Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-05-11
Ohly One Man Escaped.

Details Of the great Garth quake
that took place on tha Island Of
Krakatau off the coast Or Sumatya,
in 1883 nine years since are Just
coming IL. 4 tTave}or who recently
came from hat .fcll of earth quake
says: There was just ono aal amid
al that wild gCen5 OF death and
devastation who was not overwhelmed
il the common ruin. He escaped
wliie forty thousand perjshel. He
was the Lighthouse keeper ysa9 lived
alone uu = isolated cock Ia the strait
Is was broad day light when kra-
kGtau burst assugdgr. but IN "a fag
momcaIs the heavens were SO dense
ly ahroudsd 10y dust, mud and smoke
thai the darkness Of midnight cover
ed all the channel. The guardian Of
the lighthouse was ii the lantern
l3O ieet above tls sea level. Here
he remained safe and sound III the
midst Of the terrible conmotion.
He felt the trembling Of the light
house, but il vas so dqrk that lie
could not see the threatened danger
Ha did not know that q tremendous
wave had almost overwhelmed the
lighthouse, and that its crest had
nearly touched the base CT the Ian
tern. He did not hear It because he
was deafenad by the awful detona
ton Of Krakatau.
In few moments, however, TIE
wave, over \ hundred foet in height.
has swept along 2 total coast line
of nearly hundred miles on both
sides Of the channel.
Scores of popplous villages were
buriad deop beneath tins avalanche
of water. Great groyes of cocoanut
palm we're lsveled to the ground.
PrymoDtor.es we're carried away.
New bays we're dug out of the yield
ing littoral Every work Of human
hands, except that lighthouse, was
destroyed, and 10000 persons per
ishsd in the delugo that mounted
from the sea or benOath the rain OF
mud that filed the heavens.
The Traveller spaal,s OF the relics
of that earthquake in n steam boat
that was washed ashore on the eoast
two miles inland where It Of course
must remain til decay crumbles it
into mould. When Tie little volcano
began to show itself on the island,
the more daring people Of the towns
would 90 over on the steamer, land
and visit the placa rs near th8 crater
as they deemed safe.
This little steamboat, on the DAY
before the explosion, carried one OF
these parties to tho island. There
were only twenty ca board besides
the crew. They spent a couple of
hours around the Island, and then
steamed up the deep and narrow bay
Of Lampong, and it is supposed they
anchored for the night in front OF
the big town OF Telokh- Betong,
which was one of tbs largest settle
ments on the south coast OF Sumatra.
Tbs illfatod pleasure party was
never heard Of again, It is supposed
that tbs boat was turned over and ov-
er like All egg shell in the surf 1t had
every appearance of such rough
usage when it was found. The ms
chinery and furniture were badly
broken and we're strevn about in the
greatest confusion. But the vessel
held together and WAS finally set
down in good shape, erect on her
keel.
Only two bodies were found in
the vessel. They were, of course, be
low deck. As it was morning when
she was picked up by the wave, it ID
supposed that nearly everybody was
on shore. Not vestige remains Of
the villages that lined the water edge.
But the hulk of his little boat still
stands, battered and broken though
as erect as when she plowed the
channel, and she is the most
curious and interesting relic of the
greatest volcanic eruption of modern
times.
u.