Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-05-29
DIXIE At FORT DE- FRANCE.
The American Official Relief Ship
Arrives In Martinique with
Her Cargo Of Supplies.
GOES THENCE TO ST. VINCENT ISLAND.
An Inspection of st. Pierre Indi-
Gates that Tuesdays Eruption of
Mont PeIee Was Many Times
More Violent than That Which
Destroyed the City May s.

ique, May 23.-The United States
steamer Dixie, Capt. Berry, from New
York, arrived Wednesday after a
quick and safe passage. Her passen-
gers include many world-famous
scientists. Prof. Robert T. Hill, gov
eminent geologist; Prof. c. j..
Borchgrevink, the antarctic explorer,
Messrs. George Curtis and George
KEENAN, and many magazine writer's
and correspondents are also among
those who arrived on the steamer.
Landing Her Cargo.
The Dixie began landing her emo
nous cargo of supplies early, and the
stores soon became congested, and
this is the greatest difficulty of the
administration.
The United States steamer Poto-
mac went to inspect st. Pierre, with
the commanders of the war vessels
now here. With the greatest dill
Guilty the party succeeded in making
a landing. The effects of the out
burst of Tuesday was tremendous.
The huge bastile towers of the ca
thedral were hurled fiat to the earth.
The bo~mbardment of volcanic stones
is not sufficient to account for this,
and all evidences point to the pas
sage of q furious blast of blazing
gas, travelling at enormous speed and
with incalculable force. The deposit
of b%oulders, ashes, and angular
stones is enormous. Not a human be-
ing saw what happened at st. Pierre,
Tuesday morning. Fort De France is
overwhelmed with terror.
More Violent That the First.
This second eruption was many
times more violent than that which
effaced st. Pierre and swept its peo-
pie from the earth. Nor has all vol
canic activity ceased. Vast columns
of smoke and gas still pour from the
great crater; and new assures have
opened on the mountain sides and are
vomiting yellow whirlwinds, which
rush internationally now from Il
point and now from another. Boiling
mud also is thrown out at times in
torrents that reach the sea and pro- !
duce small tidal waves.
A Hide0us Amphitheater.
From q sombre, silent city of
death and desolation, St. Pierre has
become a hideous amphitheater of
fiery, roaring destruction. The peo-
ple are convinced that God is angry
with the island and means to scourge
it with fire and then sink it in the
ocean. Utter and unreasoning fear
possesses all souls. Even Fort De
France is believed to be unsafe. The
presence of the relief ships, however,
is helpful to the people, who say:
"The American flag makes safety"
Departed for st. Vincent.
The Dixie sailed Thursday for st.
Vincent, but the other vessels will re-
main.
The scientists who have arrived
will examine into the question of the
danger of the peaks of Carbet near
Fort De France becoming active vol
canos. The outburst of Tuesday prob
ably means a ruined island, AS all con-
fdence is lost.
During her last exploring trip
about the island the French cruiser
Suchet, which did not stop at st.
Pierre, noticed that all the formerly
cultivated land between Grands
Revere and Marigot has been com
pletely destroyed. The inhabitants
of those two towns have suffered and
are still suffering a great deal, but
they have not undetermined to aban-
don those localities, and efforts are
being made to supply them with pro-
visions.
The Suchet also reports that as
she approached the point where the
land was in a better state of preser-
walton, especially between Macouba
and Lorraine, a shower of stones and
sulphur caused those of the popula-
ton of Morne Rouge who had re-
manned there hastily to evacuate that
place.
For a time some apprehension was
felt regarding the safety of the de-
tachment of French troops quar-
tered at LIE Carbet, but there has
been no loss of life among them, ac-
cording to the most recent reports.
The French gunboat Joffroy took
on board about one hundred and fifty
of the inhabitants of the neighbor-
hood of LIE Carbet
"We want not food, but only to
leave" is the cry of rich and poor.