Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-14
GRAPHIC STORY OF TRAGEDY
Surviving Officer of ROraimA Talks Of
Appalling Disaster at St, Pierre.
BLACK CLOUD OF ASHES ENvELoPS sHIF
Heat is So Intense that the Pas
sengers on Board the Vessel
Soon Die from It's
Awful Effects.

| SutbSS illS SNSaAhbulp WHICH was utSiIOgtu
in the harbor of st. Pierre, gives a graphic
story Of the tragedy of last Thursday to ths
Herald from St. kits, Island Of st. Christie
pher, B. w. L.:
| I'VE experienced the greatest difficulty
In getting into port" said he. Appalling
| sounds we're issuing from the mountains
| behind the town, which was shrouded In
| darkness. All the passengers we're up and
some were trying to obtain photographs.
Suddenly l heard a tremendous explo-
| sion. Ashes began to fall thick upon the
dock, and l could see black cloud sweep
| ing down upon us. I dlved below and,
dragging with me Samuel Thomas. a gang
way man and fellow countryman. sprang
into a room, shutting the door to keep out
| the heat that was already unbearable.
The ship rocked and l expected every
moment that it would sink. Outside
heard a voice pleading for the door to be
opened 1t was Scott, the first officer, and
| / opened the door and dragged him into the
| room.
| 1T soon became unbearably hot and /
went on deck. All about was lying the
| dead and the dying. Little children were
| moaning for water. l did what l could for
| them. l obtained water, but when It was
| held to their swollen lips they were unable
| to swallow because OF the ashes which
| clogged their throats. One little chap took
water in this method and rinsed out the
ashes. but even then could not swallow, so
| badly was his throat burned. He sank
back unconscious and few minutes later
was dead. All aft the ship was afre, and
| from the land came drafts of terrible
heat. At last, when / could stand 1t no
longer, sprang overheard. The water was
almost hot enough to parboil me, but a
wave soon swept in from the ocean bring
ing with 1t cool water.
Saved by a RecedInE Wave.
II was caught in the receding wave,
which was of tidal velocity. and was car
ried out to sea. Then on the second re-
turn of the wave l washed against an up
turned sloop, to which / clung. A few
minutes later was joined by another man
whom learned was Captain Muggah Of
the Roraima. He was in dreadful agony
and kept begging piteously to be put on
| board his ship.
Picking up some wreckage and a tool
chest with FIVE others who Joined me, we
succeeded In forming a rude raft, on
which we placed the captain. Seeing an
| upturned boat l asked one Of the Ave to
| swim out to It and bring 1t over SO that
Captain Muggah might have an opportunity
to live. The man succeeded in getting the
1 DOuI ilbhNSN1 bub AhoNCuu VI Aebuihih6 ho
picked up two Of his countrymen and went
! away In the direction Of Fort de France.
Seeing the Roddam, which had arrived
In port soon after we anchored. making
| for the Roraima, said goodby to Captain
Muggah and swan to the Roddam. Before
/ could reach It 1t burst into flames and
| put out to sea. / finally reached the
Roraima about $3.50 in the afternoon and
| later was taken OF by the cruiser Suchet."
Samuel Thomas, the gangway man whose
life was saved by Taylor, describes a
woman who was burned to death while she
held her baby in her arms, protecting It
with her own body from the fire that filled
the air. The child was alive long after Its
mother had ceased to suffer.
Having been notified that further hope
for the escape OF her husband from death
at st. Pierre was useless Mrs. Muggah,
wife Of the captain OF the steamer
Roraima, is prostrated at her home In
Brooklyn. Physicians are IN attendance
but there is said to be slight chance for
her recovery.
ST. THOMAS. D. W. l., May 13.-Advices
received here from the island OF ST. Vim
cent. B. W. l., forwarded on Sunday last,
| announce that 700 deaths have occurred in
that island as result of the outbreak OF
the Soufriere volcano which is still slightly
active. -
The Danish cruiser Valkyrien has taken
on board 500 refugees from the north and
northeast coasts Of the island of Mar
| Unique.
The French cruiser Suchet has rescued
1000 persons from Martinique and the
| French cable repair steamer Pouyer- -Quer-
| tier has saved numbers OF sufferers from
the volcanic outbreak there.
! All the rescued persons have been taken
to Fort de France. Martinique.
Only one man escaped from the Jail at
st. Pierre when that town was overwhelmed
by the flow OF lava from Mont Pelee.
The stencil from tho unburied corpses at
st. Pierre is still almost intolerable, ac-
cording to the advices received here and
the desolation is indescribable.
1t is reported at st. Thomas that the
French bank at st. Pierre transferred its
funds and books to the Suchet before the
catastrophe.
CAsTRIES. Island of st. Lucia, May 1s.-
1t is announced In advIces received here
this morning (Tuesday) from the Island of
| st. Vincent, B. w. l., that 1000 persons
have perished there since the Soufriere vol
cano has been in eruption.
PARIS May l3.-An Official dispatch re-
ceived by the minister for the colonies, NJ.
Decrais. today says that the 45O refugees
landed at Fort de France by the French
cable steamer Pouyer- -Quertier were all
from the village OF lie Precheur. near St..
Pierre, and that the only inhabitants OF St.
Pierre who were saved were those who left
that town before o'clock on the morning
OF the disaster Thursday last.
But Few COrpses Found.
FORT DE FRANCE. Island Of Martl-
nique, May. 13.-strange to relate, in view
OF the number Of inhabitants OF st. Pierre
who were swept TO death by the volcanic
waves from Mount Pelee on Thursday, very
few eorpses have been found by those en-
gagged in the work Of cremating the dead
bodies. This is due to the fact that the
most people are buried under the thick
layer Of cindersd lava. which apparently
entirely consumed the bodies OF the vic
Tins
The Danish cruiser Valkyrien. having
done everything possible in the efforts be-
ing made 10 sueeor the refugees, left this
port today.
The German cruiser Fake has Just ar
rived here.
Public interest centers In the stories OF
the survivors and in the efforts being made
to sueeor the refugees a woman named