Morris tribune., 1902-06-21

asss With great difficulty that we few
R,Irxfyues managed to keep the flames
down The ropes awnings and tarpau-
Inns ware completely burned UP.
witnessed the entire destruction
of St Pierre. The flames enveloped
the town in every quarter with such
rapidtty that it was impossible that
any person could be saved. All TINS
time the mountain was roaring ana
shaking, and in the intervals between
J, these terrifying sounds l could near the
cries of despair and agony from the
| thousands who were perishing.
These cries added to the terror OF the
scene, but it is impossible to describe
it's horror or the dreadful sensations 1r
produced. It was like witnessing the
end of the world.
First Officer Ellery S. Scott of the
steamship Roraima also tells the fol-
lowing thrilling story Of the destruc-
ton Of St. Pierre; it is also copyright
ed by W. R. Hearst:
1t was about daylight on the morn
ing Of May 6 when we sighted the is
land Of Martinique. We had run
| through a thunderstorm ahead for st.
Pierre and at 6 o'clock were at our
anchorage off the Place Berth land
ing. When the agent, with lighters
and stevedores, came alongside, he
told US that Pelee had been acting ugly
ever since Saturday and that there had
been quite a heavy fall Of hot sand or
dust over st. Pierre itself. However,
the volcano seemed to have quoted
down, and we got the SteVedores to
work smartly. I
There were about eighteen other
steamers and coasting craft anchored
as we were in the open harboE, one Of
them being the Tamaya, a bark from
the French port Nantes, her captain
being called NORTH OF Maurice. Then
there were four other laEge sAffing ves-
sells. The British steamer. Raddam put
into the berth next to ouES and let drop
her anchor. Then something happen
ed. There was a shaking in the air,
30 that felt as though some one had
jostled me-
l was looking at PeIee, and every
SOUL on DOdru lOOhoU TOO.
I can describe what 1 saw, of course,
but my first thought was that the end
of the world would look just like that.
1t was just as though the mountain
had been blown up by all the dyna-
mite in the world. First of all a great
pillar Of fame rushed straight up in
the air, then it opened out wider than
the mountain itself and came roaring
down out Of the sky upon us. Some of
us, with Morley, second officer rushed
to the forecastle head to heave the an
Choir. I heard the captain shouting Or
ders, and saw McTear, the engineer,
drop below. AS we reached the ships
head the fiery cloud was upon us. Red
hot stones, scalding mud and real
splashes of fame dropped and clatter- r.
ed all over the ship.
There was another roar, and with it
all the water in the harbor seemed to
gather up and rush upon the shipping.
Every craft heeled over to the great
tidal wave and seemed to careen and
sink. When the wave struck us, it
flooded us fore and aft, sweeping
away the masts, funnel, all the boats
save one and all the rattle of the deck.
There was a ventilator at hand, and
to save myself l seized it and was
nearly killed thereby, being driven
INTO it by the force Of the wave. A
couple of stevedores pulled me out Of
he ventilator and dragged me into the
'teerage. There remained, half dead, "
or quite a time, during which the ship
oiled and the fire and rocks battered
he decks. Now and then a charred
md shrieking sailor rolled down the
and died as he came, so
hat quite a pile of corpses lay over
ne.
Some one pulled me from under these,
nd I clambered to the deck and began
urning hand toward saving the in
lred, who were lying all about, though
ven then small, redhot stones and
lud were falling
All this time the sea was rolling like
re heaviest kind of ground swell, Pc
ee was roaring. and the air was full
strange Shocks When l looked at
t. Pierre, the sight was terrifying.
be town was gone, and in its place
as long stretch of gray, smoking,
aiming dust. All about US the ships
ere sunk or af1ame, and between US
nd them and the shore dead bodies
dated singly and in groups.
Some hours after-I didn't know how
ng it was then, but I've since been
Id it was at o'clock in the afternoon
the French cruiser Suchet steamed
and rescued seventeen of us more
cad than alive. We were carried to
and put in the hospital.