The Red Cloud chief., 1902-05-16
NO SIGN OF LIFE
Vicinity of 81. Pierre u Huge Cemetery

Rescue work.
A Fort de France, May Is special
says:
Outside help is quickly needed here.
The town is filling with refugees from
the north end of the island. The y
supplies at hand. including those seht
from Guadalupe, are totally made
quate II the terror of starvation con-
fronts the sufferers. The heat is in
tense, the unhealthy season Is at hand
and an epidemic is feared. The refu-
gees are absolutely destitute. Relief
committees are helping the people to
the best of their ability. but food is
doled out cautiously because of the
abbreviation of the supply.
It is estimated that 10000 people
on the island are without food and
shelter and many will die of starva-
ton and exposure before permanent re-
lief can reach the stricken islands.
A great cloud of smoke still hangs
over st. Pierre mt the country for
miles around. Every person who es-
capped death from the eruption has fed
to Fort de France, leaving only SOL
dicrs and others sent to st. Pierre by
the government at the scene.
The work of burning the bodies is
going on as rapidly as POSSIBLE. Thou
sands are buried under mounds of lava
and cinders. They will not be reached
for many days. The exposed corpses
are in a advanced stage Of decom-
position and exhale a s%ickcning odor.
the work of cleaning the city can go
on only very slowly.
Eytt,,,t,. ~, a., a., ,,,l,, - 1.,I
are simply guesses. but IA conservative
opinion is that fully 10000 persisted.
The Danish cruiser Nalyrien has res
cued 500 people from the north and
northeast coasts of Martinique. The
French cruiser Suchot has taken 1000
from the island. The cable ship Poycr
QuCrticr also saved a number.
a London. May - dispatch states:
Sixteen hundred lives are known TO
have been lost on st. Vincent island
as the result of the eruption of La
Soufriere,' according to a cablegram
received here this morning. On ac-
count of the continued flow of lava and
the intense heat. the stricken section
Cannot be penetrated. but refugees
arriving at Castries. St. Lucia island.
say, however, that the loss of life will
far exceed 900. A, week has passed
since the eruption began and the tre-
mendous explosions and rumblings had
not rcCeded when the Cablegram was
sent from Castries this morning. Many
refugees have arrived at Dominica in
canoes st. Lucia cannot be seen from
the n%eighboring islands on account of
the heavy fog. The sea in the vicinity
is covered with trees and other debris
swept from the island.
In the house of commons today Dill
lon. nationalist. asked that in view
of the action of the president of the
United States for the relief of the
Martinique sufferers. would the British
government take similar steps. Gov
eminent Leader Balfour said he had
never heard of any vote of the kind
leing submitted to parliament. OF
course. the government sympathiZed
with the victims OF the disaster and
every possible assistance would be
given on the spot. Dillon pressed the
government to create a precedent, say
ing such a measure would receive a
unanimous vote. Balfour said he had
considered the matter with his coll
leagues, put had no announcement to
make Dillon gave notice he would
intcrpOlate tomorrow.
Tho Itttive position of the sun and
moon AT an angle of forty-fve de-
grccs is SAID by Scientist Hugh Glenn
ents to have been the cause of the
Mont Pelee eruption. The Galveston
disaster, he points ont, occurred when
the sun n moor were in a similar
position.
CABINET TAKES THE INITIATIVE.
4 Washington. May l3 special says:
Tn" cabinet meeting today was devoted
almost entirely to a discussion of meas
uros for the relief of the stricken peo-
pie of Martinique and st. Vincent.
1t was decided to appoint committees
of citizens in all the large cities to
take charge of popular subscriptions
of money and the collection of sup
plies. Arrangements will be made to
forward on government vessels all con-
tributions thus obtained.
In the senate this morning the chair
nan of the committee on foreign rela-
tiOns, CullOn, reported favorably the
bill providing for the appropriation OF
a half million for relief, under the di-
rection of the president, of the people
of Martinique and st. Vincent. In this
is included the $500, 900 appropriated
yesterday.
Richard Cough & Co, of New York,
have telcgrapher the state department
that they have a million pounds of rice
in bond, offering it to the government
at a nominal price for the relief OF the
Martinique sufferers. The department
also has inquiries from various cities
asking whether private subscriptions
would be acceptable. These offers will
be turned over to the directors of the
Red Cross society.