Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-06-05
BARBADOS EXPERIENCE
A Picture of the Day of the
Eruption.
How the Dust Came by an Upper Cur
rent from st. Vincent 100 Miles Away
"A Boston Man Receives Papers
and Some Of the Dust from
Barbados.
The following is from the Barbados Ad-

The following is from the Barbados Ad
vocate of May s:
Yesterday will be ever memorable ii
the history Of the islands Of st. Vncen
and Barbados as the date on which tn
second eruption of the Soufriere Voican
, In St Vincent took place. Advices by th
mail three weeks ago informed us that tn
residents in the Chateau Beair district il
, st. Vincent had heard rumblings from tn
Soufricre, and the older inhabitants CAV,
, warning that an eruption was imminent
No further developments took place anC
, the alarm was subsding when the new!
came that the Mont Pelee Volcano in Mar
Unique was in eruption. AS the volcani,
ranges in the islands are believed to b'
continuous, alarm was again excited in st
. Vincent. and events showed that 1t was
The kilograms from st Pierre, Martinique
on the 5th inst, informed us that the lava
Hood had destroyed the usine Guerln, OF
the Riviere Blanc. to the north Of St
Pierre; and since then we are without ad
Vices from that bland.
I'VE are better informed as to the prob
ress of events in st. Vincent. On Tuesda,
smoke was seen issuing from the Soufrer(
crater and the rumblings were louder anC
more continuous. At $50 z. NJ yesterday
a message came through informing us thai
the Soufriere was in full eruption and thai
1T was raining pebbles and ashes heavily ir
| Kingston. The news was soon to be con-
frmed here, by tho occurrence OF a phe
nomenon, which occurred in 1873, when the
| Soufriere was last in eruption the falling
of volcanic dust At 2 L. NJ. on Wednesday
the whole sky was overcast only one spot
in the northwestern heavens being lit vi
as by dull lurid light. and it was gen
orally expected that heavy rain would soor
be falling. The heat, toq was we'll nigh
unbearable Many persons, however
thought that the grayish mist that obsour-
ed the sun did not look like rain clouds
and they connected the appearance with
the volcanic disturbances reported, al
though tho news Of the Increased activity
of the Soufriere had not yst boon received
| About l3O p. NJ. there was a sound as OF
distant thunder and in the leeward district
a number of reports as Of distant cannon
aiding was heard. At 2% p NJ two loud
dctonations followed by low rumbling
sound, were heard, and as the reports
were not sharp and clear like those of a
cannon but heavy and more prolonged,
| they were at once assumed to be from the
Soufriere, a belief that was soon confirmed
by the cable already referred 10. The after
noon grew darker and darker and as the
darkness gathered around us gloom fell up
on every ones spirits, and dismal forebod-
ings were heard on every hand. We are
7 So miles away from the volcano it
Is true, but tho entire face of Nature had
undergone such sudden transformation
that even Mark Tapley might have been
| excused If he showed signs of sharing in
the general uneasiness. Volcanic shocks
are accompanied by earthquakes and these
subterranean connections often take place
at distance from which the imprisoned
forces are finding vent
What If the breath that kindled those
grim fires" should engulf US in the earth
| quake shock Then, too. the tide had sud
denly risen eighteen inches. Would the
rise continue? Were we in danger of de-
l f~taf ttrx,
questions which were asked and which
gave rise to anxiety without causing panic.
AT $3.50 m. business had to be suspended
ana at 4;2o 1t was nearly as black as mid
night. At 3:l5 a quantity of coarse gritty
dust began to fall. The darkness closed
IKE pail over the city, and up to time of
going to press the fall continues, the dust
being over half an inch deep. There was
fairly strong east wind prevailing during
the whole period, and ordinarily speaking
St Vincent being to the west of us, it
would have been considered impossible that
the dust could have travelled in this drcc-
ton nearly hundred miles against the
wind. But for the last three or four days
Mr.. o Donnell. the observer at the United
states weather bureau, has noticed that
whist the prevailing direction of the wind
has been from the east, the upper currents
OF air have been from the west: and the
phenomenon observed in the last eruption
has been hurled from the volcano into the
upper strata of air, and borne eastward
against the direction Of the surface cur
rents of air.
Up to about p. m. low detonations were
heard at intervals. but after that hour
they ceased and gave place to vivid flashs
OF lightning from the northwest. accom-
panied by heavy thunder
(From the Advocate of May 81
Wednesday closed in in Cimerian dark
ness. Up to 1880 p. m. there was some
lightning from the northwest, but after
p. M there was nothing but intense dark:
ness, and it was impossible to see your
hand before your face The tram cars had
to suspend traffic about eight O'clock and
persons whose duties kept them out had a
difticult time Of 1t making their way along
the streets not lighted by gas Yesterday
morning broke gray and cherries The
face of the earth was covered with a fine
brownish gray dust. House tops and trees
were heavy with it-dust and silence as of
dead world. All the brightness and noise
or awakening life were absent No twitter
or birds, no whirring OF wings, even chan
ticleer was yoiceless. Everything was
quiet, crushed by this dust, heavy. i'm
palpable, penetrant, spread out like pail
as far as the eye could reach. Even when
the day wore on and high noon had been
reached the sun had not yet shone out. The
suspended dust clouds still yelled it from
sight, and the light resembed rather the
dusk OF summer evening in a northern
CLINE, than the middle of tropical sum-
mer day. From a calculation made by n
gentleman, 1t is estimated that 2352 100 tons
OF dust fell on the island in the u hours
between y. m. on Wednesday, when The
fall began, and a. m. yesterday when IL
ceased, or a matter of % tons to the acre
ANA IT Is unnecessary to point out that
ms is but small proportion of the stream
oil ashes poured out by the Soufriere. What
the entire cubic displacement Is must be
something tremendous. our share of dust
at any rate was sufficient. All day long
householders have been engaged in the
endless task of clearing their houses and
approaches of the dust. And the road au-
thorities in the city. have also had a hard
task to put the principal streets In order. !
IN ract their resources have hardly been
equal to the occasion, and with the exccp- |
ton of Broad street, High street, and one
or two others. in which the work OF broom |
and shovel was supplemented by turning
on the hose and washing the deposit into |
the cutters, the dust stii lies ankle deep |
The specific gravity of the dust is so great
that it does not blow about much after
railing on the ground: but the amount |
settled on the housetops and trees was still |
su1cient to keep the air obscured when
shaken down by the wind. In the mean
time many parties are having il gathered
up and stored in bags and barrels it is
said, for shipment to Demerara
Dr. Longfeld Smith as a result OF pre-
liminary neurological examinations re-
ports