The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1902-05-16
WORST DISASTER
Of Modern Times Was the Volcanic
Eruption on Island Of
Martinique.
FORTY THOUSAND PEOPLE REPORTED KILLED

Polnte.a-Pitre, May 9.-Secrete-
ry Of state, Washington AT
o'clock a. M. on the Sth instant a :.
storm Of steam, mud aud fire en-
velopGd the city and community
Not more than twenty persons es-
capped with their lives, Eighteen
vessels were sunk with all on
board, including four American
vessels and a steamer from Quebec
named Roraima. Ihc. United.
states Consul and family are re,
ported among the victims
st. Thomas, Danish West Indies
May 6.-The eruption Of Mount Pc
lee was witnessed by the crew OF
the British steamer Ocean Travel
or, OF st. Johns y. Il. She was
driven out Of the harbor OF St.Nln'I
cent by shower Of hot sand from
1.-THE volcano Ia Sutlricre, which tell
on her decks. The Captain feared
that he would be eoyerwhclmed and
ileft. He can not ttll what hap
pened on shore after that That
was on "Wednesday afternoon.
| Nsyt mornlnr. Tbnrsday, May $,
the ocean Traveller was abreast OF
st. Pierre, Martinique. Pelee was
smoking. The schooner was about
"A nile oil shore when the whole
top OF the mounteip seemed to
blow Off. The explosion was Ike
that of an enormous homo. a
grratmass Of flame tlew out from
the high summit and settled down
on the surrounding earth. The air
was full OF falling fire. The town
OF st. Pierre and the spring IN the
harb0r seemed to burst into flame.
They say there were probably ylwen-
ty vessels in the harbor, and all
seemed to be lost.
The cloud otiire that settled oN.
er st. Pierre hid the town so that
they could not mark the inll cX'
tent of the destruction They
thought the whole northern end o.
Martinique had been blown up
The schooner got away from th,
shore rs fast as it could, and mad,
Tor Dominica, On the way she en-
! countcted much wreekagc, indicat
ing that somo large. vessel hat
been overwhelmed at sea to th'
north of Martinique.
l. The ocean Was much agitatcd
contrary currents twisting tn,
ocean Traveller about like a cork
This was so bad on Wednesda.
night that the schooner was force'
3. from her intended course to st, La
g cia, and she could only 20 to tn
). northward. Nobody on the Oceal
# Traveller was injured, though dur
ing the erupttons she was covere
with sand and ashes.
# The British steamer Roddar
= rode out Of the storm OF tire and f
A nally reached st. Lucia. Ever
i. one OF her officers except the Car
tain is either dead or dying, an
the Captain is in the st, Lucia ho'
o. ,pital seriously burned. lAardl
; enough OF thecre escaped to wor
," the vessel. She was in the thic
OF a showerot molten rock, that 5,
fire to her in hundreds of place
u and struck down everybody ths
remained on deck.
IT, The supercargo and ten OF IL
tie crew, certain that the ship W.
d. doomed, jumped overheard
" drown rather than burn, and wei
~ lost in the harbor of st. Pierre.
u The French cruiser Suchet WI
olT the burning city four hours a
ce ter the great eruption and manage
os- to pick thirty men from the hla
~. ing shipping in the harbor. III
In officers OF the cruiser dared dea
be- by going ashore in small poat
es. though the fiery fragments we
of still being vomited by the crat
and were dropping in the sea
!, around them, but were unable
-, ~ see living person on the shore.
~ They could not make their W
49, into the town itself, but along t
~ docks they saw heaps of dci
n They brought the few they h
-" gathered in the harbor to Po
,I e Apitre, Island of Gaudelope, a
there the officers expressed it
w o"' their opinion that there was no
w" man or woman or child left al
In st. Pierre.
mo The loss Of life is greater in t
,ssv Instance than it was when the
ana ciont city of pompeii was dostr
ed in II similar manner. The W
OF destruction at st. Pierre '
',''c done in three minutes, Such "
.lon nous quantities of the lava
iine fire wero thrown out of the volc
over by the explosion that II complei
'her covered the city and country
wig four miles around,
the
,ho FACTS AhouTMARriN1QUE.
give Martinique is French West