Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-05-16
HORROR OF THE AGE.
CITIES WIPED FROM EARTH BY
VOLCANIC ACTION.

Death as Did Those in Destruction Of the
Ancient Cities Without Warning and While
Engaged in Their Accustomed Duties-The
Loss Of Life Will Probably Reach 100000
Graphic Account Of the Terrible Catastrophe.
CAsTRIEs, st. Lucia, British West
Indies, May 1O.-Mont Pelee, vol
canic mountain some ten mileS north
of St. Pierre, the commercial capital
OF Martinique, is the mountain which
made faint show of eruption fifty
years ago. On May 3 it began to
throw out dense clouds of smoke. At
midnight the same day flames, accom-
panied with rumbling noises, lighted
the sky over an immense area, causing
widespread terror. MAY hot ashes
covered the whole city quarter of St.
Pierre an inch thick and made Mont
Pelee invisible.
At noon May 5 stream of burning
lava rushed 4 400 feet down the noun
tain side, following the dry bed of a
torrent and reaching the sea, five
miles from the mountain, in three
minutes. In its rush the fiery flood
swept from its path plantations, build
ings, factories, cattle and human be.
ings over breadth OF about half a
mile.
At the rear of the mouth of the
Riviere Blanche stood the large Guerin
sugar factory, one of the finest on the
island. 1t is now completely en-
tombed in lava. The tall chimney
alone is visible. One hundred and
fifty persons are estimated to have
persisted there, including the owners
son.
A. the lava rushed into the sea the
latter receded 400 feet along the west
coast, returning with greater strength,
big wave covering the whole sea
front of st. Pierre, but doing little
damage ashore or ailoat.
Terrible detOnations, heard hundreds
of miles northward, followed at short,
irregular intervals and continued at
night. In the intense darkness the
electric lights failed, but the town was
lit up by lurid flashes OF flame from
the mountain. The terror stricken
inhabitants rushed for the hills in
their night clothes, screaming, shout
ing and wailing, mad with terror.
The Plissono family escaped to st.
Lucia in a small steamer. Thirty-five
persons, mostly women and children,
arrived here in the forenoon of the
9th and furnished the above details.
The men remained in Martinique.
The same afternoon later telegraphic
communication was interrupted with
both the islands Of Martinique and st.
Vincent.
During the afternoon OF the Sth the
British steamer Roddam, which had
left st. Lucia at midnight on the 7th
for Martinique, crawled slowly into
Castries harbOr, unacceptable, gray
with ashes, her rigging dismantled
and sheets and awnings hanging about
torn and charred. Captain Whatter
reported that having just cast anchor
off St. Pierre at s A. NJ. in fine weather
succeeding an awful thunderstorm
during the night he was talking to the
ships agent, Joseph Plissono, who was
in a boat alongside, when he saw a
tremendous cloud Of smoke and glow.
ing cinders rushing with terrific rapid.
ity oyer the town and port, completely
and in an instant, enveloping the
former in sheet of flame and raining
fire on board. The agent had Just
time to climb on board when his boat
disappeared. Several OF the crew OF
the Roddam were quickly scorched to
death. By superhuman efforts. hav-
ing steam up, the cable was clipped
and the steamer backed away from the
shore and nine hours later managed
to reach Castries.
Ten OF the Roddam's men were lying
dead, contorted and burned out of hu.
man semblance owing to the black
cinders, which covered the ships decks
to depth OF six inches. Two more of
the crew have since died. Two of the
survivors OF the crew were loud in
their praise of the heroic conduct of
the captain in steering the vessel from
destruction with his own hands, which
were badly burned by the rain of fire
which kept falling on the ship for miles
after she got under way. M. Plissono
is believed here to be the sole survivor
, OF the 10000 inhabitants of the town,
and all the shipping in the port has
been utterly destroyed, the East Indi.
ana & Panama Telegraph company re-
pairing vessel going first, then the
Quebec liner Roraima. Captain Mug.
gah Of the latter waved his hand in
farewell to The Roddam as his vessel
sank with a terrific explosion.
The British Royal Mail steamer Esk,
which called off Martinique at 10
o'clock last night, reported standing
off shore five miles, sounding her whis-
tie and sending up rockets. She re-
ceived no answer. The whole sea.
front was blazing for miles. The Esk
sent boat ashore, but it could not
land on account OF the terrific fire,
which was accompanied by loud ex.
PsoSiohSs A>os % ANiuS oOui oppcaIcu
ashore after the boat had waited for
two hours. Fire and ashes fell over
the street.
In the afternoon French coastine
steamer arrived here from Fort de
France, seeking assistance, as all the
country was burned up, the stock were
dying, all the plantations were charred,
tho country people we're tiocking into
the towns and famine was feared. The
steamer was loaded with food of all
sorts and was sent back to Martinique
at Z P. NJ. The captain OF this vessel
reports that some thirty persons left
ST. Pierre by the 6 o'clock boat Thurs
day morning for Fort de France, and
consequently were saved.
All attempts to get to st. Pierre are
barred by fire. The closest possible
observation showed houses still blazing
and streets strewn with charred bodies.
1t is certain that the whole town
and neighboring country for miles is
utterly destroyed, and it is feared here