The Daily soliphone., 1902-05-17
DEVASTATED ST. V|NjENT.
A Correspondents Visit to the Vi- cinity of the Volcano La
 Soufriere.
NOTHING BUT AN ASH-COvERED AREA.
Nothing Green to Be Seen in the En- , tire Northern Part of the Island I Relief Supplies Arriving at ,. Kingston-Thirteen Hundred I Bodies Already Buried.


 
 Kingstown, Island of St. Vincent (Thursday afternoon), May 15.-A press correspondent has just returned here from visit on horseback to the devastated district of this island, during which he travelled 50 miles and penetrated to within five miles of the Soufriere crater. The ash-covered area of St. Vincent exceeds that of Martinique, which the correspondent has also explored. The most conserv- ative estimate of the death rate here now places the number at TOO. About 1,30O bodies already have been in tered.
 Under a Blanket of Ashes.
 The entire northern part of the is- land is covered with ashes to an av- craze depth of IS inches, varying from thin layer at Kingstown to two feet or more at Georgetown. The crops are ruined, nothing green can be seen, the streets of Georgetown are cumbered with heaps of ashes re- sembling snow drifts, and ashes rest so heavily on the roofs that in several eases they have caused them to fall Sn. There soon will be 5000 destitute persons in need of assistance from the government, which is already do- ing everything possible to relieve the sufferers. There are hundred ln- jured people in the hospital at George town, gangs of men are searching Tor the dead or rapidly burying them in breaches, and all that can be done under the circumstances is being ac- complished.
 Relief Supplies Coming In.
 The British cruiser Indefatigable brought 25 tons of supplies here and returned to the island of Trinidad for more. The governor of the Wind ward islands, Sir Robert Llewellyn, is here supervising the work of the au- thorities.
 While the outbreak of the volcano on the island of Martinique killed more people outright, more territory has been ruined in St. Vincent, hence there is greater destitution here.
 The injured persons were horribly burned by the hot grit which was driven along with tremendous ve- locity. Twenty-siX persons who sought refuge in room 10 feet by 12 were all killed. One person was brained with a huge stone nine miles from the crater.
 Hospitals Filled With the Dying.
 Rough collins are being made to re- n of IAe hospital here is filled with dying people. Fifty injured persons are ly- ing on the floor of that building, as there are no beds for their accom- modation, though cots are being rapidly constructed of boards. This and similar work has been in prog ress since immediately after the dis aster. Two days elapsed, however. before there were any burials, as the negroes refused to dig the necessary trenches, though they were offered three times the usual wages by the local authorities. The nurses em. ployed are incompetent, but they arc willing to learn and are working hard. The negroes are indifferent to all that is transpiring and to what has taken place. They expect to re- ceive government rations, but there have been instances where they have refused to bury their own relatives.
 Tine Death Rate Very High.
 The death rate among the people in the hospitals is still very high, in spite of the best medical efforts made in their behalf All the neighboring British colonies are evincing sym pathy with the sufferers here. Sub. scription lists have been started and food and clothing are being forward ed to St. Vincent from all the British islands.
 While the entire community is thankful for this help and sympathy from British sources, on all sides are heard grateful appreciation of the prompt aid furnished by the United States, in sending the Potomac here with provisions and other things for the destitute people of St. Vincent.
 The Heat is Excessive.
 As this dispatch is sent it is ex- cessively hot here, and the northern hills retain their foggy appearance.
 The sulphuric vapors which still exhale all over the island are in- creasing the sickness and mortality among the surviving inhabitants and are causing suffering among the new arrivals. The hospital staffs are giv- ing way to overwork and are with difficulty bearing up.
 The stench in the afflicted dis fricts is terrible beyond description. Nearly all the huts left standing are filled with dead bodies. In some cases disinfectants and the usual