The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-19

canes. but, knowing it wasn't the season
of the year for them, we all remarked
in the engine room that there must be a
heavy storm approaching
THAT night, in the direction of Mar
Unique, there was a very black sky, an
unusual thing, you understand, at this
season of the year, and again it was ap-
parently brewing a storm in a direction
from which storms don't come at this
season of the year. The men, as the
night wore on, those on watch noticed
what appeared to be great flashes of
lightning in the direction of Martinique.
Every moment ashes rained down all
over the ship, and at the same time
grew thicker The lookout called down
that we were running into fog bank
ahead. Now, you know, fog banks in
that section are unheard of at o'clock
in the morning at this season of the
year.
Toward o'clock Friday we were
practically clear of the sand, but at IL
o'clock that night we ran into a second
bank of it, but it was not as bad as the
first. We made some experiments, and
found the stuff, whatever it was, was
superior to emery dust. It cut deeper
and quicker, and only about half as
much was required to do the WORK.
When the second storm came, or, rath-
er, when we ran into it, we made up
our minds to keep what came on board
as it was better than the emery dust,
and much cheaper; SO we gathered il
up
I'VE saw the Roddam at St. Lucia. =
said Fourth Engineer Wild, and 1 did
not think it was possible for a ship to
get into such a terrible condition and
and all voted him a man of wonderful
pluck and nerve to get that ship out of
that harbor, burned as he was, and
then navigate it to St Lucia It was
The steamship Horace, of the Lam
pert & Holt line, passed through a vol
canic shower like that the Etonia ex-
perienced.
electrical engineer, who came here to get
practical experience in some big electrical
IN IN 81 Lucia when the Roddam put back
there The curiosity turned to horror
NO one recognized the Roddam as she
steamed into st. Lucia late Thursday af-
ternoon- The day before she had left
We watched her come into port and
wondered Who she was and what her
story was said Mr.. Chastanet She
picked up a pilot and then we heard that
she wante da doctor. An agent of a ship
ping firm went off to see her, thinking
him she sent word for doctors. Then we
learned who she was. Her story was a
terrible one and the ships appearance
porne out the story to the last fearful
Chief Officer Gibson of the steamer
Horace, which also reached port today
said:
The volcanic dust fell aboard the Hor-
ace Tor a radius of 125 miles beyond and
this side of Martinique. He though at
first that it was a similar phenomenon
to the dust storms that blow from the
Sahara west from the African coast 1t
was not until the Horace took a pilot off
San Lucia to drop in there for coal that
the true. cause Of the precipitation was
| learned"
There was lava dust sticking to the
rail Of the Horace yesterday. The ship
had been frshly painted just before run
ming into the lava downpour. The CHIEF
/ officer said things. he admitted yesterday
because the new paint was mussed up
1 " hen he got to San Lucia and saw the
I Roddam, however. he had not a word tC
/ say Il realized" said he that there
was something worse than fresh paini
/ spoiled when [ looked at the Roddarn''
Mr. Gibson said yesterday: 7 never
saw vessel that was so much of {
wreck and a charnel house, and yet stay
/ on the water. 1t was only through what
seemed providentiaI accident that tn,
steamer s engines were saved from disast
! rOus injury result of the storm OF
/ lava dust which covered them