Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-12
WHOLE island
PROBABLY DOOMED
Indications That Martinique Is
Settling Into the Water That
Surrounds 1t.
Great Fissures Constantly Open
ing On the Surface..Portions
Now Submerged.
Language Cannot Depict the
Horror OF the Catas.
trophe.

Fort de France. May IL. -
Several steamers, including the gov
ernment vessel Rubis, started from here
Saturday for st. Pierre. They had on
board the government delegate, num-
her of pendarmes, a detachment of reg
uiar infantry and several priests. me
vessels also carried quantity of fire
wood. petroleum and quicklime for use
in the cremation of the bodies OF the
victims of the terrible volcanic eruption
Thursday last Large quantities OF dls-
infectants and stocks of clothing fol
refugees were also shipped 10 81.
Pierre. The refugees, as rule, assem-
bled at LIE Carbet and Case Pilot not
far from St. Pierre, and 1t is reported
that over thousand of them have died
since the fearful stream poured down
Mount Pelee.
The sea for miles around was covered
with the wreckage of vessels sunk OIL
st. Pierre at the time of the disaster
and ashore only few trees, all bent
seaward by the force of the volcanic
shower, were left standing.
when nearing ST. Pierre the Rcois
met number oe tugs towing lighters
filed with refugees.
The heat from the smoking lava-cov-
cred ruins a. st. Pierre is suffocating,
and the stencil from the corpses stlewn
in the streets is awful. Only few
walls are standing. The report that
a hospital clock was found intact, with
its hands stopped at 7:5o is confirmed
as was the statement that the olhcers
of the cable company had entirely dis
appeared. On all sides were found por-
tions of corpses, which We're gathered
UP by soldiers and gendarmes ana
burned on the public squares.
Not drop of water Is procurable
ashore. The darkness caused by the
coluds of volcanic dust shroud the town
and continues. A subterranean runlb-
ling added to the horror of the scene.
The fort and central quarters of the
town were razed to the ground, and
were replaced by beds of hot cinders.
There is no trace of the streets.
At the landing place some burned and
ruined walls indicated the spot where
the custom house formerly stood and
traces of the larger shops could be seen.
In that neighborhood hundreds of
corpses We're found lying in all kinds
of attitudes, showing that the victims
had met death as if by lightning stroke.
Every vestige of clothing was burned
away from the charred bodies, and in
many cases the abdomens had been
burst open by the intense heat. The
features. of the dead We're generally
calm and reposeful, altho in some cases
terrible fright and agony We're depicted.
Grim piles Of bodies were stacked ev-
erywhere, showing death had stricken
them while the crowds We're vainly
seeking to escape from the fiery deluge.
On one spot group Of nine children
were found locked in each others arms.
The vault of the bank Of Martinique
was found intact. They contained two
million francs in specie and other Sc
curities The vaults of the government
treasury are now being searched III the
hope that a large amount of mony and
other valuables deposited by the prin-
cipal merchants of the city may be
saved.
Nearly 1000 refugees from the vicin-
1ty OF the village or La Precheur, q SUI
burban village to the north of ST.
Pierre, rescued by the cruiser Suchet
and cable repair ship Pouyer- Quertier,
were brought here.
AS result of his inspection the COM
mander of the Suchet reports crevices
and valleys constantly forming in the
northern portion of the island, where
the land is in a state of perpetual
change. Fortunately, that part of the
country was evacuated in good time by
the inhabitants, who fed to Fort de
France.
Lava continues to stream down the
mountain side, accompanied by ter
rifle thunder and lightning.
The dearth of provisions is beginning
to be felt thruout the island. Numer-
ous families are completely ruined and
shelterless, while the means at the dis
posal of the authorities are much too
Inadequate to cope with the distress.
Communication is practically cut of
from all the surrounding islands, ex-
cept by stray vessels, which are seized
upon by the inhabitants to flee froE,
Martinique.