN most curious and interesting relic of TIL
greatest volcanic eruption of moderi
times. New York Sun.