Krakatoa Dalby, R. J. (speaker, male) ^A182785 1937-03-05 Recording

Krakatoa Dalby, R. J. (speaker, male) ^A182785 1937-03-05 Recording

R. J. Dalby vividly describes the harrowing experience during the eruption of Krakatoa on August 27, 1883.

It was a blazing and brilliant morning, the sun rising like a a ball of shining brass, promising a scorching and pitilessly hot day. About 10 o'clock there seemed something strange about the weather, and as always on saliing ships, we heard groans and whistles scarcely audible coming form the rigging. Gradually, the brilliant morning came, to an ominous dullness, and the wind came in strong gusts. Sharp orders came from the poop. All hands became busy making everything fast. 0:45 Getting another anchor out, Ready to let go in case of emergency. It got darker and darker. The loud rumblings got louder. They seemed all round us. The gusts of wind increased to such a hurricane, that no man aboard had ever experienced. The wind seemed a solid mess, pushing everything before it. And roaring like a huge steam engine. 1:16 Shrieking through the the riggings like a demon in torment. It became absolutely pitch dark, but the vivid lightning, which almost blinded us, seemed everywhere around. The thunder was deafening. 1:32 We followed the the officers round to make sure that anything that looked like breaking away we let go the other anchor and officers and seamen were watching the cables all the day. We were fearful of our anchors, but they held. 1:53 When we could get a glimpse of the heavens, we could see a terrible commotion going on. The clouds were whirling around at a terrific speed. I think most of us thought that we were in a vortex of a cyclone. The likes of which often occurs in those parts. But as the noise became louder and louder, I reckoned that it was something volcanic -especially when it rained a continuous downpour of dust. 2:29 I am sure there will be none of us ever able to describe the terrible noise.. Especially one great bang I have ever known - which was supposed to be the loudest noise ever heard on earth. It shook the people out of their beds at Batavia, 19 miles away. It was the top of Krakatoa blowing up into the skies. 2:55 Not that we knew or hardly cared what it was. The whole heavens seemed ablaze with fire and the clouds formed such fantastic shapes as to look startlingly unnatural. At times they hang down like ringlets of hair. Some jet black others dirty white. After that great thump, things gradually but very slowly moderated.. Time seemed non-existent.

0:03:28

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1937-03-05

Indonesia

Krakatoa

Indonesia

English

R.J. Dalby

Talk ^A259102

Krakatoa

Volcano eruption

History

Spoken voice

Radio Programme

British Library

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

British Library

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

1CD0177201 BD2 BBC

BBC00034

Culture

It was a blazing and brilliant morning. ... Time seemed non-existent.' R J Dalby was a seaman on the 'Hope; , a clipper out of Liverpool, moored in the Straits of Sundra, west of Java. On 27 August 1883 the volcanic island Krakatoa exploded. Dalby gives a graphic account. Talk.

Yes

Sound Archive of BBC South East Asian Broadcasts