St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-05-14
AN APPALLING CALAMITY.
A Town Destroyed and 10000 Lives
Eost Inv n Volcanic Eruption

A disDatch from St. Thomas announces
the destruction of the entire town OF o.
pure on the island of Martinique, by
the eruption Of Mt. Pelee. There are sew
eral extinct VOLCANOES in the island, ana
none have been active for many years
News of the eruption was brought to ST.
Thomas by the British steamer, Roddam'
which was almost completely wrecked:
Her captain was seriously burned anu
IT of Ter crew are dead.
1t is estimated that 4O, 900 people losI'
their lives in the volcanic eruption.
Is vessels, including tour American
ships. wee destroyed in tie harbor with
all on board. The Frel ch cruiser oucnet
and British steamer Roddam were the
only vessels to escape - -
The city was enveIoped i'll a storm OF
stream. fire and mud Survivors say 1t
wasa "glimp-e of hell beRgaring descr1P,
lion. There was terrible uphea7al OF
land and sea, ,oo4
prday. MAY 3, and continued to Thurs
day, when the volcano "eXploded' o4ry.
mo the city and the country for radius
OF four miles. q. D;o...
The American Consul to st. Pierre
Thomas T. Prentis, and his wife, form
erly of Melrose, Mass, are reported 1t
be among the victims. ,-,.
The French cruiser Suchet orou2u
thirty survivors to st. Thomas. lie
: officers saw many dead on the wharVe
At St. Pierre. The cruiser has been OF
dered to return to St. Pierre and CIV
assistance. L:,
II was the horrible choice of BEN
! overwhelmed by the molten torrent iror
; Mont Pelee. or suffocated by the dus
;n,nregnated air and hot vapors from tn
/ volcano, or, on the other hand, OF Ieal
mo- into the sea and meeting death b
drowning. .,-.-.....$.
d Owes It rank with Pompei1, in when u
=, nrmber of lives lost can only be cons
It +nred and the Lisbon earthquake
Id 1755 when the loss of life was various
III estimated at between 80, 900 and 60, 90
Is The Disaster Not Unexpected.
~ Miss FRYE, sister of the wife OF Cons
re- prentisat St Pierre, received at her hol
al in Melrose. Mass. on Friday, let'
dated April IS, which showed that
neople OF St. Pierre were apprehens1Ve
dancer. The Boston Journal gives t
IN Litter which IS of keen interest, as /
lows: -.
CIV Dear Sster-This morning
.Ie whole population OF the city IS on
On alert and every eye is directed LOW
~ Mount Pelee, an extinct volcano Eve
U.s. body is afraid that the volcano has tai
into its heart to burst forth and dest
'as The whole island. Fifty years ago Mo
he Pelee burst forth with terrific force
DESTROYED everything for a radius
l i'll several miles. For several DAYS
mountain has been bursting forth and
Fl mpnse quantities OF lava are How
bv down the sides of the mountain.
All the inhabitants are going Ut
see it. There is not horse to be bat
last the island, those belonging to the nat
are kept in readiness to leave at
ment's not &c. Last Wednesday, w
u was April %, was in my room
cure little Christine, and we heard three
anu tinct shocks They were so great
curr we sunnos.d at first that there
asses someone at the door and Christine
'e III and found no one thlre. The first re
INA INA was very loud but the second ana
~ were so great that ulsHes "0'e ~
Lam from the shelves and the house was
pletelv rocked. We can see Mount
from the rear windows OF our house
, - although it is fully four miles aWi
IS re- can hear the roar and see the FIR
lee nee lava issuing from it with terrific tor
o'' The city is covered with ashe
clouds of smoke have been over our
past for the past FIVE days. The smell
pher is so strong that horses o
last streets stop and snort and some Of
uncle, are obliged to give up, drop in the
ness and die from the suffocation,
s,eak of tie people are obliged to Wea
l,prch handkefcheis over their faces to +
them from the str org fumes OF st
NV husband assures me that ther
nome nome immediate danger and when there
d TINS least particle OF danger we will lea
-, place. ,...
I. Morse, in the barbor, and it will
t Con. here for at least two weeks. II t
cano becomes very bad we shall