The evening Republican., 1902-05-13
A CITY OF THE DEAD
Consul Ayme Visits st. Pierre
and Reports.
RUINS; STREWE WITH VICTIMS.
Twelve Survivors Only Remain OF
More Than $4,000 Dyvellers In
IN the Ill Fated T0wn-Heart-
rending Sights.

rending Sights.
FORT DE FRANCE, Island of Mar
Unique, May 13.-It now seems to bt
: generally admitted that about 10000
persons lost their lives as a result Of
the outbreak Of the Mont Pelee volca
no at st. Pierre on Thursday last. Care
full investigation by competent govern.
ment officials shows that the earlier re,
ports were accurate.
Briefly put, in ten minutes last Thurs.
day morning the city of st. Pierre dis.
appeared in whirlfng fire vomited
from Mont Pelee, and 10000 persons
were instantly and horribly killed, and
the volcano, which for more than fifty
years had been quiet lake occupying
its ancient crater. in which picnic par
ties bathed suddenly discharged tor
rents of fiery mud which rolled toward
the sea, sweeping everything before it.
Then the last cable communication
was broken, and the doomed city was
isolated from the world. ... -. ,.,r
The commander Of the French cruis-
CT Suchet gave the American consul
at Guadeloupe. Louis H. Ayme. the
first news Of the appalling disaster the
day after it occurred. Mr.. Ayme has
reached the desolate spot where ST.
Pierre stood and confirms the awful
story in all Its essential features.
From an interview with Colonel
Aymc, who is trained American
newspaper man, the following facts
were learned regarding the destruction
Of st. Pierre:
Thursday morning found the inhab-
itants Of that city anxously looking to-
ward the, thick clouds shrouding the
Mont Pelee crater. All day Wednesday
h0rrid detonations had been heard.
These had been echoed from st. Thorn
as, Oh the north, to Barbados on the
south. During the night of Wednes-
day these had ceased, and only fine
ashes, like rain, fell OH st. Pierre.
Twelve survivors only are in the mil
itary hospital at Fort de France, while
10000 corpses are strewn about or bur
led in the ruins of st. Pierre or else
floating, gnawed by sharks, in the sur
rounding seas. Twenty-eight charred,
half dead human beings were brought
here Sixteen of them are already dead,
and four others only are expected to
recover
A steamer chartered In Guadeloupe
reached Martinique at G:30 Sunday
morning. The lofty hilled island was
hidden behind huge veil of violet or
leaden colored haze. Enormous guam
titles Of the wrcckage of large and
small ships and houses were met with.
Huge trees and too often tloating bod
les, with flocks of sea gulls soaring
above and hideous sharks fighting
about them, were floating here and
there. From behind the volcanic veil
came blasts of hot wind mingled with
others ice cold.
At lie Trecheur, FIVE miles north Of
St. Pierre, canoes with men and wom-
en-. frantic TO get away, begged for a
passage on the steamer.
The whole north end of the island
was covered with silver gray coat
ing of ashes resembling dirty snow.
Furious blasts of fire, ashes and mud
swept over the steamer, but finally st.
Pierre was reached.
The city of st. Pierre stretched near
ly two miles along the water front and
half mile back to cliff at the base Of
the volcano. The houses of the richer
French families were built of stone.
The ash covered hills were hanked by
the still smoking volcano. The ruins
were still burning in many places, and
frightful odors of burned flesh filled
the air. With great difficulty a landing
was effected. Not one house was left
intact Everywhere were viscid heaps
of mud of brighter ashes or piles Of
volcanic stones.
The streets could hardly be traced.
Here and there amid the ruins were
heaps Of corpses. Almost all the faces
were downward. In one corner twenty
two men, women and children were
mingled in one awful mass arms and
legs protruding as the haplcss beings
fell in the last struggle of deaths
agony
Through the middle of the old Place
Bertin ran a tiny stream, the remains
roots upward and scorched by fire,
were strewn in every direction. Huge
blocks and still hot stones We're scat
tered about. From under one large
stone the arm Of white woman pro.
truded. Most notable was the utter
silence and the awful, overpowering
stencil from the thousands Of dead.
Careful inspection showed that the
fiery stream which SO completely de-
stroyed st. Pierre must have been COM
posed Of poisonous gases, which in
stantly suffocated every one who in
hailed them, and of other gases burning
6lrionsiy, for nearly all the victims had
their hands covering their mouths or
were in some other attitude showing
that they had sought relief from suffo.
cation. All the bodies were carbonized
or roasted.
A. G. Austen, the manager of the Co.
lonial bank Of Barbados, landed at st.
Pierre with party from the British
royal mail steamer Solent. He found
the bank clock stopped at some min
ntes before o'clock. A horse and
buggy and policeman were in dead
group Mt the door.
At the request of $. A. Macallister,
the United States consul at Barbados,
Captain Davis and the Solent were
placed at his disposition by the Barba.
dos government.
The Solent arrived at about the same
time as the Associated Press steamer