The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-06-26
ST. VINCENT'S VOLCANO.
Great Eruption of 1912 Surpassed
Everything Up to the Recent
Mont PeIee UpheavaI.


Those familiar with the geological
and Typographical formations of the
Windward islands said that it would
not be surprising if both Mont Pelee.
on Martinique, and La Soufriere, On
st. Vincent, exploded in the same
manner. Both of these mountains
slope gradually from the coast, both
go to about the same height, both
have a small lake within their craters,
and, curiously enough, each has been
known colloquially as La Soufriere, -
although the official name of each is
different, says the New York Times.
The st. Vincent mountain, however,
has had very different history from
| that of Martinique. Mont Pelee vom-
tied forth volcanic fires in 1851, but
soon afterward became inactive, so
that both islanders and scientists be-
lieved it to be completely extinct.
Not so with La Soufriere, of the
Morne Garou of st. Vincent. That
mountain was the source of a ire
mendous eruption in 1872, of another
smaller one in 1855, and, according to
tradition, of still another in IT'S.
The great eruption of 1912 took
place on April 81 of that year. There
had been disturbances all about the
shores of the Caribbean sea for two
years before the great outburst
came. On March 20, just a day more
than month before the principal
hn e IL,
vigorously shaken, and the city of
Caracas suffered the loss of thou
sands of its inhabitants.
The seismic CONFUSION moved to
the sea from Caracas, and on the
date mentioned reached the little is
land of St, Vincent. With a great
roar, the gases and fumes, the flames
and molten rocks of the earths in
terror We're thrown into the air,
carrying ruin and terror to all the
surrounding country. For three
days the great volumes of smoke that
were emitted from the volcano COW
cred the islands with darkness. 1t
IS said that the noise of the eruption
was so great that the English sol
Tiers at Barbados-60 miles away
imposed it was the cannonading of a
avail battle, and preparations were
made to withstand an attack.
Before the eruption of Mont Pelee
little st. Vincent enjoyed the distinc-
ton of having produced the most i'm
portant volcanic disturbance in the
history of the Lesser Antilles. The
island is only IS miles long and II
miles wide. 1t lies in the Caribbean
sea, 60 miles west of Barbados and IS
miles southwest of st. Lucia. The
entire island is of volcanic structure,
and La Soufriere rises to height Of
4,04S. feet.
This island was discovered by CO.
lumbus in 1893. In 1927, when Charles
/. granted st. Vincent to the earl of
Carlisle, it was peopled by Caribs;
in 1872 the island was given to Lord
Willoughby, and in 1922 was granted,
along with other islands, to the duke
of Montagu by George l. After hos
tilities with the French and Caribs,
the island passed definitely to Great
Britain, in 1888. Immigrants were
introduced soon afterward, and the
plantations of the island were well
cultivated.
The "Carib" country is broad and
fertile tract, sloping gently back
ward from the sea to the base of the
hills of the central mountain range,
and it derives its name, obviously,
from the aborigfhes of the country.
The valleys are fertile and we'll
watered with fine streams, several Of
which are spanned with substantial
stone and iron bridges. The prin-
cipa' harbor of the colony is Kings
town. The harbor is formed by the
projection int< the sea Of two pro-
montories, the eXtremities of two
spurs thrown out by Mount ST. An
drew. The shore is sandy and the
sea so smooth, generally, that boats
can be beached anywhere along it.
There are about 20 miles of roads
running around and through the is
lard, these being for the most part
close to the sea coast, and many by
ways afford very picturesque views
of this beautiful island. Commune