The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-09-03
A VESSEL IN THE FOREST.
The Terrible Work Done by . voleanic
Eruption and Tidal wsve.


Tourists who visit Batavia nowadays are
quite out OF the fashion II they fail to make
the passage through Sunda strait and rec
all that IL left OF Krakatau and the vestiges
OF the ruin wrought by the terrible erup-
ton OF 1883. II they push up the Bay Of
lAmpong, on the Sumatra side Of the
channel, says the New York Sun, they are
likely TO land on the low shores occupied
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 view the steamer In the
forest.
There was just one man who was not
overwhelmed in the common ruin. He was
the lighthouse keeper. 1t WAS broad day
light when Krakatau burst asunder, but
In few moments the heavens were 30
densely shrouded by dust, mud and smoke
that the darkness Of midnight covered all
the channel. The keeper was In the lantern
100 feet above the sea level. He felt the
trembling Of his lighthouse, but it was SO
dark that he could not see the threatened
danger. He did not know that tremen-
dous wave had almost overwhelmed him
and that its crest had nearly touched the
base OF the lantern. He did not hear 1t be-
cause he was deafened by the awful det-
onation Of krakatau.
In a few moments the wave, over q hun
dred feet In height. had swept along q
coast line Of 100 miles on bot b sides of the
channel
Scores Of populous villages were buried
deep beneath the avalanche Of water.
Great groves Of cocoanut palms were lev.
eled to the ground. proinontbYies were
carried away. New bays were dug out OF
the yielding lit,oral. Every work OF hu.
man hands except that lighthouse was de-
stroyed, and 1000 persons persisted In the
deiuge that mounted from the sea or be
meath the rain of mud that filled the heav.
ems.
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 For
weeks before the final cataclysm at kra.
katau the volcano WAS in state of erup-
ton. Pleasure parties were made up at
Batavia to visit the spot. Not few peo.
pie landed on the island, little dreaming
that in the t.inkling Of an eye twothirds
Of il WAS 10 be blown into the air as thou cb
shot from "A gun.
They wished to get as near as they
thought they might safely venture to the
growing, steaming crater. This little
steamboat. on the day before the ex plosion,
carried one Of these parties. There were
only twenty on board besides the crew.
They spent ii couple Of hours around the
island, and then steamed up the deep and
narrow bay Of l-ampoug. and il is sup
posed they anchored for the night in from,
% the big town Of Telok Befong. which
was one of the largest settlements on the
south coast Of Sumatra
The Ill fn,ed pleasure party was never
heard OF again. IL is supposed that the
boat was turned over and over like an eys
shell in The surf. 1t had every appearance
al such rough usage when il was found
some months later. The machinery and
furniture were badly broken. and were
s;r~sn about in the CREATES; confusion.
But The vessel held iosei her. and was final.
iy set down in good shape. errc, on her
keel