The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-05-16
An Owe. whelming Horror
ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE,
DESTROYED.
Fully 10000 People Killed by
the Eruption Of Mt. Pelee-
Greatest Disaster of Modern
Times-Help From all Sides.

of Martinique, was destroyed by
a volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelee
on Thursday of last week. The
first dispatch. which follows, gave
no idea of the extent of the horror:
"The British steamer Roddam,
Captain Freeman, which left st.
Lucia Wednesday for Martinique,
returned there at 8 o'clock Friday
evening, bringing report that
the town of ST. Pierre, Martinique,
has been totally destroyed by vol
canic disturbances in the island.
Almost all the inhabitants of
st. Pierre are said to have been
killed. All the shipping in the
port has also been destroyed. The
Quebec Steamship Company's
steamer Roraima is mentioned as
lost with all on board.
The Roddam was almost com
pletely wrecked. Her captain
was seriously burned, and II of
her crew are dead"
The above has since been con
firmed in all it's narrowing details,
only it is mild in comparison with
the real facts.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-The
Secretary of State today received
from Louis II. Ayme, United
States Consul at Point Pitre,
Gnadeloupe, who went TO Martin
ique with instructions from tbi,
government, the following dis
patch:
Fort de France. May 1.-THE
disaster is complete. The city o
st. Pierre is wiped out. Consul
Prentis and his family are dead
The governor says 10000 hav,
persisted; $4,000 are homeless ant
hungry. He suggests that til,
Red Cross be asked to send cod
fish, -four, beans, rice, salt meat
and biscuits as quickly as posi-
BILE. Visit of war vessels valuable
AYME.n
FORT DE FRANCE. Island o
Martinique, F. W. L., May 49,
So far as is known here not
single survivor from st. Pierr
has yet been found. From wha
can be gathered it appears tina
the city and every one of its in
habitants were wiped out in 3
seconds. 1t is believed that Their
was suddenly shot down from th,
volcano great sheet of flame
and that this swept st. Pierr,
from end to end The fact tina
all the shipping in the harbor wa
burned helps to confirm thi
theory.
This is also evidenced by tn,
condition of the bodies in ST.
Pierre.
Fire seems to have been the
cause of death in a great majority
of cases. The faces of many vic
tins were calm, showing they
were struck down suddenly, with
no time to appreciate the great
peril.
Immense pyres of wood and
branches of trees, soaked with
coal tar and petroleum, are used
to cremate the bodies.
Vessels filled with half crazed
refugees, men, women and chill
dren, are constantly arriving
here. None can give more than
disconnected stories of the dis
aSter.
Fort de France knew of the
disaster few minutes after its
occurrence. 1t was hours, how
ever, before the full extent of it's
horror was known.
About 8 o'clock last Thursday
thick cloud of smoke, cinders
and ashes swept over this place
from the direction of st. Pierre.
1t turned daylight into darkness,
a rain of rocks and ashes poured
on the town as the cloud swept
over with terrifying swiftness,
causing wild panic. The sea,
to add to the terror, swept back
in great wave for a distance of
go feet or more. Twice this wave
swept back and forth, damaging
much of the shipping in the har-
Dor.
The streams of lava from La
Pelee, besides destroying st.
Pierre, extended north and west
of the city, annihilating these six
towns in their paths:
Populations
La Basse Pointe.... 80. 5000
AJoupa Bouillon -. 5000
lie Carbet.... -. ...... 5000
LIE Precheur 1855. ...... 1000
Mac0uba.. .............. 5000
Grande Riyiere.. ~. 1000
st. Pierre $50. 80, 600
How many of tha Inhabitants