The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-09

Castries. Island of ST. Lucia, B. w.
l., September 1.-The British stsamer
Corona arrived here yesterday evening
from Fort de France, Island of Mar
Unique. She reports that a terrible
eruption of MOlt Pelee occurred at Q
o'clock Saturday night. and that peo-
pie who arrived at Fort de France
from the northern part of the island re-
ported that the village Of Morne Rouge,
-sear he district previously devastat-
EIDE, had been entirely destroyed and
that LeCarbet, a village on the coast
which was destroyed at the time of the
great eruption. had been swept by a
tidal wave About two hundred per-
IONS lost their lives.
A sloOp from the island of ST. Vim
cent which reached here this morning
reports thaat Mont Pelee's crater is
now quiet but that the detonations
during Saturday were the loudest
heard up to that time and that the in
habitants were terribly alarmed.
Mont Pelee has been in constant
eruption since August 18th. There was
iii CLAOI IdlI VI oll 1IOIil IIle VOL
oanO the night OF the 25th. There was
a very severe eruption the night of the
18th, when the volcanic rumblings
were heard at n great distance. The
burned fiercely that night
and out at sea passing vessels were
covered with ashes. The night of the
10th there Were three separate erup-
lions
1t is impossible to approach the ruin
ed town of st. Pierre from the sea. The
people of the village of LeBarbet, on
the coast, are terror stricken n fly
ing to the interior. Hot water is pour
ing down on LOrrain and Basse Pointe.
villages to the northeast of the crater.
Horrible were heard, the
ground rocked and quaked and arti-
Giles on tables were thrown to the
floor.
The governor of Martinique has Or
dered every available boat to remove
people from the coast villages to Fort
de rance.
At 8 o'clock in the evening of Satur-
day the Both the sky was ~cloudless.
Suddenly and without warning one
half of the horizon was Obscured by a
pitch black cloud of dust. This cloud
was the centr Of almost electric eff
fectS, the flashes of light SURPRISING
the most elaborate fire works. Flames
and flashes continued to burst from the
cloud until nearly midnight. Columns
OF flames shot out of the crater of Mont
Pelee to explode about the cloud in
showers of balls of golden fire which
fell through the darkness in myriads of
sparks. Three large aureoles were
seen il the sky ever the opening of the
crater.
A tidal wave rushed upon Fort de
France and the terrified inhabitants
fled in large numbers to the interior.
III $780,. ,.+ ny-1r n~l Ii1 hrrr
slight damage
At of the 3Oth Mont Pelee
was quiet: shortly after this hour there
came another shower of ashes, accom-
panied by vivid sheet lightning. In ad-
dition to the two hundred persons re-
ported to have lost their lives at Le-
Carbet and Morne Rouge, many other
persons are said 20 have been killed all
over the northern districts of the is
land. The governor of Martinique is
believed ito have started for the scene
of destruction.
When the steamer Korona arrived
here yesterday she was covered with
ashes and scoria.
ANOTHER REPORT.
Basse Terre, Island of Guadeloupe,
French West Indies, Sunday, August
31.-The French transatlantic coast
steamer Salvador. which has just ar
rived at llTS, IepOIlS lidl SiC
left for Fort de France. Island OF Mar
Unique, yesterday and has passed Mont
Pelea at z o'clock the same evening.
The volcano was then in violent erup-
ton. On approaching the stands of
Les Saintes (smali islands off the south
extremity of Guadeloupe) she were
falling on the vessel. She arrived on
Point-a-Pitre at 3 o'clock but was un-
able To enter that port until IL o'clock
At NIGHT owing to the obscurity.