Connecticut western news., 1902-05-15

legs prOtfuulnS as the napieSS DelnSs fell in the last struggle of deaths agony.
 Through the middle of the old Place Bertin ran a tiny stream, the remains of the river Goyave. Great trees, with roots upward and scorched by fire, were strewn in every direction. Huge blocks and still hot stones were scat tered about. From under one large stone the arm of white woman pro- truded. Most notable was the utter silence and the awful, overpowering stench from the thousands of dead.
 Careful inspection showed that the fiery stream which so completely de stroyed St. Pierre must have been cOm- posed of poisonous gases, which in- stantly suffocated every one who in- haled them, and of other gases burning furiously, for nearly all the victims had their hands covering their mouths or were in some other attitude showing that they had sought relief from suffo- cation. All the bodies were carboniZed or roasted
 The village of Urine, south of St. Pierre, was almost entirely burned. and almost all the inhabitants were killed. One of the survivors of Urine, who will die, says the sea, boiling hot, invaded the land. Six women whose bodies are one solid burn, are writhing in another ward of the hospital. Ten women severely burned from Urine were brought in, and four of them have died. It is doubtful if any of the six still alive can recover.
 axyiianno of tho oxUtftnpSc 0f thp onslaught of fire is found in the fact that none of the victims were blinded, although the eyelids of most of them are nearly burned through. An those saved, except the engineers of the Ro' raima, are poor sailors and Martinique negroes. No one knows how the pas sengers of the steamers perished, and it is impossible to get full list of the vessels lost.
 Eighteen Vessels Lost.
 The cable repair ship Grappler was lost, with all on board, as was the French vessel Tamaya. There were eighteen or twenty vessels in the road stead at the time of the disaster. The British steamer Roddam had anchored, but Captain Freeman, although hOrri bly burned, managed to keep on the bridge of his vessel. Everybody on the Roddam's deck was killed instantly; but, with the assistance of his third en- gineer and fireman, who were wound ed, he took his vessel to St. Lucia. Many persons tried to reach the Rod dam, but in vain. The United States vice consul at St. Pierre, Amedee Tes- tart, reached the deck of the Roddam only to fall dead into the sea.
 Three hours exploration of the ruins of St. Pierre resulted in the finding of no trace of the American consulate. Consul Thomas T. Prentis, his wife and two daughters are undoubtedly dead. That quarter of the city is a vast mass of still blazing ruins. Nor has any trace been found of James Japp, the British consul. MT. Japp had a large family at St. Pierre.
 Last Saturday, after ten hours work, a captain and a detail of soldiers found 2,500,0 francs in the Bank of Marti- nique. The vaults of the English bank at St. Pierre were found to be intact and were not opened
 The coast villages near St. Pierre were destroyed simultaneously with that town. The entire island up to within a few miles of Fort de France Is covered with mud and ashes. The cat tie of the island are either all dead or dying. The streams have dried up or are polluted. Thousands of persons are fiocking to Fort de France. Unless re lief is promptly sent famine is immi- nent, and there is urgent need for the services of the Red Cross society. Mont Pelee is still belching smoke and fire.
 Eruption In St. Vincent.
 The British royal mail steamer So- lent brought awful news from the Brit ish island of St. Vincent. May 8 and 9 volcano there, the Soufriere, broke into violent eruption. Mud, ashes, stones and fire were hurled into the town of Kingstown, the capital of the island, and over the country. From the meager reports obtainable here it is known that 500 deaths had occurred in St. Vincent up to Friday night and that the volcano there was still active at that time. The volcanic detonations were distinctly heard in Barbados. a hundred miles away, and the fall of ashes there was so heavy that it re suited in intense darkness for several hours during the afternoon.
 It is estimated that the number of deaths on the island of St. Vincent from the volcanic eruption has now reached 2,00O. Most of the victims are said to be Carib Indians.
 The United States government tug Potomac has left for St. Vincent, where conditions are reported to be worse. La Soufriere, on St. Vincent, was in full eruption on May 10. A stream of 1 stones and mud half mile wide was | then issuing from the volcano. Stones two inches in diameter fell twelve miles away. At Kingstown, the capi- tai of the island, the ashes were two | inches deep. Seven hundred dead were reported on Sunday, May II.
 Seven estates on the island have been | burned to ashes, and it is authentically ] reported that two earthquakes occur red there.
 It is believed that the submarine ca bles to St. Vincent have been broken by the disturbances. The present vol canic eruption on St. Vincent is the first | since 1912.