The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-05-17

the onslaught of fire, is found In the
fact that none of the victims were
blinded, although the eyelids of
most of them are nearly burned
through.
All those saved, except the en-
gineers of the Roraima, are poor
sailors and Martinique negroes.
No one knows bow the passengers
of the steamer pershed, and it is
impossible to get full list Of the
vessels lost. The cable repair ship
Grappler was lost with all on board
as was the Freuch vessel Tamaya.
There were 18 or 20 vessels in the
roadstead at the time of the disaster.
STORY OF THE RoDDAM
The British steamer Roddam had
anchored, but Captain Freedman,
although horribly burned, managed
to keep on the bridge of his vessel.
Everybody of the Roddam's deck
was instantly killed, but with the as
sistance of his third engineer and
foreman, who were wounded, the
captain brought his vessel to st.
Lucia.
Many persons tried to reach the
Roddam, but in vain.
q The United States vice consul at
St. Pierre, Amadee Testart, reached
the deck of the Roddam only to fall
h back in the sea dead.
n William Benson, the carpenter OF
@ the lost British vessel Roraima, said,
o 81 was on deck amidships when !
heard the explosion. The captain
o ordered me to up the anchor. got
f to the windlass, but when the fire
9 came l went into the forecastle and
got my duds When | came out
q talked with Captain Mauggah, Mr.
= Scott, the first officer, and others
10 They had been on tue bridge. Th'
q captain was horribly burned. HI
= had inhaled flames aud wanted t.
A jump into the sea. tried to maxi
n him take life preserver, The cap
tain, who was undressed, jumped
n overheard and hung on to a line TO
+ a while, then he disappeared. "
wv Gus Linder, the quartermaster o
9 the steamer, who was so horribl
"a. burned he can hardly speak, con
q firmed this.
"a Francisco Angelo, who speak
or poor English, vividly described tn
onrush of the fire. He says tn
20 captain was a very brave man-to
40 brave to be burned to death Angel
bo further assested that the storm {
- fire lasted not more than five mil
ao utes
IT, Joseph Brecek, a seaman 80 yeal
old, is so frightfully burned that |
cannot live, having inhaled flames
- Other men of the Roraima who wei
T. rescued are Salvador A. Cola an
in Joseph Susino.
NJ From the Italian ship Teresa Lt
- veco several men were saved, b.
they are in frightful state, exec
oh Jean Louis Prudet of st. Pierr
,ut Although on deck and unprotecte
ho he was little burned.
I'M Prudet says there WAS first an awf
rol noise of explosion and then, rig
are away, a cyclone of smoke and fiji
rs but such was the poisonous, cho
,k ing nature of the smoke that
ct burned worse than the fire. VIII
nd it struck, the people fell dead.
bv The cyclone of gas tore the mas
ere out of ships, blew Others up a
sunk some of them. Soon aft
ward came wave of fire bigger th
ons the smoke cloud,
on- "That cloud, continued Prud
nob "was bigger itself than the MOI
tain. The fire burned the city eve
The where at once. Near me saw Of
rre dead men, but on shore | saw n
al. and women rushing back and TO
lod amid flames for an hour. III
who would not run long. Then ca
hot that choking smoke, and they wo
drop like dead flies.
one ''The explosion, smoke and
oop,o opd wouf in fhroa m N rtoa