Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-05-21
4 TERRIBLE SCENE.
Eyewitness Tells of Sights in the
Stricken City.
Latest Estimate Places Number Oh
Dead ut 3O,COO-First Reports OF
Disaster Correct in All Es-
sential Details.


sential Details.
Fort de France. Island OF Martl-
nique, May 14.-It now seems TO oe
generally admitted that about 30,oOo
nersons lost their lives as result
of the outbreak of the Mont Pelee
volcano at St. Pierre on Thursday
last. Careful investigation by compe'
tent government officials show that
the earlier reports were accurate
The American consul at Guadeloupe:
Louis H. Ayme, has reached the deso.
late spot where St. Pierre STOOD ano
confirms the awful story IN all 1ts
essential details. From an lntervle"
with Col. Ayme, who is trained
American newspaper man, the 1o1lo"'
ing facts we're learned:
Latest Story of the Disaster.
Thursday morning the inhabitants of the
citv awoke to find heavy clouds shroudlrg
the Mont Pelee crater. All day Weones
day horrid Getonatons had been neaio'
These were echoed from St. Thomas on lne
north to Barbados on the so9tn. ; dhG c md
fine ashes fell like rain on St. Pierre. Inc
inhabitants were alarmed. but GOV. Mout-
tet, who arrived at St. Pierre the evening
before, did everything possible to allay the
panic. c4
Pierre on Thursday with ten passengers
among whom were Mrs. Stokes and ne1
three children, and Mrs. H. j. lnce IHey
We've watching the rain of ashes Wnen' "a.h
a frightful roar and terrific electrlc us
charges, a cyclone of fire, mud ana steam
swept down from the crater over town and
bay sweeping all before it and destroying
the fleet of vessels at anchor Off the shore'
There the accounts of the catastrophe so
far obtainable cease.
Thirty thousand corpses are strewn about,
buried in the ruins of St. Pierre, or else
floating gnawed by sharks, in the sur
rounding seas Twenty-eight charred- half
dead human beings were brought mere.
Sixteen Of them are already dead, and only
Of the whole number four are expected 10
recover.
Apress steamer chartered in GuaGeloupe,
neared Martinique at $50 Sunday morning.
The island with its lofty hills, was hidden
behind a huge veil Of violet. or leaden-col-
ored haze. Enormous quantities OF the
wreckage of large ard small ships and
houses strewed the surface of the sea. Huge
trees, and too often. bodiesL with f1ocks of
sea gulls soaring above the hideoEs sharks
fighting about them. were floating here and
there. From behind the volcanic veil came
blasts of hot wind, mingled with others.
| Of St. Pierre canoes with men and women,
| frantic to get away. begged for passage
| on<xhe steamer. The whole north END of
| the island was covered with silver gray
| coating of ashes resembling dirty snow.
| Furious blasts Of fire, ashes and mud swept
over the steamer, but finally st. Pierre was
| rea ched
| The city of St. Pierre stretched nearly
two miles along the water front and half
a mile back to- cliff at the base of the
| Volcano The houses of the richer French
families were built of stone. The still
smoking volcano lowered above the ash
covered hills. The ruins were burning in
many places and frightful odors of burned
! flesh filled the air. With great difficulty a
landing was effected Not one house was
left intact Viscid heaps of mud. of brighter
! ashes, or piles of volcanic stones were seen
| on every side. The streets could hardly be
| traced
Here and there amid The ruins were heaps
| Of corps5s, almost all the faces were down.
| ward In one corner % bodies of men.
women and children were mingled in one
| awful mass, arms and legs protruGing as
the haRless beings fell in the last strug-
giles Of Deaths agony. Through the middle
of the old Place Berth ran a tiny stream,
the remains of the river Gayave. Great
trees. with roots upward and scorched by
fire. were strewn in every direction. Huge
blocks ard still hot stones were scattered
about. From under one large stone the
arm of a white woman protruded. Most
notable was the utter silence and the awful
overpoWeriEg stencil from the thousands of
dead.
Careful inspection showed that the fiery
stream which so completely destroyed St.
Pierre must have been composed of poison
GUS gases which instantly suffocated every
one who inhaled them. and of other gases
burning furiously, for nearly all the victims
had their hands covering their mouths or
rr-1v IN 1f1 ;t,,Io ~l- -. L
they had sought relief from suffocation.
All the bodies were carbonized or roasted.
Are Doubtless Dead
Three hours exploration of the ru.
ms of St. Pierre resulted in the find.
ing of no trace of the American con.
sulatc. Consul Thomas T. Prentis, his
wife and two daughters, are un-
doubtedly dead. That quarter of the
city is still a vast mass of blazing I'll.
ms. Nor has any trace been found
of James Japp, the British consul
Mr.. Japp had large family at ST.
Pierre.
The consul at Martinique is Thomas
T. Prentis. He was born in Michigan
and was appointed from Massach,l.
sets as consul at Seychelles islands
in 1871, and later served as consul at
Port Louis, Mauritius, Rouen, France
and Batavia. He was appointed con.
sui at Martinique in 1900. The vice
consul at Martinique is Amedee Tes.
tart, who was born and appointed
from Louisiana in 1898.
| Newspaper Publisher Dead.
Louisville, KY, May 14.-Walter n
Haldeman, president of the Louisville
! Courier-Jou and Times company
died Tuesday morning from the eff
fects of injuries received last Friday
by being struck by street car. Mr.
Haldeman was over 81 years old.