The Springfield herald., 1902-05-16


dies. May 11.-Mont Pelee. a volcanic
mountain some ten miles north of St
Pierre, the commercial capital of Mar.
Unique. is the mountain which made n
faint show of eruption fifty years ago.
May 3rd last 1t began to throw out
| dense clouds of smoke. At midnight
the same day flames. accompanied
with rumbling noises, lighted the sky
| over an immense area. causing wide
spread terror. May 4th hor ashes COW
cred the whole city quarter of ST.
| Pierre an inch thick and made Mont
| Pelee invisible
At noon May 9th a stream of burn
ing lava rushed 4,4O0 feet down the
mOuntain side. following the dry bed
of n torrent, and reaching the sea, five
miles from the mountain in three min
utes. In its rush the fiery flood swept
from its path plantations, buildings,
factories, cattle and human beings
over n breadth of about half mile.
At the rear of the mouth of the Ri
Were Blanche stood the large Guerin
sugar factory one of the finest in the
island. 1t is now completely entombed
in lava. The tall chimney alone is Wis
ible. 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 300 feet all along the
west coast returning with greater
strength, n big wave covered the whole
sea front of st. Pierre, but did little
damage ashore or affoat.
Terrible detonations, heard hundreds
of miles northward, followed at short,
irregular intervals and continued at
night. In the intense darkness the
electric lights failed but the town was
lit up by lurid flashes of flame from
the mountain. The terror-strcken in
habitants rushed for the hills in their
night clothing. screaming. shouting
and wailing-mad with terror.
The Pllssono family escaped to ST.
Tura in n small steamer Thrty-five
persons, mostly women and children.
arrived here in the forenoon of the 9th
and furnished the above details. The
men remained at Martinique.
The same afternoon. later, telegraph
ic communication was Interrupted with
both the islands of Martinique and St
Vincent
During the afternoon of the Sth the
British steamer Roddam. which had
left St Lucia at midnight on the 7th
for Martinique crawled slowly into
the Castries harbor unrecognizable
manted and sheets and awnings hang
ing about, torn and charred.
Captain Waiter reported that having
just cast anchor off st. Pierre at 8 H.
M. in fine weather succeeding an aw-
full thunder storm during the night. he
was talking to the ships agent, Joseph
Plissono, who was in Il boat alongside,
when he saw tremendous cloud of
smoke and glowing cinders rushing
with terrific rapidity over the town and
port, completely. in an instant. envel-
Oping the former in n sheet of flame
and raining fire on board. The agent
had just time to climb aboard when his
boat disappeared. Several of the crew
We're quickly scorched to death.
BY superhuman efforts. having
steam up. the cable was slipped and
the steamer backed away from the
shore, and nine hours later managed to
reach Castrics Ten of the Roddoms
men were lying dead, contorted and
burned out of human semblance. ow-
ing to the black cinders which covered
the ships decks to n depth of six
inches. Two more of the crew have
since died. Two of the survivors of
the crew We're loud in their praise of
the heroic conduct of the captain in
steering their vessel away from de-
struction 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. Be
yond burns over his body the captain
is safe, as is also the ships agent,
though he is badly scorched
Mr.. Plissino is believed here to be
the sole survivor of the 10000 inhabi-
tants of the town, and all the shipping
in the port has been utterly destroyed.
the West Indian X Panama Telegraph
Company's repairing vessel going
first, then the Quebec liner Roraima.
Captain Muggah of the latter waved
his hand in farewell to the Roddam
as his vessel sank with Il terrific eN-
plosion.