The Florida star., 1902-06-27
4 DAY IN ST. PIERRE.
How 1t Felt to He Under an Active
Volcano.

1t was necessary to get permit to
visit st. Pierre on May 21. says the
Fort de France Martinique. W. l.
correspondent OF the New York Com
| mercial Advertiser. The permit read
''MM. - are authorized. at their own
expense and at their own risk and
peril, to visit the ruins (debris) OF the
city of st. Pierre" The governor signed
it reluctantly at his residence. You
must be disinfected." he said, IF you
return"
Won GOttberg. who was going to the
city. too. said:
Come; let's get two panamas. May
be they'll be the last hats we shall ever
wear"
We walked from the store in the Rue
st. Louis TO the beach and found Ell
enne Laurille. the only negro who
would run boat TO the deadly road
stead.
Laurille's boat was fourteen feet
long. narrow as an Indian dugout and
had square spirit sail. Six formed
the party, with Laurille. two negroes
and the young German photographer
The gunwale was six inches above wa
ter. Squall after squall, rushing up
from the south. carried the bateau past
the POinte des Negres and its gallows
hung signal lamp. past the villages
Case NaVire BellefOntaine. Case Pi-
lote, each at a stream mouth in the
steep cut morneS. where black figures
clad in white dashed out shouting from
hutS under gloomy date palms, across
beaches whore fish nets hung drying
and into the sea. When the sail iibed
aud the gunwale went under. the ne
groes shouted: when the cross seas
caught il. you held breath as you do
in an Aleut bidarki Torrents Of warm
rain fell. Close under the baSalt cliffs
scarlet crabs could he seen scutrling
into the sea: point Ioomod behind point,
hour followed hour. and surf roared
on the distant beaches
Mont Pelee could be seen over the
morne beyond Carbet village through
the black piles OF Il wharf y white.
irregular area-Something Parched.
dusty. Silent-full OF tiny angular lights
and shadows hordercd the iumoSt
curve Of the azure roadSJead. Ii was
once -. Pierre
LaurilIr shipped sail and refused to
30 farther. "Ciendre, ciendre" said
the negroes pointing 10 Pciee. y puck
cred thuudorhcad burst UP from The
angle of a Y shaped rent in the sum
nit peak. tearing the great cone OF
steam that veiled the north ridges Of
the mountain. We pushed the negroes
aside. seized the oars ana rowcd on
beyond CarbeJ straight toward the
city. White ruins glided past. torn and |
hlachrnei palms CarbcJ
"Nhoc-oo-oo. whoo-ou." came from |
somcwherr "Whoo-oo-co'-pc Il
burned animal still crying in tie hills.
perhaps a warning signal from tie |
high moru"S. where the paims were |
st.. green: perhaps the mountain. We |
I"apyd kuve deep n.;o the surf. yankei |
Tie negroes and tile boat ashore and |
gathered UP the oars. Tloy begged |
us 10 return.
W" started down INFO the city. We |
walked into tie chaos through zones |
- q
OF great couiIa-ralion> where lives
have been Iost-of hot metals. STRANGE
salts. damp soaked wood >moh"
uu--ri >u-ar. all s.mmrr,d. mui>;cUcd.
heated in Tie tropical sun Then we
saw the first body. II was hlUi>h gray
and looked hard ~ iron.
Tho cameras had been working
quickly, We had been hardly speak
.u-. VoH Gottberg gave the order 10
his man, ana i was executed without
a word. Now fresh films had t. lee put
in. - the old were all exposed ~ We
sat down ON the edge Of what had once
been a fountain in Il public square. We
noticed that our hands We're trembling
We leaned over, fUddIjng with the silly
and the pcr>p.ratiou ran
down in >tcaU>.
How do you freI:" was asked
All right =
Sick from those tLiu->E
Keep I'D eye on the mountain"
1t can't 10 anything now"
"What are You shaking So for:"
"OA. ! suppose
Are tie men fo..ov.:.-:'
'u+ course"
Il know ! ought 10 lee afraid. and J
I'M. but il doesn't make any difference
We ="r ourselves into i. II i our
,wn fault.
cone. On.
We've been sitting here forever"
Then We entered the heart OF the |