The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-11

Fort de France, Martinique, May To-
The volcano of Mount Peiee. near st.
Pierre. showed. since May s. alarming
| symptoms. vomiting ashes and mud.
There was, however. little excitement and
few families left the place. On Thursday.
May s. at about s o'clock In the morning.
| a terrible volcanic eruption occurred. the
effect of which was felt all over the ISL
and. At Fort de France stones fell weigh.
ing from seven to ten and even up to If
teen grammcs., Thick clouds of ashes OBJ
scured>thc sun and filled the atmosphere.
Panic seized the population. The sea re-
coded a distance of fifteen metres and
| rushed back with great force, afterwards
resuming its normal level.
The French cruiser Suchet left here. fol-
lowed soon after by all available steam
ers towing lighters and carrying rcscuers
and provisions. Their return was await
ed with great anxiety. An hour after
they left steamer arrived and announce
ed that st. Pierre was overwhelmed. that
the town was in flames as well as the set
Elements along the shore. The ships in
the harbor were on fire and the sea great
ly disturbed. The Suchet returned here
at at o'clock in the evening. bringing
thirty persons who were frishtfully burn
ed. Nine of these succumbed while they
| were being taken to the hospital here
Night came on and the searchlights Of
the Suchet lighted up the wharves where
! the work of deharkation was being car
ried on. 1t Is estimated that $4,000 persons
persisted at st. Pierre. All roads leading
out of the city are choked with dead
| bodiess according to reports reaching here.
| A second relief expedition was sent out
and brought back some of the inhabitants
of Corbet.. They were crazed by terror
and dying from hungsrs~sss-r-~yss ,~assssss
The expeditions succeeded In reaching
| st. Pierre, which is reported to be en-
tirely destroyed. Dead bodies found were
disappeared as though they had been
| swallowed up in a great pit. Immense
| iron columns were found twisted and bent
| over in the direction of the sea. It is
| believed that M. Mouttet. the Governor
of Martinique. is among those who have
persisted. His wife went to St. Pierre on
the evening of the disaster.
AS the lava rushed into the sea. the
latter receded three hundred feet all along
the west coast. Returning with greater
strength big wave covered the whole
sea front of st. Pierre. but caused little
damage ashore or afloat. Terrible deto-
nations. heard hundreds of miles north
ward. followed at short irregular inter-
walls and continued at night. In the in
tense darkness, the electric light failed,
but the town WIS lit up by lurid flames
from the mountain. The terror stricken
inhabitants rushed for the hills in their
night clothing. screaming. shouting and
waiiing mad with terror. The Piissono
family escaped to ST. Tura in a small
steamer.
Thirty-five persons, mostly women and
children, arrived here III the forenoon of
the 9Th and furnished the above details.
The men remained at Martinique. The
same afternoon. later. telegra PHO COM
munication was interrupted with both
the island of Martinique and st. Vincent
During the afternoon of the sth the Brit
ish steamer Roddam. which had left st.
Lucia at midnight on the 9TH for Mar
Unique. crawled into the Castries hsrbor,
unrecognizable. gray with ashes. her rig
ging dismastled and sheets and awnings
hanging about, torn and SCARED. Cap
tain Whattcr reported that having just
cast anchor off st. Pierre at 8
d. M. in fine weather. succeeding
all awful thunder storm during
the night, he was talking To the ships
agent. Joseph Plissono, who was in boat
alongside. when he saw a tremendous
cloud of smoke and glowing cinders rush.
ing with terrific rspidity over the town
and port. completely. in an instant, en-
veloped tho former in 4 sheet of fame
and raining fire on board. The agent had
just time to climb on board when bis
boat disappeared. Several of the crew
OF the Roddam were quickly scorched 10
death. BY superhuman efforts, having
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 human
semblance, among the black cinders which
covered the ships deck to depth of six
1ncheS. TWO more OF lne crew nave
died. Two OF the survivors of the crew
were loud in their praise of the heroic
conduct of the captain steering their ves-
sci 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.
Beyond burns all over his body the
captain is SAFE. as is also the ships
agent, though he Is badly scorched Mr..
Plissono is believed here to be the sole
survivor of the 10000 inhabitants of the
town and all the shipping in the port
have been utterly destroyed. the West
Indian and Panama Telegraph Company's
repairing steamer going first, then tho
Quebec liner Roraima, Captain Muggah
of the latter waving his hand in fare
well to the Roddam as his vessel sank
with terrific explosion.
Tho British Royal mail steamer Fisk.
WHICH called off Martinique At 10 o'clock
last night. reports standing OF shore five
miles sounding her whistle and sending
up rockets She received no answer. The
whole sea front was blazing for miles.
t..UN - oil