The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-25
N|NUIEST STORY
Of 81. PIERRE
YET GIVEN
BY Thompson Who Was on
the Roraima.
He TELLS EVERYTHING
Was Watching the Volcano
When 1t Exploded.
He TELLS EVERYTHING

the Roraima. to his intimate friend o.
ter years standing. Cyril Brown, chic
cook of the Steamship Korona Brown
vas the only close friend Thompson
had on board the Kcrona. All the way
from Fort de France to New York these
i've spent Ihei~ spare tine together.
Thompson told lis vivid story 10 Mr.
Brown Oft ~ blt. Often lie was so oHer-
come that he could not continle. especi-
ally when he spoke Of his dead captain
and dying comrades. Then, when some
incident recalled the hours Of suffering
he had undergone, he took up the story
again.
Thompson landed in New York yester-
day in a suit CT clothes furnished by
Cyril Brown. He tclc Brown the COM
plete history Of the tragedy as follows:
I'VE left Antigua at midnight. May Z,
and arrived of Martinique at daylight,
OF Thursday. May g about 8 A. n. Our
people had seen the fire from Mont Pelee
for man miles at sea during the night,
an6 now as we came up into the road
stead in the daylight the pillars and
waves Of the fame gushing out Of the
top Of the volcano appeared TO be rising
100 feet or more in the sky
Several Of the passengers came on
deck very early to watch the eruption
OF the volcano. 1t was the grandest
sight l ever saw. The Roraima steamed
Up To her usual station off the norraerly
part Of the city of St. Pierre. We were
less than quarter Of mile of shore.
"A little bit ahead of US and over our
rort low the West Indian and Panama
Telegraph company steamship Crap
pier was lying moored &c a huge buoy.
Thus she proved a big screen between
us and the fury that rolled down upon
US afterward
Not one Of us on the Roraima would
have escaped with his life if the Crap
pier had not been in a position TO protect
Us from the terrible fire that gushed out
of the mountain.
About a mile and a half astern Of
us the steamship Roddam lay at anchor
at the quarantine station. Altogether
there were eighteen ships in the harbor.
most Of them big Frenchmen. with
few Swedish brigs and several American
schooners. Most Of these vessels were
moored TO the piers of the city.
4 went on deck early and found many
Of the passengers and all of the crew
who were not on duty below lined up
along the port side, watching the show.
1t was like a big fireworks exhibition,
only a hundred times greater than any
show ever invented by man.
LAS it was Ascension Day no one in
st. Pierre would do any work. The COM
pany's agent and the stevedore and his
assistant came alongside the Roraima a
little before 7:So a. NJ. and notified Capt
Muggah of the holiday.
while on deck they remarked to
Purser Brown and First officer Scott
that the volcano was at its worst. They
had never seen it so bad before. Evil
IDENTIFY there was the opinion of every
body in St Pierre, for the piers the
streets. and in many cases the house
tops were covered with spectators en-
joying the majestic spectacle.
This was about five minutes before
the underground fires tore Mount Pelee
10 pieces. At that time all Of the passen-
gers except Mrs. McAllister: who on
account of her delicate health. remained
in her second cabin stateroom on the
port side Of the main deck admdships.
were lined up on the port rail enjoying
the sight Most Of the crew were lined
mp on that side too. / don't suppose /
there were twenty persons below out of
our ships company Of sixty-eight Capt /
Muggah had not yet left his bed in his
room under the bridge.
While Morley. Brown and I We're /
standing in the alleyway on the star /
board side OF the ship. not far from 4
my stateroom which was a little for
ward Of midships we heard terrific 4
explosion on Mount Pelee.
The sound seemed to crush every /
thine nat 1t was as If all the cannon I
IN the world had been fired OF at the 4
same time Ia an instant we recovered (
from the shock caused by this astound-
ing noise and ran toward the port side.
We saw that Mount Pelee had burst
open about oue-third OF the way from
the top. and fronting us.
There gushed out of this great vent
which was fully quarter of mile
wide an awful mass OF fire. thousands
81 times greater I'm size bat ike the
Eush of fire that darts out Of q cannon
that is fred at night At the same tme
the sea began 70 boil IN fr3thy waves
as Il stirred up by some powerful move
nisnt far below the surface.
In less than a minute the fire leaped
70 m n tPe OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
from Mont Pelee down upon the city
81 ST Pierre. struck the water with
frightfuly loud. kissing sound. and
came rolling over and over upon itself
as il advanced upon Us
Il never saw anything like the rolliRg
Of this wave, Il advanced like a gisan-
tic beachcomher II flame. with its top
part always rolling down and under the
mass and with the after part of it con
stanely rising up to height Of more
than a hundred feet as the great mass
or fame leaped in our direction Vast
clouds OF steam arose from the contact
Of FIRE and water
The IRE seraed to blot oct the city
OF ST Pierre from our sight as fur
mace blast would blot out So much shay
ings. There rose Up an cutlery Of mvr-
lads Of voices. Vow, as the are-wave
close 10 us. the steam arose
IN great clouds and cut or from our
view whst was left ~ the ruined city.
Run for your life Air Brown"
said 70 the purser. ard ! saw the tame
dashlng down the mountain side
oh. no; it VIII stop when il gets TO
he water. Mr Brown replied.
That was the last I ever saw or heard
Of the purser. He was smiling at my 1
fear as I turned and ran into my room
on the stsrboard side Of the ship. At
hat moment the Roraima was tossed