On August the 26th, 1883, the tiny volcanic island of Crakatoa erupted, creating one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. In less than 48 hours, it destroyed hundreds of towns and villages and left more than 36,000 people dead. Heat. Heat. Those that survived the eruption left diaries, eyewitness accounts, and interviews. They were collected by the geologist Rajir Vabik, one of the few scientists to have witnessed the eruption. This film is based on those accounts. I lived. Tens of thousands didn't. Some of them were my friends. I have spent the last 2 years of my life trying to piece together the terrible events of August 1883. We were living in the most volcanic region on the planet. Indonesia. There are more than 100 active volcanoes here. Krakatoa is just one of them. The volcanic island of Krakatoa sits in the middle of the Sunda Straits, 30 mi from the mainland. For centuries, the people here have lived within sight of the volcano. We thought it posed no threat. I could have saved these people. They witnessed the last days when the world changed forever. Contracts have been issued for the pepper and the customary 2 1/2%. Which brings us higher yields than Mr. debris that initially. It's too much again, mama. The world shivering. Stop. Winner. I win. How much money is left in the uh the reserve account? Nothing. Done. And we still 75 guild is in jail. Hello. If we don't get the commission on those coolies, the horses are out of control. I'll see to it. It's fine. I'll see to it. Villain, have you thought about it? Thought about what? Please, Joanna, I'm sorry, but I can't leave Katimbang. The harvest to arrange the market opening on Sunday. It's impossible. You know, maybe in a couple of weeks when things What about the tremors? They're getting worse in your imagination. It's been rumbling away for months. Please, Joanna, are you going to worry yourself sick about this? I'm sorry. I I can't help it. Anywhere. Go where? anywhere. Betavia the hill farm up. I don't know. I'm sorry. See to the horses. The bearings. Villain was controller of Katenbang, a Dutch outpost. He struggled on his meager government salary. His wife Johanna was 26 years old and a mother of three. We met several times that summer and never saw eye to eye. I should have listened to her. In May 1883, I visited the Shu family. Having heard reports of increased volcanic activity, I wanted to see this for myself. The Shuritz, a Dutch family, lived and worked on the Fourth Point Lighthouse, 30 mi to the east of the island of Crackur. Isn't she magnificent? Is it dangerous? Of course, it's dangerous if you're sitting on top of it. But we're perfectly safe here. There's 30 mi of sea between us. It's the best seat in the house. Enjoy the show. This is the island of Krakatoa with its three peaks. And where did you land? About here. Weren't you scared? Scared? No. I was too busy collecting samples and getting scratched to shreds in the jungle. What makes it explode? Erupt. I mean, do you still have that piece of pummus you showed me? Yes. We have to live here. Well, it's just Roger. No, it's not him. It's just The answer to your question lies in the bubbles. You see? I'm worried. It's like this beer here. It's full of bubbles. You shake the beer. The pressure builds up inside. The bubbles need to escape, but they can't. Until Joseph, this past your bedtime. Say good night to Mr. Kabik. Good night, Joseph. I've enjoyed our conversation very much. You can keep it. Thank you. Two scientists sharing their knowledge. Come on, Ysef. Wait, why did you say you found this? Found it on the beach. Why? The pummus Joseph gave me held the secret of Krakur, a sign of what was happening deep inside the volcano. But at that time, I had no idea what it meant. On the 20th of May, Cracktor began for the first time to emit vast quantities of smoke. It should have been a warning to us, but for some this was just a chance to make money. Captain, you salute your commanding officer. J. H. Linderman, captain of the governor, General Louden. Since the death of his wife and only child two years earlier, he'd been reduced to fing passengers around the local area. Listen to this. Join the excursion of a lifetime. Take a boat trip to the furnace of the gods Krakatoa and walk on a live volcano. One of the greatest natural wonders of the world. My hotel guest, your ship. The louden is not a pleasure. Steamer, furnace of the gods is built. Come on, Linderman. You'll make a killing be like the old days. Well, then it seems I wasted my time. Enjoy the cigar. Car morning tides at 6:00 a.m. Tell your guests to be on time. Papa Villimbearing Clark was one of those thousands of Javanese and he's recruited by the Dutch to run the colony. But his loyalty to the Dutch Empire left him isolated. America. D. On the 27th of May 1883, the steamship Louden took 86 paying passengers on a day trip to Crakura. Look at them fools. They're paying fools. Linderman 25 yielders ahead. Your good health, Captain. Keep it in Leewood, Mr. Yansen. I I sir don't like the look of that smoke. What smoke, Lindamman? I smoke it. Doesn't make me dangerous. You just can your money. Leave the ship to me. God. How far away from the fem? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. I didn't know then what the volcano was telling me. These blasts were a sign. Deep below the earth, magma was clearing a path to the surface. It was only a matter of time before it escaped. So, Mr. Yansen, we're leaving. But what about the guests? The guest paid in advance, I hope. Hard to stand, Mr. Anson, would you? You can't just leave them, can't we? They've got half an hour. No more. Be careful with the satchel. You've been sacred. What is it? Only room up here. Sorry. View of what? Damn it. Of that crack is 100 miles give or take. 5,280 ft under two. Divide into a half. 323 up. That makes it nearly 5 mi high. Well, precisely. I know it's here somewhere. It What is it? A clue. I think you see this promise is the same from Tambbora. But Tambora was a catastrophic event. Biblical. The crate is 4 miles across. I've seen it myself. Krakato is just a couple of vents. You mean Crakato will be the size of Tambora? I don't know what it means. I just don't know. Throughout May and into June, the three craters of Crakatoa continued to emit jets of steam. The gases cause strange blue and green colorations to the sun. They were considered harmless by the inhabitants. The volcano being some 30 mi from the coast. Life continued as normal touches. Joanna Bering was later interviewed by the Dutch authorities. It seemed the tremors were getting worse every day, but my husband Villain wouldn't listen. He was becoming increasingly preoccupied with his business affairs. There is nothing wrong. Things are being confused, out of balance. The animals know they're leaving. As controller of the district, Villain Bearing was responsible for the safety and well-being of all the people. He was kept fully informed about the developments on Krakatara, yet did nothing. It seems he was preoccupied by other matters. There is a problem with my licensed one. I thought the contracts were contracts are in order. Janice, my man couldn't get the coolies for the pepper harvest. That's all. So the money I need more time. I had your word. The word of a Dutchman. Just Just give me 3 weeks until the harvest. I'm a businessman, Mr. Berik. I have a license and obligations. Perhaps your colleagues in Bavia would be interested to know how much you owe me. How dare you? Stop. Heat. And the little boy asked, "Are you ready? Shall I wake the spirit of the mountain?" And the wind blew and the sea rose and a spirit appeared. Many lifetimes I have slumbered under a mountain. Now I wake and they must learn what it is to earn the wroth of the spirit of the mountain. As whether she'll erupt, no. She'll kick off for a few days and then go back to sleep. Well, I think you're wrong. Wow. Well, have you noticed the animals? The animals? They're behaving very strangely. The monkeys and the birds won't settle in the trees. The the hens won't lay. Well, wouldn't that affect your opinion? No. Well, I think it should. The natives have long believed the mountain to be very dangerous. I hardly think the native superstition qualifies. Maybe it isn't superstition. Maybe they understand the mountain better than you do. I'm sorry. It just seems to me that you're ignoring the shame scientist. I realized far too late that I should have listened to her. Heat. Heat. Hello. Huh? He's This is the last bet, sir. Get him stuck by nightfall. Leaving with a tank. I I sir. At 10:00 a.m. that Sunday, Captain Linderman docked at Ana to pick up a consignment of Chinese workers or coolies as we call them. Their destination was to lock Baton to the north. It was a journey they'd never complete. All right, move it up down here and let's stop that way. Come on, Captain Linderman. Where have you been? Bridge is yours, sir. What is the meaning of loading this ship with coolies? They're for controller bearing. I don't care if they were the king of Holland. They stink. Captain Lman Coolies. They bother you. They stink. You ever thought what we smell like to them? Huh? Maybe they're right. Right about what? Corpses. They think we smell like the dead. Good day, gentlemen. This is unacceptable. The northerly course that Lindamman steered were taken closer to the volcano than anyone else that day. Need to change course, Mr. Yansen. All right, sir. Change course. Take a bearing from Palyang. Set a course for Lampong Bay. 191°. Place a BCL on the port side and into the bay from here. Yes, steering course 191°. Steering call 191°. What are you doing? I'm measuring the height of the ashclite. It's basic mathematics. But what is it that you do? I try to understand the world, how it works. Do you understand the volcano? It's a complex geological process. It was formed millions of years ago before man. My people, we are not afraid of the volcano. That morning I didn't want to go to the festival. Villain tried to calm me. The market opening would be a joyous occasion. I was convinced that something dreadful was going to happen. I just nothing. It hurts my ears. Take the attachment to secure the warehouses. arms the arsenal telegraph office. I will line up over to the target. Is that clear? Yes, sir. I need the detachment in the town and on the coast road. I go ready in half an hour. Jo, we're not leaving. What? It's my duty. I have to stay here. If the major see us leaving, they'll riot. I take the children back to the house. The house is not safe. Volcano's 25 miles away now. Please. I know what I'm doing. By now, the volcano was in full eruption. Every second almost a million cubic meters of ash, rock and pummus were being forced out of the vent, crashing down the mountain side. This avalanche had an extraordinary effect on the sea. It caused unpredictable swells and rapid tidal movements. The volcano was about to claim its first victims. California. Let me be back in a minute. Nina, come on. foreign. Karim come. Heat. Heat. Oh my god. Honey, I Are you ho hurry hurry up? Let's go. Come on. Heat. Heat. Are you are you are you are you Heat. Put me in prison. Okay. Now, let me go. What's the magic word? Please. I'm never Go upstairs quickly Go upstairs and find somewhere safe. Quickly move. Leave the door quickly. Go into the bedroom. What should we do, mama? Hide. Hide. I said get in the cupboard now. The coming down. Heat. Heat. Heat. Y. excited. Joanna Joanna Joanna Joanna Joanna come here. Oh, thank God. Oh, thank God. Thank God. On the day of the eruption, the geography of the area would determine who would live and die. At the center of the Sunda Straits, Crackur was within 30 mi of land in all directions. The first tsunami produced by the volcano had headed north where it destroyed Ketmbbang, killing thousands. The steamship Louden and the fourth point lighthouse were untouched in the south as was I initborg 60 mi in land. We were safe for the time being. Somatra Geological Survey 1850 volume 3 and 4os principles of geology. Vanna's classification scope upon extinct volcanoes. Coffee. We'll need some coffee. It's going to be a long night. How could I have been so stupid? The answer's right in front of us. Look. Why didn't I see this at the time? Look at the profiles. Steep here and shallow down into the center. You see? What does that tell you? A single common source of rock inside the inside the caldera. Exactly. The caldera singular. These aren't three different volcanoes. It's one one volcano all fed by one reservoir of magma. But that's immense. And I told them they were safe. Excuse me, twin. Who's this? A girl. I can see that. show. We're busy. Get rid of it. What do you want? The mountain. What about it? It's done this before. In less than an hour, the column of ash was 30 mi high, fanning out in all directions. Soon, it would engulf both land and sea. Heat. Lucas ja. How long will it take to get to the hill farm? On foot. 5 hours. Maybe more. Soon it will be impossible to breathe here. You must get to higher ground. Come on, children. Ja. Ja. Duchess. Duchess. Is he going to die? Is he going to die? He's still breathing. I don't want to die. I'm sorry. I don't want to move. I don't want to move. Come on. No, you can't. Bless. Heat. Heat. It's useless. God won't work in this. They think it's evil spirits are trying to sink the ship. This ash keeps falling. They'll fade. What the hell are you doing? Come on. Get up. I want these decks. Get clear. Rotating teams working. You understand? They're going over the side. Sailors that survived the eruption reported a strange glowing. Gases and ash mixed, creating violent electrical discharge. The lightning is dangerous, but ash is a far worse threat. Just a foot of ash is heavy enough to destabilize a ship. At 5 p.m., the Bearing family headed towards the hills to the northeast, away from the spreading ashcloud. Joanna recorded the following account. The journey was one I would hope never to go through again. We were unable to take the road and were forced to walk. First up a coastal track and then through a wood with no path. I need to rest a bit. Behind us was a continuous terrible roaring as if the sea was still trying to catch us. Where are we going? Peter, I told you to be your part. I don't remember. Peter, I'm sorry. Come and rest. I should go back and help with the evacuation. We must relief from Tok's battalion of the seventh village there to deal with the insurgents. It will take 3 days around you. If Bansandic's men stay, they're already dead. And you will die too if you return. These people, they understand. Go on, Peter. Jump. That's a good boy. Let's go. There are many stories about the mountain, about how the spirit of the mountain broke the land into pieces and sunk into the sea. Now, it was reborn out of the sea. And some people say how it will come again to destroy. I've got it. The Japanese book of kings. Rajaura. It is our history. It was only published in Dutch a few years ago. This chap Ranga collected all the folklore. I picked it up in Battalia. I thought it might be interesting. Listen to this. The year 416. At last, with a tremendous roar, the mountain burst into pieces and sunk into the depths of the earth. And the next verse, the water of the sea rose and flooded the land. Pass me the map. If I'm right and history is repeating itself, then an eruption of this magnitude will generate a wave that it will engulf this entire coastline. May God have mercy on their souls. I had thought that 30 mi of ocean would protect us from Cricatoa. But what we had seen so far was just the beginning. Get up there. Clear that one up. It's all going to come down. Ship can't survive this. Heat. Now I need everyone to go below. Why on earth should we do that? Cuz the ash is embalancing the ship. It's making a top heavy. So what does this mean? I'll tell you what it means. It means that if I can't lower her center of gravity, she'll capsize. You mean we are going to be human bars along with the coolies? It's for the good of everyone on board. I wouldn't do it. I'd be packed in there with feast. I can distribute the weight in one of two ways, sir. Below or overboard. It's your choice. Oh, for God's sake. You're not going to do this, are you? No. You got yourself down there. What are you doing here, miss? What can I do to help? You get below with all the others. I I don't want to hide. I want to do something. What's your name, miss? Elizabeth. Well, Elizabeth, you can help me by being strong. You understand? Because if you are, they will be. Good girl. Heat. Let's go. You saved my life. Thank you. your family or a a wife and children or rather they went into the hillstone with the others. You must miss them very much. Earlier at the the house, I thought I'd never see them again. 8:30 p.m. The Louden had now been at sea for more than 12 hours. Around it, the ash was sucking moisture from the air. Where's me? Come on. Hey. We reached our hill farm by the late afternoon and in my heart I thanked God that we'd at last reached safety. But God cannot have been listening because the worst horror was yet to come. You all know me and know you can trust me. You're under my protection. And by God, I shall do my duty by you. You're my children. Oh, I don't know. There's no need to be frightened. You're safe here. My um my family are here with me. I shall stay with you as I shall stay with them. May God be with us all. That morning there was no dawn on Crakatoa. Throughout the night, the explosions increased. A series of booms could be heard hundreds of miles away. The volcano was entering a new phase. Huh? Mama wants to know when you're coming down. I can't leave the light. It should have been dawn 2 hours ago. Go back downstairs. Look to your mother. Why won't baby stop crying? Cuz mama doesn't have enough blood. Mom, come here. get started. Bring a car around. This is madness. You'll be killed. What will that achieve? Don't you understand? This is all my fault. What's your fault? How can this be your fault? I should have known. I could have warned them. I can still run. The sea is coming. After 20 hours of constant eruption, the magma chamber of Cracker was empty. With nothing to support it, the volcano began to collapse. The resulting blast was so great it was heard 3,000 m away in Australia. The loudest noise in recorded history. Millions of tons of ash and pums poured into the ocean, triggering a tsunami more destructive than anything that had come before. Jack, you must calm down. Heat. Hold the steady out. Keep a headed for the volcano. That's the direction it come from. What? Where will come from? The wave. You turn the ship. What are you doing? I'm doing everything in my power. Believe me, we can't put in a Togaton. The armor has been destroyed. How is it possible? Quiet. Listen to him. The closer to land, the higher the waves. The sea swept it away. Where are we going? I'm taking her out to sea. We're all in the greatest danger. We have to face the truth. If it's God's will, what are you saying? I'm saying I gladly give my life to save any one of yours. Yeah. Your s through my 14 fellows, sir. Very good. Now, I want a two cable shackle outside the horseback. We're anchoring. Why? Because, Mr. Anthony, if she isn't anchored, will the ripped in shore and smash to pieces? Oh my god. Fast. Got the shackles. Now the screw turning full speed. Get below, sir. 13 fums. Tammy to the wheel. Now you get below. I'm staying here down the so Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat up here. Heat. Where are you? Yakob, we need coal. Are you coming down? going. Can't carry on like this. He's gone. What? Theo. Theo's gone. No. No. Don't go out of there. Stupid. Stupid boy. What are you doing? Go inside the beat. I'll find Theo. Come on. Heat. Heat. The wave was more than 40 m high. It lifted the lighthouse from its base. It destroyed the entire coastline, towns, villages. There was nothing they could do. Thousands died. What was unknown to me then was that the volcano had one last terrible secret to reveal. The collapsing volcano had unleashed a final avalanche of scolding ash and pummus. where it made contact with the water erode on a cushion of steam. Ash, gas, and pummus heated to more than 500° centigrade, ripped across the ocean towards the highlands of southern Sumatra. Heat. I don't think you need. Oh, now I play you again. Come on. Get inside. Get inside now. Quick. Get into the back. Get into the back. What is it, mama? I don't know. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You okay? I want to see without thinking I walked forward. Had I been in my right mind, I think I would have understood what a dangerous thing it was to do. To leave the vicinity of the farmhouse and plunge into the darkness. I think hell is the only word for what I saw and went through. Oh my god. Hey Come on. Where is it? No. We couldn't even bury our child. My only thought was, thank God he is at least put out of his agony. The bearings left their devastated farm hut. Of the 3,000 natives who fled to the highlands, more than a thousand died. They suffered horrific burns from ash and pummus. Elsewhere, it was the tsunami that killed Yeah. Go. Okay. My husband's gone. The boy's gone. Can't find them. I'm so sorry. Oh my god. Captain Linderman was awarded the cross of gold by the Dutch authorities for his bravery in saving the lives of those on board the Lden. His log book provided an invaluable insight into the eruption of Crakatoa. He captained the Louden until his death just 2 years later. The eruption destroyed 165 coastal villages and it left more than 36,000 people dead. There were reports of bodies and pummus being washed up on the coast of Africa. A year later, the Dutch authorities ordered 250,000 gallons of gasoline to be used in the burning of the bodies. Thank you. Hello. Heat. Heat. Villain Berink continued working for the Dutch government for the next 13 years before he retired to Holland. Johanna Beerink's account of the eruption was reported around the world. She remained with her husband Villain and soon became pregnant again. She named her youngest child after the one she lost on the hillsides of Symmetra. Thank you. You must go to Ka. You must find your family. Yes. Yeah. Nothing is known of what happened to Takaya or his family. There are no records. Hey. Roger Vabik's work on Crakatoa went on to become the foundation of modern in volcanology. It provided scientists with a detailed eyewitness account of the entire cycle of an eruption for the first time in history. The eruption had farreaching effects. 20 million tons of sulfur were released into the atmosphere, causing extraordinary sunsets across the planet and lowering global temperatures well into the 20th century. of Crakatoa itself. Almost nothing remained. 12 square miles of solid rock had disappeared in the space of 48 hours. The volcano had literally blasted itself apart. But in 1927, from 300 m below the Sunda Straits, it erupted again. As Vik predicted in his writings, a new volcano formed, growing at a rate of 5 m every year. The Indonesians called this volcano Anac Krakatoa, son of Crakatoa. Today, millions of people live within sight of it, and it's still growing. might