The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-13
MEN WHO SAW THE ERUPTION
DESCRIBE ITS AWFUL HAVOC

found of James Japp, the British con-
sui Mr.. Japp had large family at
st. Pierre.
8st Saturday. after ten hours work,
9ptain and a detail Of soldiers found
g.. md a half million francs in the
Ea.rk Of Martinique. The vaults Of
the English bank at St. Pierre were
found to be intact and were not
opened.
The coast villages near ST. Pierre
we're destroyed simultaneously with
that town. The entire island. up 20
within q few miles of Fort de France,
is covered with mud and ashes. The
cattle of the island are either all dead
or dying. The streams have dried up
7 or are polluted. Thousands Of persons
are focking to Fort de France. Unless
relief is promptly sent. famine is i'm
minent. and there is urgent need for
! the services Of the Red Cross society.
The French cable line via Europe is
now the only means of telegraphic COM
munication with the outside world. The
/ demands made upon this line are ex-
! tremely heavy.
/ The British royal mail steamer So
| lent brought awful news from the Brit
i ish island of st. Vincent. May and 9
| a volcano there, the Soufriere, broke
I into violent eruption. Mud ashes,
I stones and fire were hurled into the
/ town Of Kingston, the capital Of the
/ island. and over the country. From
/ the meager reports obtainable here il
/ is known that 500 deaths had occurred
at St Vincent Up TO Friday night, and
/ that the volcano there was still active
at that time. The volcanic decorations
were distinctly heard in Barbados 100
miles away, and the fall OF ashes there
was so heavy that it resulted in in
/ tense darkness for several hours during
the afternoon.
Saw Huge Black Mass.
Hamilton de LoUrey. a passenger
from the royal mail steamer Fisk, re-
ports that between IL and 1 o'clock of
the night Of May s a huge black mass
OF vapor hung over the volcano on st.
Vincent. and that the mountain was
raining ashes. while there was con-
tinuatiOn Of electric flashes about the
mountain top. A boat from the Esk
went in toward the shore with mail,
but had to return.
A terrible explosion. which occurred
on board the Quebec line steamer Ro-
raima. probably resulted from kerosene.
The central and southern parts of St.
]
side is deserted Every family on the
island is mourning the loss of relatives
or friends. Business is at "A complete
standstilL St. Pierre was the financial
and provisioning center of the island
Mont Pelee is still in eruption. and
even more violent and more disastrous
eruDtions may follow. Volcanic ashes
have fallen against the wind on the
islands of Dominica and st. Vincent.
The authorities are doing everything
possible to relieve the suffering. The
means at hand are terribly inadequate
Unless prompt measures are taken fol-
the disposal of the thousands Of dead
bodies at St Pierre a fearful plague is
J almost certain to develop there. Gov
ernOr Mouttet, who was at Fort dc
France when the first indications OF
eruption were seen at ST. Pierre, de-
| clared that the danger would not in.
crease. and sent detachment Of sol
diers to prevent a general exodus Of
the inhabitants. Later he went TO st
Pierre himself with his wife.