The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-20
Lower Portion of Pointe Basse Cow
cred and Many Houses Razed or
Carried Into the Sea.
RIVER RAISED BY RAINS
AND DIVERTED FROM ITS COURSE
BY VOLCANIC MATTER.
of Martinique observation-disclosures
per Reporters Scared.

FORT DE FRANCE. Island of Martin
ique, June ia column of slime one hun
dred metres high was elected from the vol
cano of Mont Pelee yesterday, and fell on
Basse Pointe, enveloping the lower portion
of the town and completely razing twenty
two houses. No loss of life has been re-
ported.
The volcano continues to throw forth Gin
| ders in the northern part of the island,
which has been rendered uninhabitable.
Previous to the falling of the mass of slime,
or mud Basse Pointe, that place and
Lorraine had been inundated by torrential
rains. The part of Basse Pointe which
suffered yesterday is now covered to the
thickness of about five metres with Shiny
mud. LIE Precheur also suffered from this
latest eruption of Mont Pelee.
With the permission of NJ. L'Huerre, Gov
ernor of Martinique, the ruins of st. Pierre
were visited on Tuesday by the admins
traitor of the Island of Dominica, H. H.
Bell. and a party of friends who proceed
ed to st. Pierre on the steamer Yare. Mont
Pelee in eruption and ashes fell upon
the Yare when she passing LIE Prech-
eur. There were intermittent detonations.
and the summit of the volcano was COM
ashes. Great dense volumes of steam, APP
parently from small craters, rose by the sea
shore near the ruins of the Guerin sugar
| factory. and from several places up the
| cleft, from which the stream of mud had
| poured May s.
The ruins of st. Pierre presented a ghast-
| ~ sight. Torrential rains had removed much
| of the sand and ashes with which they had
been covered, and many corpSes were part
| ly exposed. The odors were strong and
nauseating. The valley of the river Roxel-
| lane had been blocked and a portion Of
the river has been turned into the ruins of
st. Pierre the northwest portion of which
| is partially flooded. While Mr.. Bell and
his party were proceeding with their in
| spection of the ruins an avalanche of black
scoriae and sand fell to the east of the
town, accompanied by loud detonations,
which alarmed the visitors. The north end
of the Island of Martinique is gray with
| ashes, and the whole population of that
section appear to have left the scene of
| death and deSolatiOn.
I The river which flows by Basse Pointe
| has risen suddenly four times since yester-
| day, and as a result thirty houses at Basse
| POinte have been carried out to sea- The
| first flood was signalized by the appearance
in the valley of the river of a torrent of
muddy water forty meters wide and five
meters high, which advanced with frightful
rapidity. The first houses that were struck
| by the rush of water were shattered and
| thrown high into the al and their ruins
| were carried out to sea on the crest of the
| torrent.
During all of yesterday afternoon thick
| clouds of smoke issued from the crater at
| the head of the River Falaise, and the
| river itself has been rushing downward
with such violence that its banks have been
carried away and the old river bed has dis
| appeared. The river has now taken new
course. A bridge over the Fallaise has
been carried away. One of the chasms
| from the volcanic eruption, which rendered
| access to the head of the river impossible,
| is now filled up with volcanic matter which
| has solicited, and at this moment it is pos
| sible to cross the chasm the newly
thrown-out material.
Torrential rains are falling in the north
ern part of the island. Mont Pelee con-
| tinues to vomit thick column of cinders,
| which the wind blows to the north.
The village of lie Precheur has been in
vaded by a stream of mud. A great por-
| ton of this village, however, has been car
ried away by floods which occurred pre-
viously.
Last Wednesday several French news
paper reporters who were exploring lie
| Precheur were surprised while there by
an eruption of Mont Pelee. They fled pre-
| their boat amid a rain of cinders and sur
rounded by flashes of lightning The at
| mosphere was charged with electricity to
| a remarkable degree.
Thick clouds of vapor rising from
the crevices along the entire northern
coast 1t is said that the water of several
| rivers on the island is boiling hot.
There is extreme misery among the peo-
| pie who live at Marigot and in its environs.
| The town of La Fallaise is cut off from
communication with the rest of the island.
The people who sought refuge at Lor-
| rain are slowly returning to the villages
| in the north.