The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-20
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
Eyewitness Tells of Sights in the
Stricken City.
Latest Estimate Places Number of
Dead at 3O,OOO-First Reports of
Disaster Correct In All Es-
sential Details.

nique, May 13.-lt now seems to be
generally admitted that about 10000
persons lost their lives as result
| of the outbreak of the Mont Pelee
volcano at ST. Pierre on Thursday
last. Careful investigation by compe-
tent government officials show that
the earlier reports were accurate.
The American consul at Guadeloupe,
Louis II. Ayme, has reached the desc
late spot where st. Pierre stood and
confirms the awful story in all it's
essential details. From an interview
with Col. Ayme, who is a trained
American newspaper man, the follow
ing facts We're learned:
Latest story of the Disaster.
Thursday morning the inhabitants of the
city awoke to find heavy clouds shroudlrs
the Mont Pelee crater. All day Weones-
day horrid Getonatons had been heard
These were echoed from St. Thomas on the
north to Barbados on the south. The can
nonading ceased on Wednesday night, and
fine ashes fell like rain on st. Pierre. The
inhabitants were alarmed, but Gov. Mout-
tet, who arrived at St. Pierre the evening
before, did everything possible to allay the
panic.
The British steamer Roraima reached st.
Pierre on Thursday with ten passengers,
among whom were Mrs. Stokes and her
three children, and Mrs H. j. Ince. They
were watching the rain of ashes when, with
a frightful roar and terrific electric dis
charges, a cyclone of fire, mud and steam
swept down from the crater over town and
bay, sweeping all before it and destroying
the fleet of vessels at anchor off the shore.
There the accounts of the catastrophe SO
far obtainable cease
Thirty thousand corpsesare strewn about.
buried 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 mere.
Sixteen of them are already dead, and only
of the whole number four are expected to
recover.
press steamer, chartered in Gualeloupe,
neared Martinique at $50 Sunday morning.
The island, with its lofty hills, was hidden
behind a huge veil Of violet, or leaden-col-
ored haze Enormous quantities of the
wreckage of large and small ships and
houses strewed the surface of the sea. Huge
trees and, too often, bodies with flocks of
| sea gulls soaring above the hideous sharks
fighting about them, We're floating here and
there. From behind the volcanic veil came
blasts of hot wind, mingled with others,
Ice cold AT LIE Precheur, five miles. north
of st. Pierre, canoes with men and women,
frantic to get away, begged for passage
on the steamer. The whole north end of
the island was covered with silver gray
coating of ashes resembling dirty snow.
Furious blasts of fire, ashes and mud swept
over the steamer, but finally st. Pierre was
! reached.
Ruins Still Burning.
The city of st. Pierre stretched nearly
two miles along the water front and hall
a mile back to cliff at the base of the
volcano. The houses of the richer Frencf
families were built of stone. The still
smoking volcano lowered above the ash
covered hills The ruins We're burning ir
many places and frightful odors of burnec
flesh filled the air. With great difficulty q
landing was effected. Not one house was
left intact Viscid heaps of mud, of brighter
ashes. or piles of volcanic stones We're seen
on every side. The streets could hardly be
traced.
Bodies Piled in Heaps.
Here and there amid the ruins were heaps
of corpses, almost all the faces Were down
ward In one corner % bodies of men,
women and children were mingled in one
awful mass arms and legs protruding as
the hapless beings fell in the last strug
giles of deaths agony. Through the middle
of the old Place Berth ran tiny stream
the remains of the river Gayave. Great
trees, with roots upward and scorched by
fire, were strewn in every direction. Huge
blocks and still hot stones We're scattered
about. From under one large stone the
arm of a white woman protruded. Mos
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 destroyed ST
Pierre must have been composed of poison
Gus gases, which instantly suffocated ever!
one who inhaled them, and Of other case!
burning furiously, for nearly all the victims
had their hands covering their mouths O.
We're in some other attitude showing tina
they had sought relief from suffoca tion
AN the bodies We're carboniZed or roasted
Are Doubtless Dead.
Three hours exploration of the ru
ms of ST. Pierre resulted in the find
ing of no trace of the American con
sulate. Consul Thomas L. Prentis, hi
wife and two daughters, are un
doubtedly dead. That quarter of tn
city is still vast mass of blazing I'll
ms. Nor has any trace been foun
of James Japp, the British consu
Mr.. Japp had a large family at 81
Pierre.
The consul at Martinique is Thoma
T. Prentis. He was born in Michigan
and was appointed from Massachr
sets as consul at Seychelles island:
in 1871, and later served as consul a
Port Louis, Mauritius, Rouen, France
and Batavia. He was appointed cor
sui at Martinique in 1900. The vic
consul at Martinique is Amedee Te:
tart, who was born and appointe
from Louisiana in 1895
AcrOnuut Killed.
Paris, May 12.-Senor Augusta S.
vero's airship exploded while NAL