The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-14

factory, one of the finest in the island.
1t is now completely entombed in lava.
The tall chimney alone is visible. One
hundred and fifty persons are estimated
to have persisted there, including the
owners son.
AS the lava rushed into the sea, the
latter receded 800 feet all along the
west coast. Returning with greater
strength, a big wave covered the whole
sea front of st, Pierre, but doing little
damage ashore or afloat.
Terrible detonations, heard hundreds
of miles noTthWard, followed at short
irregular intervals aud continued at
night. The electric lightfailed, but the
town was lit up by lurid flashes #
flame from the mountain. The terror
stricken inhabitants rushed for the
hills in their night clothes, screaming,
shouting and wailing, made with Ter
rOr.
The Plissono family escaped 10 st.
! Lucia in a small steamer. Thirty-five
J persons, mostly women and children,
arrived in the forenoon of the 9th and
furnished the above details. The men
remained at Martinique. The same
tiiooh iotSi eOioSiuphiS
ton was interrupted with both the
islands of Martinique and Vincente.
During the afternoon of the Sth the
British steamer Roddam, which had
left st. Lucia at midnight on the 7lh
for Martinique, crawlod slowly into the
Castries harbOr, unacceptable, gray
with ashes, her rigging dismantled and
sails and awnings hanging about, torn
and charred.
Capt. Whatter reported That having
just cast anchor off st. Pierre at 8 a.. m,
in fine weather, succeeding an awful
thunderstorm during the night, he was
talking to the ships agent, Joseph
Plissono, who was in a boat alongside,
when he saw a tremendous cloud of
smoke and glowing cindrrs rushing
with terrific rapidity over the town and
port, completely, in an instant, env' .
oping the former IN q sheet of Il IN.
and raining fire on board. The agent
had just time to climb on board when
his boat disappeared. Several of the
crew of the Roddam were quickly
scorched to death. BY superhuman
efforts, having steam up, the cable was
slipped and the steamer backed away
htoht tto obohSS AIN tbluO uoulS lutCI.
managed to reach G. .siries. Ten of
he>Roddam's men were lying dead,
contorted and burned out of human
semblance, among the black cinders
which covered the ships deck to a
depth of six inches. Two more of the
crew have since died.
The survivors of the Roddam's crew
were loud in their praise OF the heroic
conduct of their captain in steering his
vessel out OF danger with his own
hands, which were badly burned by
the rain of fire which kept falling on
the ship for miles after she got under
way. Beyond burns all over his body
the captain ls safe, as is also the ships
agent, though he is badly scorched.
MIR. Plissono is believed to be the
sole survivor Of the forty thousand in
habitants of st. Pierre who remained
there, for the town and the shipping in
the port have been utterly destroyed,
the West Indian and Panama com
pany's repairing steamer g ing first,
then the Quebec liner Roraimr, Can't.
Muggah OF the latter waving his hand
in farewell to the Roddam as his YES
sci sank with a terrific explosion.
The British royal mail steamer Esk
which called of Martinique at 10 p. m.
Is reported standing off shore five miles,
sounding her whistle and sending up
rockets. She received no answer.
The whole sea front was blazing for
miles. The Esk sent a boat ashore,
but could not land on account of the
terrific heat which was accompanied by
lou explosion. Not a living soul APP
peared ashore after the boat had wait
ed for two hours. Fire and ashes fell
all over the steamer.