Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-05-13
IN CITY OR DEATH
CORPSE Strewn Ruins Found
Where St. Pierre Stood.
FEW WALLS STANDING
Relief Parties Cremate Bodies
In q Public Square.

Soldiers and Gendarmes Hard At
Work Burning Remains of Victims
Of the volcanO-Death Apparently
Was the Work of . MOment-GrOup
of Nine Children Found Locked In
Each Others Arms-Not . Drop OF
Water PrOcurable In st. Pierre.
Volcano still at Work, Forming
Crevices and Valleys In Northern
Part of the Island-One Thousand
Refugees Have Died-The French
Cruiser suchet Rescues Four Thou
sand From Village of LIE Precheur.
Fort-de-France, Island Of Martinique.
MAY 13.-Several steamers, including
the government vessel Rubis, went
from here to st. Pierre on Saturday.
The steamers had on board govern
ment delegate, number Of gendarmes,
q detachment of regular infantry and
several priests. The vessels also car
ried a quantity of firewood, petroleum
and quicklime, for use in the crema-
ton of the bodies Of the victims Of the
terrible volcanic outbreak of Thursday
last. Large quantities Of disinfectants
and stocks of clothing for the refugees
were also shipped to st. Pierre. The
refugees had, as a rule, assembled at
LIE Carbet and Case Pilote, not far
from st. Pierre, and, 1t is reported, over
q thousand Of them have died since
the fearful stream of lava poured
down Mont Pelee.
The sea for miles round was covered
with the wreckage Of the vessels sunk
off st. Pierre at the time of the disas-
ter and ashore only few trees, all
bent seward by the force of the vol
canic shower. were left standing.
That the British steamer Roddam es-
capped as she did is considered little
short of miracle.
When nearing st. Pierre the Rubis
met a number Of tugs towing lighters
filled with refugees.
The heat from the smoking, lava COW
cred ruins at st. Pierre was suffocat-
ing, and the stencil from the corpse
strewn streets was awful. Only few
walls were standing. A report that
the hospital clock was found intact.
with its hands stopped at 7:5O, was
confirmed, as was statement that the
Offices Of the cable company had en-
tirely disappeared.
Corpses Burned In Public Square.
On all sides were found portions Of
corpses, which were gathered up by
the soldiers and gendarmes and burned
on one Of the public squares.
Not a drop of water was procurable
ashore The darkness caused by the
clouds of volcanic dust shrouded the
town, and continuous subterranean
rumblings added to the horror of the
scene.
The fort and central quarters Of the
town were RACED to the ground and
were replaced by beds of hot cinders.
The iron grillwork gate of the gov
eminent offices was also standing.
There was no trace of the streets.
Huge heaps of smoking ashes were to
be seen on all sides.
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 were found lying in all kinds
of attitudes, showing that the victims
had met death as if by a 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.
Curiously enough, the features Of the
dead We're generally calm and repose-
full, although in some cases terrible
I NM SNTYNENEs|