From Arnhem I did some outings to Nymegen so I could visit Mrs. de Vries; her husband had died in Genoa and his funeral just took place when I was in Paris. She had been left in very favourable financial circumstances and lived in a very beautiful house in the new part of the city.When I returned in the Hague I tried to aquire a good second hand piano and asked the help of my brother in law Willem Naessens, who had established a branch in a small shop in the Passage. He adviced me against the purchase of a second hand instrument, though offered me a new Feurich piano at cost price, which offer I accepted so that for f. 375 I received I an excellent instrument, which nowadays after 20 years still is in good condition and sounds more pleasent than most other pianos.Our family at home meanwhile was completed; Johan had already arrived on the 26th April at the same time as Carey, Miss Steenmeyer had returned to help after her recovery in Bronovo and Lotje returned a few days before June also to her parental home.We celebrated her birthday on the 1st June and on the 5th mine. My three sisters Joh, Marie and Cato ( who was walking badly and had to be transported in a wheelchair ) and also my brother in laws Benard and de Jongh were guests on those days, it was particularly cold, though it was still quite pleasant by the lit up gas heater.However the happy atmosphere was completely disturbed since Johan came home very late from Delft with the sad news that again he had failed for his preliminary exams and I had to remind him to what I had written to him a while ago namely that he could not stay student and had to go on his own legs into the world.
A good month later Piet had to leave for the Dutch East Indies with a detachment supply group on SS. Willem II; he first came with his family to the Hague and settled his wife and children with family Zeegers in the Conradkade nr. 49; he left on the 14th July from Amsterdam; not long after sailing off, the boat had a collission with the Brtish SS. Isle of Calby and returned the next day with his troops to Amsterdam and after that back to Harderwijk; after almost a week having stayed with his family he left once more with SS. Koning Willem I and and upon arrival in Batavia he was incorporated op Celebes and appointed to civil and military Commander in Eurekang.For the benefit of Johan I had written to my friend Kerbert to help him find a job upon arrival te Batavia and in the meantime from the money which I had received back from the Government for the advanced passage for Lotje, booked a passage on the German mail, which would leave Antwerp on the 3rd of September.Before that I still made an excursion with him to Amsterdam, in which restaurant one in earlier times only had to pay f. 3.50 per person for the extraordinary luxurious dinner; we really enjoyed the meal, though Johan beat me to it and I was amazed of the huge amounts which he ate; later on he still often talked about this delicious dinner.At the named date of the 3rd of September Johan left to Antwerpen under guidance of uncle de Jongh and me; it was beautiful weather and when we arrived there it was even so warm, that we on the German mailboat at the inspection of Johan’s cabin could hardly stay there and so we then quickly left, to visit the zoo, which is situated very close to the station. However here too it was so frightfully warm, that we could drag us with dificulty along the different animals and other remarkable things and finally ended up in the Academy de Biljards, where we could take off our coats and vests and in our shirts could play a game of billiards; it was the first time that I saw uncle de Jongh hold a billiard queue, so he did play like a smith.
We took our lunch and evening meal in hotel Terminus and Johan again showed on both occasions his healthy appetite.After dinner it was time for my brother in law and me to go back to the Hague and so Johan said goodbye to us at the station and it was for him as well as for me an emotional farewell, which we certainly will never forget.Back in The Hague I had to visit Mr. Haak for Johan to whom he due to unforseen circumstances had not been able to say goodbye, to which he had been obliged because of the attention and friendship he had shown him; I found Mr. Haak on the 2nd story of the house of Mrs. Palm in the Franklinstraat; the temperature in his room was far above the 90 degrees and he was lying in bed with a broken leg due to a fall with the elevator on the Ministery of Colonies.It seemed that the ladies Palm, mother and daughter had looked after the old man so well, that he later, when the ladies had moved to a good home in the Beeklaan, had married the daughter and kept living with both of them.Quite soon after my arrival I had applied for member at de Witte, where I was accepted and played billiards in a small club, which played pot every day in a small hall next to the Houtstraat. Two old fashioned billiard tables were standing there of which one had the same age as the Society which was established in 1802; it used to have a wooden top in the olden days, which after great many years was replaced by a slate one and rested on 13 legs; in one word the whole hall was a misfit mess.Soon enough I pointed this problem out to the commissionar of billiards, Mr. Hofstede and suggested him to purchase a pair of new English billiards, which would be up to date.
It costed me quite some trouble to bring Mr.Hofstede to bring up the case in a board meeting; he only was ready to do this when I showed him the beautiful catalogue of the firm Burroughes & Watts in London with which firm I had always been in correspondence when I was in the East Indies..Still now came the opposition of the members who were used to play pot on old wrecks and didn’t want to know about the small balls of the English billiiards; Mr. Hofstede came to an agreement with the members, mostly old gentlemen, that only one new English billiard would come which would be made in such a way that the old gentlemen could also play on it with their large balls, what they were always used to.The result was that when the billiard ( after 1.5 year deliberating ) finally had been installed and was used a general complaint came from the poolers, that they couldn’t reach the balls; the sides were too high for the small English bals and had to be replaced by a complete new set of edges, which costed the society an extra f. 500. The game of pool was after a year so popular that soon enough a second English billiard had to be ordered.In the beginning of September young Carey went to the public primary school of Mr.Teebaal in the Koningin Emmakade, she was put in the 2nd class, which was possible because of the prepartion lessens of Berry Eeltjes, the fincee of Jaques de Jongh. Marietje and Jopie were sent to the kindergarten of Miss Kuyer in the Laan van Meerdervoort.In the long run my life became rather monotinous and so here and there I looked for some technical work; however I could’nt succeed in that; everywhere I bounced on the objection that I could not bring in any capital and I didn’t want to give my energy for nothing.Gerrit Nikkels in Deventer however tried to get me work on commission, but when that didn’t succeed he suggested me to apply for a job as an expert with a building company in Nunspeet.
Together with Gerrit, whom I met in Utrecht I went to the director of the building company, who at the same time stood at the head of a large paint factory in Nunspeet.We were received with a neat lunch and afterwards the director showed us his well furbished factory and after that some houses wich were already finished ny him and on top of that a drawing of the way in which he suggested to expand the building company.From the conversations that followed then it was clear that iit wasn’t about a technical advisor, but he wanted to use me through my connection to collect capital for the expansion of his company. For this I didn’t feel at all inclined and we returned to Utrecht without any business done.So I had to get used to not working and I have to say, that I succeeded in this wonderfully, since I had enough distractions with reading, billiard and playing cards. besides the piano was still my faithful friend and I never forgot when the opportunity was there, to play a duet with someone, which for instance I did every Sunday with Joh de Jongh; it lasted till she was engaged to De Augustijn, who played the violin and whom she rather accompanied.Aunt Joh who was our guest every Tuesday, wanted by all means have me over for coffee in return; she had put it in her head that I loved pancakes so much and treated me to this dish till the bitter end, that in the end I couldn’t face them anymore; she still regarded me as her youngest brother, whom she could boss around and was quite offended about my rejection of her delicous ( ? ) pancakes.Of course I visited Milly quite often at the Conradkade; her eldes daughter Renny already went regularly to school and usually she was alone with her 1.5 year old little Milly, a darling of a baby, who was in the habit to fool her mother when she sat on the potty; if she had been sitting there for a bit she always called “Ready!” and the potty was usually still empty.
It didn’t go to well with Lotje at home, despite the fact that we did everything to provide her with work amd study distraction; like she was placed at the household school at the Suezkade, she was member of the choir under the guidance of Mrs. Bergsma, who claimed that there was a future in music for her and on whose advice she received expensive singing lessons from a wellknown teacher; it was all in vain, it went all right or a few days and then she lost interest; she became so unmanageable at home, that Dr. Bolten had to be consulted who took her on again in his mental institution, where she stayed for quite some time.Finally Dr. B. adviced to have her taken in in a family situation, where one looked after mentally ill patients and so she ended up with Mrs. Millemeister in the Columbusstraat. However this home was too close to ours, sothat she hopped over all the time and then Mrs Millemeister couldn’t manage her anymore and she came back home for good.Of course this didn’t work out either and on her own request we then looked for a job for her, where she as household help and looking after 2 young children had to work; she only stayed a few days in that employment because she was too rough with the two youthful boys. We then had to try to find a home for her further away and succeeded in this with the cousins Kerlen on the Deventerweg in Zutphen.In the beginning of December 1906 the telegraphic message came that Piet was wounded; on a patrol from Enrekang to Ringas he received a shattering shot in his left top arm and therefore was evacuated to Batavia. Of course we couldn’t keep Milly in Holland now and immediately we made the neccessary bookings for her and her 2 children; on the 24th December she left for Genoa, accompanied by me till Utrecht; in Arnhem Renata and further family came to say goodbye and on the 25th she boarded the SS Koningin Wilhelmina, exactly on her 28th birthday.
In the Indian Ocean the crankshaft of the boat broke and the ship stayed floating around helplessly for several days, though reached Colombo severl days later, where the passengers had to remain for 14 days in the emergency harbour and after that could continue the journey with the SS. Koningin Regentes and Milyl met with her husbnd in Batavia.Of course Piet was not completely recovered and had to be treated for about 6 months in the Zanderinrichting, after which he was posted in Buitenzorg.In the middle of March 1907 brother in law Benard got seriously ill and died on the 28th that month; I had visited him a few times during his illness and despite the serious situation I could not control my appetite to laugh as I saw him lying on his bed with a white sleeping cap with a standing plume on; untill the last day he was cheerful and talkative and in his honour I have to give it to him that he left my sister Cato behind in rather reasonable cirscumstances. On the first of AprilI helped burry him at Nieuw Eik en Duinen.It was around this time that I entered a correspondence with my old chief General Ermeling about getting a patent for a by him designed mudwheel; consequently I had to make repeated trips to Amsterdam, where in those days the patent office was located; the patent laws for the Netherlands were not yet introduced and I only succeeded to obtain patent for Germany and the United States of America.The good General didn’t get much out of it, he only received an offer by postcard from America to sell this, but the Yankee Postal services had warned for fraude on the postcard, sothat I only profitted from it in the shape of free trips to Groot Mokum.Footnote:Mokum is the nickname for Amsterdam.
Furthermore the General asked me to have his tombstone made here in the Hague, of which the drawing was made at the headoffice of the engineers during the time I was chief of the Arms; the sculptor, who had taken on the construction quite cheaply, hadn’t counted on so much leafwork on the toppart, which was obviously the work of a scultptor and asked for another f. 250. I thought I wouldn’t be entitled to justify this expense and wrote the General about this, who sent me the authorisation by return mail; the 15 cm thick stone was then quickly deliverd; it was a handsome piece and got the complete approval of the General’s daughter and her husband, Mr. van Hasselt, Presiden of the audit office, who was on leave.The stone was properly wrapped up and sent to Batavia and was insured agains sea damage. Later on I heard that the tombstone had been broken in two because of insufficient care on the Batavia – Buitenzorg track, though that the Chinese Mrs. Ermeling had considered this a sign of good luck, which also came true, as the General lived still many years after that.From the orphan’s court in Batavia Carey received the order to appoint a co guardian for her under age children and this happened in front of the District Court in presence of all family members who were present in the Hague, to which my brother in law Liepman v. Rees was appointed guardian. Young Carey was 8 years old then and had been taken off Mr. Teebaal’s school because of the lesser background of her co students; she then came at the girls school of Miss Boldingh, where she proved to be a good pupil, sothat the principal later on called her a thoroughbred.Marietje, who first went to the first class of a public school in the Hoornbeekstraat and so every day drank coffee with my brother in law v. Rees on the Statenplein, went shortly after that also over to Miss Boldingh, whilst Jopie was placed at the Nutschool in the de Ruyterstraat; Miel only went there a year later.Because of these circumstances Miss Steenmeyer was not needed in our household any longer and when she received an offer from the Dutch East Indian family van Putten, who gave her the prospect to return to Java within not such a long time, she took up the offer; after her departure to the Dutch East Indies we never heard from her again and now, 19 years later, we learnt that she has an excellent employment at a sugar factory.
I quite regularly received letters from Johan from Indie; through intervenance of my friend Kerbert he had been placed on starving wages at the Ned. Ind. Escompto Company under the wellknown Jan Dinger with whom he didn’t last any longer than 6 weeks and consequently went to the broker’s firm of Mr. Peter, where he came into a cosiderable better condition, sothat he even felt the temptation to start an engagement with a flame who had been left behind in Holland, the daughter of the wood merchant van Leyden, who didn’t live in the Hague anymore but had moved to Meppel.In one of his letters Johan asked me to be his mediator with the named merchant and ask him to give permission to correspond with his daughter. So I had to make a trip to Meppel and asked to stay with Gerrit Nikkels in Deventer, from where on a find Sunday I went to the small manufacturing town and there went straight away to the van Leyden’s family; I was received very hautainly and they were all but hospitable to me; it was 12 o’clock and I wasn’t even asked for lunch, despite the fact that I had been sitting in a train for long; I wasn’t even offered a sigar.So it speaks for itself that the old man didn’t want to know anything about the suggested correspondence with his daughter; he got to know Johan at the parent’s of Johan’s friend Dolf Nyman with whom he compared Johan and didn’t find him serious enough for a marriage with his daughter, besides which it would certainly take years before it would be sealed.So without doing any business I went home again ( later on it was clear and to Johan’s luck ) and still had to stay in Meppel for quite some time waiting for the train going to Deventer.
That time I spent paying a visit to my my deceased brother Anton’s eldest daughter Jet, who was married with a baker Gerrit van Straaten, a nice common guy, who called himself rollbaker. At least I received there a nice slice of bead with a nice cup of coffee, which did me good, because I was hungry.Although the van Straatens were quite well off in Meppel they later on still moved to Arnhem, where the rollbaker got a good employment with the oil factories of the firm Jurgens & Co and nowadays is in a very good position.Jet’s younger sister Sophie also lived in Arnhem and was married with a teacher in gymnastics called Maandag, who in also was well off in the end. From the only brother Frederik I haven’t noticed anything in the 20 years, that I am now in Holland; he is supposed to have quite a lesser job in Rotterdam.Every day going home I took line 3 from de Witte and I usually met a co member with a dangerous moustache; one day he suggested to meet up, because he regularly had seen me playing billiards at de Witte and would love to play billiards with me.His name was Pennington de Jongh and he used to live in Tiel, where he had a stone bakery, was consul of France and besides had established an Xray Institution; one and the other he had given up and was now liivng with his wife in a neat and small house at the Laan van Meerdervoort.Quite soon I was on good terms with him and we arranged a permanent omber party with Dr. v. Diermen and the retired Ass. Res. Oomen each Tuesday.My association with Pennington slowly becme closer and grew to a particular frienship, which we still keep going, even after he left to Arnhem where he moved to at the beginning of the war for financial reasons.The eldest daughter of P. was married to Mijnlief, the officer of Justice in Middelburg, who committed suicide later on; the second daughter as a divorcee married the mayor of Heerjansdam, who in this job earned a wage of f. 700 a year and later on wisely exchanged his job for the one of dikereeve somewhere in the outlying part of Gelderland.