The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-05-16
CONSUL AYME INTERVIEWED.
A Press Representative Learns Some of the
Awful Details From One Who
Visited the Scene.


Fort de France. Island of Marti-
nique. May 12.--lt now seems to be
generally admitted that about thirty
thousand persons lost their lives as
result of the outbreak of the Mount
Pelee volcano at st. Pierre on Thurs
day last. Careful Investigation by
competent government officials shows
that the earlier reports of the press
were accurate.
The American consul at Guade-
Ioupe, Louis II. Ayme, has reached
the desolate spot where st. Pierre
stood. and confirms the awful story |
i'm all its essential details.
From an interview with Col Ayme. |
who is trained American newspaper |
man. correspondent of the press
learned the following facts:
Thursday morning the inhabitants
of the city awoke to find heavy
clouds shrouding the Mont Pelee
crater. All day Wednesday horrid de-
donations had been heard. These
were echoed from St. Thomas on the
north. to Barbadoes on the south. The
cannonading ceased on Wednesday
night. and fine ashes fell like rain on
ST. Pierre. The inhabitants were
alarmed. but Gov. Mouttet. who had
arrived at St. Pierre the evening be-
fore. did everything possible to allay
the panic.
The British steamer Roraima
reached St. Pierre on Thursday with
ten passengers. among whom were
| Mrs. stokes and her three children
and Mrs. III. j. Ince. They were
watching the rain of ashes when.
with frightful roar and terrific
electric discharges a cyclone Of fire,
mud and steam swept down from the
crater over town and bay. sweeping
all before il and destroying the fleet
Of vessels at anchor off the shore.
There the accounts OF the catas-
trophe so far obtainable cease.
Thirty thousand corpses are strewn
about. buried in the ruins OF st.
Pierre. or else floating, gnawed by
sharks, in the surrounding seas.
Twenty-eight charred. half-dead hui
man beings were brought here. Six
teen of them are already dead. and
only four Of the whole number are
expected to recover.
The Associated Press steamer. char
tered i'm Guadcloupe. neared Mart'
niaue nj s: 30 sunday morning. The
island. with its lofty hills, was hidden
! behind a huge veil of violet. or leader
: cofored haze. Enormous quantities 81
the wreclsage of large and small ships
and houses strewed the surface OF thu
sea. Huge trees. too. and. often
y bodies. with focks Of sea gulls soar
! ;ng about. and hideous sharks fight
, ing about them, were floating her
: and there. From behind the volcani
veil came blasts Of hot wind. mingle
with others icy cold.
y At lie Prccheur. five miles north
{! st. Pierre. canoes with men an
y women. frantic To get away. begge
y for passage on the steamer.
The whole north end of the islam
was covered with a silver gray Goa
III ing Of ashes resembling dirty snow
Furious blasts of fire. ashes and m'i
IN swept over the steamer. but, finali.
y st. Pierre was reached.
ie The city of st. Pierre stretche
re- nearly two miles along the waite
front and a half mile back To a eli
ne nj the base of the volcano. ~
u houses of the richer French famli'
= were built of stone.
~ The still smoking volcano towert
Is above the ash-covered hills. III
'r ruips wer- burning i'm many place
ry and frightful odors Of burned fe'
" filed the air.
&C. With great difficulty landing W
effected. Not one house was left
ne tact. viscid heaps Of mud. Of brigf
nc or ashes, or piles Of volcanic ston
were seen on every side. The stree
IN could hardly be traced. Here a
no. there amid the ruins were heaps
Ely corpses. Almost all the faces we
downward.
Au- In one corner % bodies of M
20 women and children were mingled
one awful mass, arms and legs p
cut truding as the hapless beings fell
mas the last struggles Of deaths ago.
are Through the middle Of the old III
nee Bertin ran tiny stream, the rema
Of the river Gayave. Great trees, "
roots upward and scorched by =
-. were strewn in every direction. III
blocks and still hot stones were sc
,ercd about. From under one la
mc. stone the arm Of white woman '
I'm. trudcd. Most notable was the VI