The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-05-20
Things Arc Growing
Worse Instead OF
Better.

the volcanic crupiions ~ '''.
t,.,cn West Indies. tt
Pierre the principal city ~ Mhrun'lu.
che ren Of thc wind ara lflahaN' wv
hccn hlotted out under the storm 'l
A. ana the ayalanchcs ~ molten i"'h
ana ashes with "a population wi 'i.
ward of twenty-five thousand p.lH'"'
the CITY has been destroyed ana SUI
yivors are reported 60 number less uh".
,sro score. nearly all Of them purheu'
uounaed and suffering awful t'itnr'S
The loss Of life In Morne Rouge anu
o,her neirhboring towns and parishes
A is feared. will swell the DEAN u.s.
10 the appalling total OF ioi'y 49, ~,
.ana No such calamity mas De-"
chronicied in recent times TOT ans
thing approximating a parrallel III ho'
ror one must bark back o'the i".e VI
the cities Of the plain, or TO the uoo'n
Of Herculaneum and Poinpeh' EN."
under that historic outpourihs Hpn
yesuvius the loss OF life was probably
-, 90 great as that which occurred
IN Thursday In the sun-kissed httie
island OF the Caribbean.
SHOWER OF DEATH.
Mont Pelee, a great volcano long ago
believed to be extinct. suddenly a"oKe
from the sleep of many years ou, VI
the mouth OF the treacherous craze
around which nestled the summer 'iiias
and pretty homes OF the weaithier Vi
the French West Indian resioeh'''
suddenly belched smoke and flame.
Then, like the discharge from Ii'ahic
Gun. the whole crest OF the mountain
,.onea thousands OF feet into the air
and from the awful caldrons mouth
noured down showers of fire, swallow
ing IN everything that lay IN their
path to the sea.
torrents of red hot ashes buried the
country around about for miles COW
erinp Il as a blizzard blankets the
earth In January. Groves, orchards
towns and city burst into flame under
tho shower of death, and even the
shinpiny in the roadstead of st. Pierre
had no time to up anchor and get 10
sen. 81
The Roraima of the Quebec line,
which sailed from New York on Aprll
20 was lost. and 1t is believed that an
on board persisted. Most, II not All, oil
her passengers from the north haa
disernbarked previously at other ports
OF the officers and crew of the BRUSH
steamship Roddam nearly all are re-
ported dead or dying. The supercargo
and ten men leaped into the sea ana
went down as a storm of fire enVel-
opcd them.
RELIEF Is SENT.
Confirmation of the extent of the as
aster comes from many sources from
special correspondents in the west IN
dies and from the commander OF Ih'
French warship Suchet.
All direct communication with inc
hIiehted island Is cut off. RELIEF eN-
peditions are being sent out from 81
Thomas, st. Lucia and San Juan Porto
Rico. -.
The eruption still continues Forty
thousand lives are reported lost inc
steamers Roraima and the Grappler' OF
the cable company, were burned III tle
harbor. The first explosion lasted ohlS
three minutes. The cruiser Suchet IL
going 10 Martinique with provisions
ST THOMAS, u. W. l., May Am
eruption of Mont Pelee volcano de-
s,royed by flaming gas and cinders the
beautiful town OF ST. Pierre, Martl-
nlque, yesterday morning. From :
o'clock in the morning until ] o'clock
IN the afternoon st. Pierre was mass
of fire. During the intervening hours a
torrent of redhot cinders poured down
upon the commercial capital. The
streets were filled with the destructive
outpourng, cutting off all avenues of
escape. 1t is believed that very few
of the twenty-five thousand inhabit-
ants of the city could have escaped,
From all information so far obtained
IL is estimated that the number of
lives lost in Martinique Island will
reach forty thousand. a vessel which
arrived at Dominica today reports that
she was compelled to run from st. Vim
cent because of the volcanic eruption
on that island on Wednesday after
noon. This vessel was off Martinique
yesterday morning about o'clock when
the eruption of Mount Pelee occurred.
Those on board the vessel say there
was tremendous explosion of the
mountain, and a great cloud of fire
seemed to sweep down upon the city
and all the territory around, leaving
no chance for escape for its citizens.
SHIPPING Is ENVELoPED.
Shipping lying off st. Pierre was also
enveloped in the seething flames and
destroyed with wonderful quickness
Hope is abandoned that the Cover
nor of Martinique and his wife hav,
survived. Nothing has been seen OF
heard of the military forces quarterec
in the town. The French cruiser Su
chet was in port when the disaste
took place. Her officers went ashor,
to give relief. but were unable to rem
der much assistance except 10 rescu,
about thirty persons.
Great heaps of bodies We're seen on tn,
blazing wharves. 1t was impossible fol
the Suchets officers TO penetrate tn,
town.
Although Mont Pelee volcano had beer
emitting fir and smoke at intervals fol
several days, the residents of St! Pierr,
did not apprehend any great eruption.
When the volcano became active after
silence Of half a century the inhab;ant!
were startled and became panic-stricken
But fears began TO subside after a few
days Then came the destruction Of tn
Guerin factories, near Martinique, an
the loss OF about $50 lives. The panic II