The Dolores star., 1902-05-16

J dies. May lt.-AIont reiee, q vOicaIr'e
! mountain some ten miles north of 81.
| Pierre. the commercial capital of Mar
| Unique is fhe mountain which mads n
faint show of eruption fifty years ago,
| May 3rd last 1t began 10 throw Sul
| dense clouds of smoke. At midni1ht
the same day flames. accompanied
with rumbling noises. lighted the sky
| over an immense area, causing wide
\ spread terror. May ith hot ashes GOV
cred the whole city quarter of St
Pierre an inch thick and made Mont
Pelcc invisible.
At noon May 9Th n stream of burr
ing lava rushed 400 feet down tlr
mountain side. following the dry bed
of a torrent, and reaching the sea, five
miles from the mountain in three min
utcs. In its rush the fiery flood swept
from its path plantations. buildings.
factories. cattle and human beings
over a breadth of about half n mile.
AZ the rear of the mouth of the III
Were Blanche stood the large Guorin
sugar factory. one of the finest in the
Island. 1t is now completely entombei
~ lava The tall chimney alone is viz
ible. one hundred and fifty persons
;ire estimated to have persisted there,
including the owners son.
As the lava rushed into the sea. the
latter rcceded 800 feet all along the
west coast returning with greater
strength, big wave covered the whole
sea front of st. Pierre, but did little
damage ashore or aifOat.
Terrible dctonations. heard hundreds
of miles northward followed at shors,
irregular intervals and continued at
night. In the intsnsc darkness the
electric lights failed but the town was
lii up by lurid flashes of flame from
the mountain. The tcrror-Striclicn in
habitauts rushed for the hills in their
night clothing. screaming. shouting
and wailing mad With terror.
The Plissono family escaped 10 st.
Tura In n small steamer Thirty-hve
persons. mostly women and children,
arrived here in the forenoon of the 9th
aud furnished the above details. The
men remained at Martinique
The same afternoon, later, telegraph
ic communication was Interrupted with
both the islands of Martinique and ST.
Vincent.
During the afternoon of the Sth the
British steamer Roddam. which had
left st. Lucia at midnight ON the eth
for Martinique crawled slowly into
the Castries harbor unrecogni2able
gray with ashes. her rigging dis
mnntlcd and sheets and awnings hang
ing about, torn and charred.
Captain Waiter reported that, having
just east anchor off ST. Pierre at 8 IA.
IN. in fine weather succeeding an aw-
ful thunder storm during the night. he
was talking to the ships agent, Joseph
Plssono. who was in Il boat alongside.
when he saw Il tremendous cloud of
smoke and glowing cinders rushing
with terrific rapdity over the town and
port, completely, i'll an instant. enyel-
oping the former in sheet of flame
and raining fire on board. The agent
had just time TO climb aboard when his
boat disappeared Several of the crew
We're quickly scorched to death.
BY superbuman efforts. having
steam up. the cable was slipped and
the steamer backed away from the
shore, and nine hours later managed to
reach Castries. Ten of the Roddom's 5
men Were lying dead. contorted and
burned out of human semblance, ow
ing to the black cinders which covered
the ships decks to n depth of six
inches. Two more of the crew have
since died. Two of the survivors of
the crew We're loud in their praise of
tiit iitipit 'ohbu't VI liit thDthih III
steering their vessel away from de-
structonr with his own hands. which
We're badly burned by The rain of fire
which kept falling on the ship for
miles after she got under way. Be
yond burns over his body the captain
is safe. as is also the ships agent,
though he is badly scorched.
Mr.. PlissinO is believed here to be
| the sole survivor of rhp 10000 inha hi
tants of the town, and all the shipping
in the port has been utterly destroyed,
the West Indian X Panama Telegraph
Company's repairing vessel going
first, then the Quebec liner Roraima.
| Captain Muggah of the latter waved
! his hand in farewell to the Roddain
| as his vessel sank with Il terrific eX-
| plosion.