The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-29
New York Correspondent
Sees Some Strange Scenes,
SOLEMN AWE EVERYWHERE
Illumination of Mont Pelee Is
Something Awful.
Special Cor. \. Y. Evening Post1

4
still. and SO hay with smoke from the
prodigious volcanic Tragedies TO the north
ward that every mans talk betrays a
curiosity as to whether you also ike
himself ard others, are apprehensive.
glance al the CLASSY water. and at the
idle shipping. that can not move for lack
OF the usual trade wind There is a
brooding fear evident to the newcomer
the moment he steps ashore. There IS a
feeling that something impends. At the
tine ofg the cataclasm at Martinique, a
bit Of this harbor which one crosses in
going 10 the Botanic Garden boiled and
swirled: ashes from the b-lching Soufriere
at St Vincent spread over the town dur
ing several days; kilograms meageriy pre-
senting the destruction wrought have
been posted daily on the public walls. all
bringing the trouble home 10 Grenadiaus-
For week, after hearing what the rnm-
bling to the northward signifed. the port
was in solemn awe Out OF twenty-one Of
its men who had gone TO st. Pierre on the
steamship Rodham only four survived
what befell. One Gay q telegram said
that the four surviving Grenadi~ns were
being brought home. There was great
crowd on the wharves ~ the vessel bear
ing them came in. As soon as the people
saw (what they had already been told
that only four Of the Iwenty-one were
here-tlat none OF the others would ever
cOme back-a realizing sense Of it all
broke il upon them and they began 10
moan and CRY. The wailing grew; those
who had lost neither father. brother. nor
husband Joined IL i'm sympathy. and under
force Of the tremendous emotion to which
negroes are subject. the lamentations
burst all ordinary bounds Of expression,
ana women fell upon one another and
nsak down in a paroxysIn of dread and
OF grieving.
Nothing else disturbed Grenada, though
the people. mostly blacks. are not con
WINGED that the violences are over. In
deed, as 1 write this, man hurries in TO
say that q telegram reports that Sou
three masted schooner has hoisted her
sails to try II there is wind enough 10
start her toward Porto Rico. she vilI
give the uneasy islands a wide berth.
Though light, the Havelock Of Nova SEQ
TIA viii not consider any proposition TO
60 near enough to put a would-be passen-
ger ashore even az St. Lucia, where there
IS no trouble. Money is nothing" the
skipper says; Il am responsible for this
vessel. and another man Owns half Of her.
= would Ike to put YOU of there IS a
favor one cansee that he hates TO re-
Tuse) But" he goes on. looking at the
months. and she's new" These men who
are On sea continually. and brave II as
calling. never tempt providence. This
one is the third 20 decline money-to de-
cline it when offered through his employ
ers- 10 20 near islands from which the
reports Of present conditions are indch-
mite and indicate no positive ending OF the
phenomena which have taken place.
They are God fearing men. and il strikes
one oddly Outside an evangelical revival
meeting one would never hear unclerical
men speak in terms so reverenUy relig-
ious- It casually occurs 10 ordinary sta
et-home persons after an episode Ike that
81 St Pierre that man IS not set master
OF the earth. 10 seafar-rs. whose whole
iife is q hreasung OF elements. it is just
they have learned 10 respect
OF the four Grenadians who escaped
home with their lives two are In the hos
pitaI with severe hurts ard two are walk
ing about One. named Jones. has Just
told me his story. He is tail and nuscu-
lar. with scant curly beard. TO trace
OF any blood except African. vet with an
accent OF the English sort that 70 some
Americans sounds swell" His story
was heard by a cynical mine prospector
who last year went ZAP the Orinoco river.
lest everything and barely got back TO
the coast with his life and 800
tones said that on arriving at St Pierre
on the morning Of the first bathurst t1e
haroormastcr-a advised The captain Of The
Roddam 20 anchor JUST outside COR q
while The crew did not know vny.
There was a cloud on Mont Pelee Scarce
" had the harbormaster's boat gone
away shoreward when two rosy halls
shot from Mont Peiee. Then there was
al explosion, IS q a thousano cannon
close at hand. Jones had q glimpse Of an
Illumination lit was about eight O'Clock
IN the morning. and imme5i stely saw the
town start in a fame. Tho Roddan vas
three-quarters Of a mile 0at Re saw
people rush 40 and fro under the names
Che moved his two hands quicSly before
each other % ILLUSTRATED. chen they dlssu-
peared and there was nothing but IRE.
sand fell Ike rain on the deck and smoke
rose. and there were shrieEs from RS
shipmates on deck. He ran 70 the hatch
and cut away the canvas and lifted Gre
4
As he dropped he saw the harboruastsr
boat go down under The storm CT fiery
sand Three men followed him-three
Grenadians. his friends.
When they eot 10 the next deck they
dropped through the second hatch and
hid. and while doing 81 saw sailors who
were below when the explosion occurred
rush 20 the upper deck They were the
ones who persisted. The vessel rose and
lurched forward. This was due 70 stsal
wave. caused. as IS row known rs the
sinking Of the roadstead from its normal
depth - 81 feet down 10 I-13 feet il
left the Roddam dry on the shore. when
another tidal wave came and carried Il
bodily out seward again. Then al was
SUI zones went into the engine room.
--- Ft-e-l ett til-s4 A--'A ~ l-aS -----I
y his engine. dead. lie -eld en- open
Bible elasped lightly against his breast as
II be had been reading * and had Just
dozed .o1 before the daue from above
rtsched down and turned hiin n charcoal +
without his ever knowing i. Two assist +
ants we're also dead. leaning against the 4
orass rails of the ensins thea faces
scorched away II was one az the IT,
r rkab,e effects y the fire aboard this /
ship that the FIRE calcined the negroes .
Shite and turned the white men black. f
q sas incomplete fncileration
How long did al this isstr-