The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-05-21
a Stream of Stone and Mud Half
Mile Wide.
PARTICULARS FROM ST. PIERRE
Thousands OF People arc Killed
on the Islands by the Lava
That Rams Down Noun
tain Side.
tain Side.


a mile wide was then issuing from the
volcano. Stones two inches in diam
eter fell twelve miles away. At
Kingston, the capital Of the island.
the ashes We're two inchS deep. Seven
hundred dead were reported Sunday.
May II. 1t is estimated that the TO-
tai number Of deaths on st. Vincent
reaches two thousand. Most Of the
victims are said to be Carib Indians.
Seven estates on the island have been
burned to ashes. and it is authenti-
cally reported that TWO earthquakes
occurred. 1t believed the submarine
cables at s.. Vincent have been broken
bv the disturbances. The present
volcanic eruption on st. Vincent is
the first since 1872.
LooTING THE DEAD.
The dispatch further says the tug
Pot nae cruiSe6 along the coast Of
Ma .iQue. She encountered an inky
black column Of smoke which made it
necessary for her to go five miles out
of her course. Words fail to describe
the present situation at St. Pierre. 4
small detachment Of French troops
is making efforts to inter the dead.
although the government seems to be
strikingly unconcerned as to what is
done in this direction. The looting
Of the dead has begun already. While
coming to Fort de France the Potomac
picked up a boat containing five col
ored and one white man whose pockets
were filed with coin and jewelry, the
latter evidently stripped from the fin
gers Of the dead. Lieutenant B. B.
Mccormick, the commander of the
Potomac, arrested these men and
turned them over to the commander
Of the French cruiser Suchet for pun
ishment. The Potomac also brought
a ton Of supplies to Martinique. a
famine here is imminent. The north
ern section Of the island is depopulat-
ed.
But FEW BODIES FOUND.
Strange to relate, in view of the
number Of inhabitants of st. Pierre
who were swept to death by the vol
canic waves from Mont Pelee, on
Thursday last, very few corpSes have
been found by those who are engaged
in the work of cremating the dead
bodies. This is due to the fact that
the most populous quarters Of the
town are buried under thick layer Of
cindered lava which apparently en-
tireiy consumed the bodies OF the vic
TINS. Public interest centres in the
stories Of the survivors and in the ef-
forts being made to succor the refu-
gees.
a woman named Laurent, who was
employed as a servant at st. Pierre
in the household of NJ. Gabriel, and
who was among those taken to the hos
pital in. this city, in describing her
experiences, said that on the day OF
the terrible disaster she heard loud
report and theroupon tainted. When
she regained her senses, a few hours
later. she was horribly burned, and,
glancing around, she saw two men,
bers of the Gabriel family still alive
but they died before assistance could
reach them. Mile. Laurent, although
she lived for some time after being
taken to the hospital and was con-
scious while under the care Of physi-
clans. died without being able to i'm
part any additional information con-
cerning the catastrophe.
STRANGE SIGHTS.
The path of the volcanic torrenf
which swept over ST. Pierre is marked
out in strange manner. The vicinity
of the shore where vessels anchored
was swept by whirlwind OF volcanic
gas. which ripped, tore and shattered
everything in its passage, but left few
traces Of cinderS behind. On the 9th
er hand the fort. centre and adjourn
ING partSof St. Pierre are buried under
q thick bed Of cinderS which cOnSum-
ed everything beneath it. Thescenes
within the dead city are strange and
gruesome. says the dispatch. In the
section Of the city known as the M0ul-
ege,, no sign Of fire is visible, but
everything seems to have been rent
and scattered as though by tornado.
The iron hedSteadS in the hospitals are
twisted, but bear no mark Of heat.
The bedclothes and all textiles in the
hospital simply vanished. About two
hundred corpSeS have been found IN
the streets Of St. Pierre. most Of them
living face downward. The central
quarter Of the town and The fort are
buried several yards under cinders. In
the neighborhocd Of the creek, sew
eral houses were found intact. but
their inhabitants were al dead and
appeared to have been killed by light
ming. Here the bodies were lying
sitting and reclining in curious!y life
like attitudes.
THE DISASTER DESCRIBED
Describing the destruction Of the IS
land city correspondent says that
last Monday week Mount Pelee poured
forth a stream Of molten lava 20 feet
high and half a mile wide. Its pro
greSs was appalling. Rushing dCwr
the dry bed Of Riviere Blanche il
reached the sea. The force of the I'M
pact was such that the sea receded fOl
300 feet for miles along the western
coast. Loud decorations followed Il
short irregular intervals, absolutel,
aw-inspiring and so loud that the,
were heard 300 miles away. Atnigh
the volcano crater was mass OF Iurl'
flames which Shot high up over tn
mountain, while all the time the can
nonading went on. 1t continued a
intervals on Tuesday and "Wednesday
On Thursday morning it was relative
" still. St. Pierre was as usual, earl
astir and business was partly going o
about : O'Clock. when i sort Of Whlr.
wind Of steam, boiling mud and III
suddenly swept with incredible raplc
ity over the city and roadstead. y