14/6/1899
7 Days after her husband left Carey gave birth to her eldest daughter and namesake, though stayed another four weeks in the hospital and followed her husband to Europe with SS Prins Alexander, which journey she surely will describe to her own children.
It was on one of the first days of the year 1899, that I received the order through the intermediary Resident v. Langen from the Governor that I had to set out to Melaboe in order to discuss with the controller of Melaboe v. Delden to look for a location for a Military location in Tapa-Toean, which had to be built fromf the demolished buildings which were at the post Roempit which was going to be abolished.
Resident v. Langen gave me a note with it, which he had written about the village in the time that he was controller there and which perhaps could be of use to me and which started with the following sentence: “Situated at a lovely bay”.
A few days later I arrived in Melaboe at general v. Heutsz, who announed that awaiting my arrival he had sent controller v. Delden already to Tapa-Toean and had also delivered a note of his experience, which he started to read out to me. I hardly had heard the forst words or I suggested the General to leave the further reading to me, as from the opening lines “situated at a lovely bay” it was very clear that the note was simply the old note of Resident v. Langen and had simply been copied. Tableau!
Despite that he still went the same evening with me by government steamer, with which we arrived the next morning in Tapa Toean.
We arranged that we each would seperatly search for a decent location, as it was straight away clear to me, that it wouldn’t work together, he immediately wanted to lead me into the hilly terrain, where I of course in connection with the destination of the location shouldn’t be; so I went my own way and in the evening I came back on board, after I in my opinion had found a decent location.
v. Delden came back much later, but he had not found anything. I suspect that he due to his lazyness had been asleep somewhere in the hilly terrain.
The next day I used to clear the terrain from shrubs with the aid of the sailors from the government steamer and where needed do the neccessary surveying; although we were all day bothered by red ants, I still finished and we could lift the anchor the same evening to reach Melaboe the next morning.
On the way back to Kota Radja I seem to have been stung in one way or the other by an insect in my throat; I suddenly lost my voice and had to write down on a slate which I carried with me, what I had to say.
At home I experienced the most loving treatment of Agnes and also of my third daughter Jop; the very amicable relation between these two and the appreciation, which I felt for Agnes after more than 5 year together ripened the plan in me to join my further life with her and one quiet evening I suggested this to her and to my great satisfaction she accepted my suggestion at once.
It was for me a lovely realisation when I told our plans to Jop and she jumped 5 feet high from pleasure. On the contrary Lotje was not at all happy about this; Jop’s joy however surpassed by far this discord.
Under these circumstances of course Agnes could not live with me much longer and therefore she asked if she could stay with her sister Tine de Graaff in Buitenzorg, who replied that she could receive her after four weeks and could accommodate her further.
That’s why it was decided, that Agnes on her journey to Batavia would get off in Padang and from there visit Milly and Piet in Loeboe Sikaping for a 14 day visit.
And so it happened that Agnes was taken aboard the mailboat by the two girls and myself and Jop was charged with the household, which she ran in an economical way and of which she regularly reported to Agnes.
I never knew that Jop could write such long letters; they were regular newspapers which she sent with each mail sothat Agnes together with my letters had to read quite a lot.
Before my departure from Atjeh which was going to take place in the course of 1899, the post Tapa-Toean under command of first ltnt. Steinbuch was completed; rather a coincidence that Campioni’s youngest son was born there later on.
Apart from that the workplace of the A.T. in Segli and the line Segli-Gedehbreuen were completed and by decision on 8th July 1899 I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
Seven days later my definite incorporation with the IVth Section of the Dep. of War was finalised and enigneer major de Voogt was appointed as my successor. He took over my riding horse, bought a large part of my furniture at my sale and took over the service in a very swift way.
Through that I was able to follow my destination to Batavia on the 4th of September; where I arrived on the 11th following.
The journey went via Singapore, where of course I paid a visit with Jop and Lotje to the sisters of Charlotte who were still alive and who received us in the most heartly way, although it was clear to me, that they were not so well off anymore and were mainly dependent on Ada Maingay’s pension.
Early in the morning of the 11th September we reached the harbour of Tandjong Priok, where we were welcomed by my friend H.R. de Vries, at the time Directir of the NILLMY, who had asked us to stay with him; he brought us with his own carriage to his comfortable home at Koninsplein W, where we arrived at breakfast time, sothat when finished I had the opportunity to present myself to the newly appointed chief of arms A.J.J. Staal; he received me quite coldly, mainly when I told him that I didn’t even dream of leaving for Europe on sick leave, like my collegue Marcella had told him.
I saw through the plan of both gentlemen for the future, pretended as if I hadn’t noticed anything and only asked for an 8 day leave to Buitenzorg to pick up my wife.
Of course this was allowed and I telegraphed Agnes, that I would arrive with the afternoon train.
Before I had already written her to book a couple of decent rooms in Hotel Bellevue.
I had lunch with Hein de Vries and learnt from him, that he also had heard the story of Marcella and adviced me to be alert.
After the rijsttafel I left with my personal luggage with the afternoon train to Buitenzorg, whilst the girls stayed behind with family de Vries.
Around 6 o’clock Agnes stood waiting for me on the plarform of the station Buitenzorg and after heartly embracing we both stepped into the large hooded carriage, which was from the hotel and was parked at the exit. Hardly on our way, we were caught in a real tropical downpour, against which the two small horses could hardly pull the large hooded cart; however we sat cosy and dry inside the big colossus and arrived safe and sound.
In the hotel we tried to pretend to be married for a long time and simply took part at the evening table; if we succeeded would probably be somewhat depending on doubt. Enough being, that together we spent a lovely week with pleasant walks in the Botanical garden or in the surroundings, whilst in the afternoons we paid visits here and there.
Our first visit of course was to sister and brother in law de Graaff, who had accommodated Agnes so hospitably in the time before our marriage.
One of these days I got a visit in the morning from an adjutant of the Governor General v.d. Wijck; the engineer’s colonel J.J. Staal ( my time mate ). On his chief’s behalf he came to ask me to compose a note in which the need was set out for the exploitation of the steamtrain from Segli-Teloksemaweh. I promised to do this as soon as I would have commenced my employment at the IVth section of the Department of War, which would take place on the 19th September.
CHAPTER III
My life and career as head officer.
3. As Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel.
__________________________
Through the care of my friend de Vries, who knew how to organise, that the headofficer’s house in the Willemslaan was kept for my use, Agnes had been able to gather the neccessary beds, some furniture and kitchentools in the house.
So when we arrived on the 18th of September we didn’t have to move into a hotel and stayed the night immediately in our own home. The girls came back from family de Vries and on the 19th I commenced my job at the engineer’s headoffice.
I notied at once that subordinate serving by me, who nearly always had worked independently in employment, was not desireable. It went against the grain with me to see the changes which my chief had made in my minutes, though I made up my mind to empty the goblet from the assistant Ltnt col to the bitter end with the aim in mind in the interest of my children to later on take over the position of Aunt Staal, which nickname the chief had.
When I had found my way in the office, I set out to make up the account of the extension of the Atjeh Tram to Telok-Semawe which Governor v.d. Wijck had asked for and sent it to Jan Staal.
I didn’t hear much about it until a while later General v. Heutsz came to Buitenzorg on service business and on that occasion, according to Jan Staal, he had made a new account to replace mine, who could not be used. Later on it was clear, that the new account was completely identical to mine, though only an end sentence was added to express the wish to continue the expansion to Edi, something that didn’t ask me.
In view of the large distances and the many visits I had to pay it was definitely neccessary to buy a means of transport. I therefore bought a hardly used mylord with front seat from the controller BB. v.d. Endt, apart from that a couple of nice brown horses with harness for not such a high price, this carriage I have used all the time during my nearly 7 year stay in Batavia; obly one of the horses had to be exchanged as it developed very high heels.
After a parade I coicidentally heard someone calling a nice girl Miss Kerlen; I introduced myself and she poved to be the daughter of my second cousin, the teacher G.J. Kerlen, whom I had discovered in the year 1878 in the Marine Hotel ( see page 96 ). I told her, that I would visit her parents some time soon and drove with Agnes one fine evening in our mylord via Matraman to Kramat, where the cousin and his wife from Deventer and children lived.
Whatever happened at this visit I don’t know; but it is certain, that the teacher’s family have never taken any notice of our visit and as I later on learnt that he was not in the best terms with us.
Very soon already I got aquainted with Agnes’ brother, who had a large piano and music trade in Rijswijk in the old and welknown house of Suermond; he was a good pianist, though had in Soerabaja when he didn’t earn enough with piano lessons, thrown himself at the manufacturing of piano’s in the Dutch East Indies, which came about through circumstances, because most of the European woodworks were wrecked by the influence of the climate and insects ( white ants and woodworm ). Therefore he fitted the cases and as much as possible for the inside works of the piano with teakwood and with succes so his business soon soared and also could establish branches on Semarang and Batavia.
Willem Naesses was married with an indigenous wife, named Marie Wardenaar, who helped him faithfully in his work and administration and was also artistically inclined; she often came at our place and then Willem accompanied his wife who could sing well, on the piano, gave every now and then a bonus or did a duet with me; these were enjoyable evenings.
Piet was transferred from Loeboe-Sikaping to Batavia in the latter part of the year 1899 and was incorportated in the 10th battalion. Upon arrival he stayed with Milly and little Renny with us, though quite soon he got a house appointed in block C at the Waterlooplein, where his family moved to. About half a year later Piet was transferred again with the First section of the Department of War and came back with his family in our pavillion.
Still before the end of the year 1899 the order of the Governemnt came to build what was needed for the construction of the tramway to the North coast of Atjeh. As I knew what was immediately needed, I suggested the chief to order the neccessary materials immediately from Europe. Colonel Staal didn’t want this without first hearing from the engineer’s chief in Atjeh, who then also got the commission of the case.
From the suggestion of major de Voogt which was received about this was clear that he was still ignorant of a tramway construction and hadn’t taken up the case amply enough; not enough rails and bridge materials had been requested and suggested for the time being to make do with one engine, to put together from the available spare parts in Kota Radja.
I wrote a note about this and the other and declaired that far more material had to be ordered and the construction of one engine would be penny wise and pound foolish and it would be much more economical to order the 13 needed engines together in Europe.
This was too much for aunt Staal and therefore he sent the chief of the first technical office to the headoffice of the S.S. with the request to advise,
The head engineer Keulemans who was working there totally agreed with my calculations and points of view and so the more ample version had to go ahead.
After what happened it was really hard for me at the following makeup of the yearly review of the officers to have to hear from the mouth of the chief that he could not award me the capability for the colonel’s rank.
I could’ve put in a claim about this and more than likely would have been granted that I was right, but then I wouldn’t have had a pleasant life any more in the following 1.5 years and they would have picked on me even more.
Agnes was highly indignant about the treatment by Staal, but I knew how to convince her to let the case rest in view of my future.
That colonel Staal on the point of reviews had strange ideas was shown amongst others from his treatment of the highly ranked captain Zon; he didn’t think he was suitable for promotion, though wrote him personally that he wanted to recommend him as Major in case he pledged himself immediately after his appointment to apply for retirement from the country’s service. The cunning Jew agreed at once and became Major and retired and showed off his rank later on Amsterdam making a fool of himself. With a normal person Staal would have played a dangerous game.
Another case of the results of his reviews was the advertisement of the equally high ranked captain Swartbol, who pointed at ltnl col. Kerlen ( ironically betitiled bearer of the cross of knighthood of the Ned. Leeuw ) as the firestarter of the chief’s writing of his degrading judgement.
The advertisement gave reason to a lenghty correspondence, which ended with the retirement of the delinquint in the beginning of 1902.
Slowly but surely I began to adjust to office life, mainly because I started to view the remarks of the chief from the rediculous side and I was convinced I deliverd decent work all the time.
That was sometimes difficult; like one fine day I was appointed to act as president of a commission to examine infantery officers for engineer officer; co members were captain Proper and Fisher Jr. From the mathematical subjects I had completely forgotten the differential and integral calculations and it still costed me quite some study to get to know them again; lucky it still took a while before both candidates Meyroos and Hering were examined and so prevented me from making a face.
On the contrary I was succesful in pointing out a mistake in the estimation to one of my co members. However, the students didn’t pass.
The year 1901 brought a lot of work for the engineers for the benefit of the defense of Java, for which the fortresses North of Batavia had to be renovated and a battery had to be built on to protect the harbour of Tandjong-Priok, one and the other in order to prevent an attack.
The largest part of this work fell on the shoulders of captain Proper, a very able engineer officer with an amazing amount of workpower, at the same time leading a strange life.
He was always present at the office but after having taken the midday rijsttafel he went to sleep until about 8 or 9 o’clock and after dinner he started to work till late in the night under the enjoyment of several whiskey-sodas or beers. He did so much work, that because of that he was quite soon recommended for the Knighthood of the Ned. Leeuw and in this he became a unique phenomenon under the subaltern officers.
With his collegue Idenburg he had in common that he was very lenghty in his notes and since he knew, that I sometimes noticed this, he tried several times to offer his work directly to the chief; I asked him therefore not to think of me as something you can ignore. After that we could get along well.
Of course the chief took the honours of all the work and the fact, that his dear friend H.R.P. de Bruyn was promoted to the army’s commander added quite a bit to it, which will be clear later on.
The end of the year 1900 for me was again a period of misery. In the beginning of our marriage we had thought not have any children, the gyneacologist Dr. Persenaire had adviced us not to continue this way for the sake of Agnes’s health, and as a result of that Agnes got pregnant and expected a baby by mid December.
She felt very well in her situation and was still able to take much notice of her younger brother Emile, who was employed in his older brother Willem’s business; both brothers couldn’t get along with each other and as a result I could organise, that Emile was placed in a subordinate employment at the Algemene Rekenkamer.
