New-York tribune., 1902-05-19
ARRIVE FROM ST. LUCIA.
TUOSTEA HERS PA S.SEDPELEE
DAY AFTER CATACLTSM.
THEIR DECKS WERE COVERED WITH
DUST THROWN BY ERUPTING VOL
CANO-SAILED IN MILKY SEA.

yesterday morning. and was followed soon
afterward by the LampoTt & Holt liner Horace
The officers on both of these vessels had thrill
ing accounts TO relate of their own experiences,
well the horrors that they saw at st.
Lucia just after the first eruption of Mont Pelee.
which destroyed st. Pierre. Men on both of the
vessels had gathered pounds of lava dust which
fell on their ships those two days of terror,
and they saving 1t a souvenir.
The Etona left Montevideo on April for this
port. and put in at St. Lucia for coal, but her
run from port to port was record run, made in
% days and p hours
She reached ST. Lucia the evening Of May
TO- expecting to coal there and get away the
same night. On the day previous strange con-
ditions of the sea and weather had caused the
ships people to think that something unusual,
either in the way of an atmospheric disturbance
or volcanic eruption. had occurred somewhere
in the islands they approaching. On
rival at St Lucia they learned OF the St Pierre
disaster Lying in the harbor there they found
all that left of the steamer Roddam, and at
a hotel they and talked with Captain Free
man, her master and the few other survivors Of
that ship.
Captain Cantrell said yesterday that he Wis
tied the Roddam, and that Captain Freeman
told his story, follows:
CAPTAIN FREEMAN's NARRATIVE.
The Roddam had been at ST. Pierre only an
hour when the eruption occurred. l was talk
ing to our agent who in small boat
alongside. Suddenly l saw what appeared to be
a huge black squall like wall approaching the
ship from the land at terrific rate. CARRYING
with 1t a huge tidal wave and accompanied by
a loud, rumbling noise. The air suddenly dark
ened. l yelled out for every body to stand clear,
and almost in an instant the ship was enveloped
in total darkness. The air was filled with flame
and falling patches Of fire, which set fire to
everything they struck. The fire took hold of
hn Git lob
rushed about, frantic with fright and pain.
number of Iaborers had come aboard to help
take in cargo, and, nearly as l can tell, there
were some forty-two people on board, all told.
OF these six survive. He'll certainly cannot be
worse than what we went through. l went into
the chartroom and shut the door, but an open
port admitted the flame. When the ship was
first struck she heeed and nearly Capszed
The first shock only lasted a few minutes but
for hour the shower of falling matter
continued. AS soon as | could get out of the
chartroom I rushed to the engine room tele-
graph. and knowing that had just
rived we would have some steam up, signalled
the engineer TO put the engine at full speed and
been carried away by the volcanic eruption
Luckily, some of the engineers were below at
the time and started the engines tried 10
work the wheel and start the ship, but the
steering gear was jammed by the flood Of lava
and would not work. kept the engines going
ahead and astern alternately. hoping the ship
could be headed to While / was mannu-
wiring the ship in this way nearly collided with
the Quebec Line steamer Roraima. / remember
from the ship. Some of her men wringing
their hands and people were jumping from her
decks into the boiling water. Their deaths must
have been instantaneous, for the water was
boiling like caudron. 1t like mass Of
boiling mud. Many OF my crew were swept
from the Roddams decks by the first shock.
The remainder, all but six of US. died a horrible
death on the ships deck. After time got the
steering gear TO work and beaded out 10 sea.
As the sky cleared and IL was possible 10 see
around the deck, the sight CHASTITY Men
lay screaming and writhing in agony all around
the ships deck. The lava on which they lay
was red hot The people were dying all around
the deck. 1 was in a bad state myself, unable
10 lift my hand, and the blood from wounds
and burns on my forehead kept running into my
eyes I decided to make for st. Lucia, and. with
the help Of two sailors two engineers and the
boatswain. 1 succeeded in making this port.
DUST COVERS THE ETONA.
Captain F1eeman's performance was some
thing wonderful" said Captain Cantell. resum-
ing his own narrative. 1T Is impossible 10 con-
ceive how a man could pull a ship out OF such
a state as he in. When the Roddam ar
rived at st. Lucia and was moored Captain
Freeman refused medical treatment until the
others were cared for. The surgeon was com
PEELED to cut his clothes off. There were eigh-
teen dead bodies on the deck which were taken
on a lighter and carried out TO sea- where they
were dumped overheard We got coal early on
the morning Of the 11th and started for New
York. Before approached ST Lucia, on the
10th we noticed strange phenomena, The water
was milky white color, and other unusual con
ditions struck me. Going to ST Lucia Harbor
we took on a pilot who told Of the ST. Pierre
disaster.
we passed Martinique, forty-fve miles from
St. Lucia AZ . p. m. the 18th. We passed St
Pierre, forty-five miles from Port Castris, the
ST. Lucia harbor where coaled during the
afternoon. We stood in to within four or five
che TIL ,lo,
we had a fine view Of the island. but could not
see anything of the town itself. Everything was
a of blue lava. and the formation Of the
land itself seemed 10 have changed Then. about
eight miles off the northern end of the island
clouds OF smoke and lava shot into the air a
tremendous distance, spreading all over and
darkenng the II covered the ship with dust
and the air smelling like phosphorus I was
on watch with Second officer John G. Gibbs l
sent word to the chief engineer Robert Parrish,
to rush the ship all she could stand.
I'VE could see more of the land but It
looked as though enveloped in great cloud of
dust. We about an hour passing through
the cloud of lava dust The blue stuff Is on our
masts yet
The Etona had four passengers from Monte
video-Julio Buchwald, an Austrian from
Buenos Ayres who comes here to visit his
brother, who conducts restaurant at Canal
and West sts.; Rinaldo Bibolini, OF Paraguay
who is going into business here. at No 81 Pine
st: Professor lido Kraft, OF the Hessen Ger
many High School, and II. r. Babbitt. the
Buenos Ayres representative of Robert H. For
derer & Co. of this city. All visited the Rod
dam in St. Lucia Harbor, and all had thrilling
tales to tell of the close view they had of the
volcanic eruption May II when passing
Martinique.
EXPECTS FUND TO REACH 100000