The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-19
RETURNING voYAeERs
Relate Experiences While Passing
Through Lava Shower.

New York. May 19.-Capt. Cantrell, Of
the steamer Etona, which arrived from
West Indian ports today. gives the fol-
owing as his experience during the
Martinique disaster:
We got coal early in the morning OF
the 11th and started for New York. Be
fore we approached St. Lucia on the
10th we noticed phenomena. The water
was a milky white color, and other un-
usual conditions struck me Going to st.
Lucia harbor we took on a pilot who
told me of the St Pierre disaster. We
passed St Pierre fOrty-fiVe miles from
Port Castries, the st. Lucia harbor,
where we coaled during the afternoon.
We stood in to within four or five miles
of the shore The weather was clear
and we had a fine view of the island
but could not see anything of the town
itself Everything was mass of blue
lava, and the formation of the land
itself seemed to have changed Then,
about eight miles off the northern end Of
the island, clouds of smoke and lava
shot into the air a tremendous distance,
spreading all over the darkening sun.
It covered the ship with dust and the air
was smelling like Phosphorus I was on
watch with Second Officer John G.
Gibbs. 1 sent word to the chief engineer,
Robert Parrish, to rush the ship all she
could stand. We could see no more Of
the island, but it looked as though en-
velOped in a great cloud of dust We
We're about an hour passing through the
cloud Of lava dust. The blue stuff is on
our masts yet Before leaving st. Lucia
I volunteered to land stores at Mar
Unique, but the authorities told me that
a ship had already gone over with ev-
erything needed"
The Etona had four passengers from
Montevideo-Julio Buchwald, an Aus
trian. from Buenos Ayres; Rinaldo Bi-
bOlini, of Paraguay; Prof. Udo Kraft, of
the Hessen Germany high school, and
H. R. Babbitt, the Buenos Ayres repre-
sentative of Robert H. Forderer & Co.
of this city. All visited the Roddam in
St. Lucia harbOr, and all had thrilling
tales to tell of the close view they had
of the volcanic eruption on May IL
1T is impossible to describe the scenes
we witnessed in St Lucia. Nor can one
describe the experience we passed
through off Martinique" said Mr.. Bah
bitt. we knew long before we reached
St Lucia that SON ething was going on.
We could not see St. Vincent at all as
we passed that island. A thick haze
like steam hung over the sea and shut
out all sight of land. Our ship was 4
sight after we passed through the show
er of lava dust. All of US have gathered
up samples of it TO show as a souvenir
of cur experience"
THE lava that came aboard US came
down like wet, hot mud" said First Of
| deer Dunfoy. Tt dried and caked
aboard and glittered in the sun, indi-
I eating that there was lot of metallic
( matter in it. That was the way it came
/ to US off Martinique. We had lots OF
! dust all aboard ship all the time We
We're near the affected region. but tive
/ inches fell in one hour near Martinique
1t was wet, hot and soon dried. and
/ either caked or became dust We al
/ saved small portions of it through cur
I iosity''
Second Engineer Anderson said:
I'VE had cleared from Barbados, and
were making our way to st. Lucia
were we were to complete our cargo
( take on little more coal and sail f0l
( New York On the afternoon of May
we noticed a peculiar haze in the direc.
tion Of Martinique. The air seemed
heavy and oppressive The weathei
/ conditions were not unlike those which
/ precede the great West Indian hurri