Gilpin observer., 1902-05-15
ISLAND IS III Ruins.
AMERICAN CONSUL REACHES
SCENE CT VOLCANO.

Thirty Thousand corpaes s1rewn
About Site Of Destroyed city-Tei!1
story of the Awful scenca Whicn
Met His Gaze.
Fort de France, Martinique, May u.
1t now seems to be generally ad-
mitted that about 10000 persons lost
their lives as the result OF tae out
break of the Mont Pelee volcano.
Careful investigation by competent
government officials shows that the
EARLIER reports of the Associated Press
were accurate.
Briefly put, last Thursday morning
The city OF st. Pierre disappeared
within ten minutes in whirling lire
yomited from Mont Pelee, $4,000 per-
IONS were instantly and horribly
killed and the volcano, whose ancient
crater for more than so years had
been occupied by a quiet lake, IN
which picnic parties bathed, suddenly
discharged a torrent of fiery mud,
which rolled towards the sea, enguif-
Ing everything before it. Then the
last of cable communication was
broken and the doomed city was iso-
lated from the world.
The American consul at Guadaloupe,
Louis H. Ayme, has reached the desc
late spot where St. Pierre stood and
confirms the awful story in all its es-
sential details. From an interview
with Colonel Ayme, who is trained
American newspaper man, the CORE
spondent of the Associated Press
learned the following facts:
Thursday morning the inhabitants
Of the city a-oke to find heavy clouds
enshrouding the Mont Pelee crater.
All day Wednesday horrid detonations
had been heard. These were echoed
from St. Thomas ont the north to Bar
BADGES on the south. The cannonad-
Ing ceased on Wednesday night and
fine ashes fell like rain on st. Pierre.
The inhabitants were alarmed, but
Governor Moutet, who had arrived at
st. Pierre the evening before, did
everything possible to allay the panic.
The British steamer Roraima reached
st. Pierre on Sunday with ten passen-
gers, among whom were Mrs. Stokes
and her three children and Mrs. H.
J. Ince. They were watching the
rain of ashes, when. with a frightful
roar and terrific electric discharges, q
cyclone of fire, mud and steam swept
from the crater down over the town
and bay. sweeping all before it and
destroying the fleet Of vessels at an
Choir off the shore.
Tt,irkxx
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-eigh'
charred, h lead human beings
were brou " -ere. Sixteen Of them
are alreav, Fad and only four of the
whole nu1..oe are expected to recover
The Associated Press steamer, char
tered in Guadaloupe, neared Martin
ique early Sunday morning. At lie
Precheur. five miles north Of St
Pierre, canoes with men and women
! frantic to get away begged for pas
sage on the steamer. Furious blasts
of fire, ashes and mud swept over the
steamer, but finally St. Pierre was
reached. The city of st. Pierre
stretched nearly two miles along the
water front and half mile back to Z
cliff at the base of the volcano. The
houses of the richer French families
were built of stone. The still smoking
volcano lowered above the ash-coyered
hills. The ruins were burning in many
places and frightful odors of burned
flesh filed the air.
| Grim Mounds Of Dead.
! With great difficulty a landing was
effected. Not one house was left in
tact. Viscid heaps of mud, of brighter
ashes, or piles OF volca mic stones were
seen on every side. The streets could
hardly be traced. Here and there
amidst the ruins were heaps oi
corpses. Almost ali the faces were
downward. In one corner % bodies
of men, women and children were
mingled in one awful mass, arms and
legs protruding as the hapless being:
fell in the last struggles OF death &
agony. most notable was the uttel
silence and the awful overpowerine
stencil from the thousands of dead
Careful inspection showed that the
fiery stream which so completely de
stroyed St. Pierre must have beer
composed of poisonous gases. whiCs
instantly suffocated every one who In
hailed them, and of other gases burn
ing furlously. for nearly all of the vic
Tins had their hands covering thell
mouths or were In some other attitud,
showing that they had sought relic
from sufIocation. All the bodies were
carboni,ed or roasted.
Storiea Of Survivors.
The stories of the survivors addeC
TO the awful details of the particular!
narrowing account of the loss of tn,
British steamer Roraimn Engfnear,