Bismarck daily tribune., 1902-09-06
ALL HOPE is ABANDONED.
Generally Believed the Island of Mar
Unique is Doomed to Certain
and Total Destruction.
Residents of Surrounding Islands Fear
that They Will Also be Sewpt
by Tidal Wave.
Mouth of Mont Pelee Crows in Size
as the Eruption of the Vol
cano Progresses.

New York. Sept. ct is generally
believed that the Island of Martinique
is doomed to total destruction and the
fear is that when the catastrophe
comes Guadeloupe will be visited by
an all-destructive tidal wave. cables
the Pointe-a-Pitre tGuadalonpe> cor
respondent of the Herald. Business is
absolutely at a standstill Few shops
are open and ii it We're not for the ct.
forts OF d small number OF more val.
liant souls hundreds would starve ~
death here because OF their fear of a
more terrible death.
Details that have been received dur
ing the last two days prove that the
eruption OF Mont Pelee Of Aug 80 was
far more violent than any of the ear
lier explosions.
= AS the eruptions continue the mouth
of Mont Pelee grows in size. 1t is now
OF enormous proportions. Morne LIE
Croix, one of the peaks that reared
skyward from the side of the Pelee.
has fallen bodily into the crater and
has been completely swallowed. There
seems to be a side pressure in the
crater and the burning chasm widens
perceptibly every day.
Clouds no more hang about the crest
of Mont Pelee. The terrific heat seems
to drive everything away The col
urnn of flame and smoke ,rears directly
into the heavens, SO that it's top is
lost to sight. In the darkness of the
night it has the appearance of stream
of molten iron, standing fixed between
heaven and earth. From MorDe Capote
the relief troops were compelled to
make a quick retreat, although they
succeeded in taking out few wound
ed. The entire country nearly to Fort
de France is buried under
Deep Cover OF Ashes.
This has made it almost impossible to
find the bodies of those who have per-
1shed while fleeing to the sea coast
Constantine Cara. one of the few
who succeeded in escaping from Morne
Rouge after the explosion, found ref
nge on the steamer Esk. She was with
twelve others in her house when Pelee
gave its first warning of the disaster
which it was about to pour upon the
village. She said that the first .explo-
sion destroyed many houses. She was
hurled with great force against the
wall Of the room in which she was sit
ting. On recovering from the shock
She ran outside and there saw three
separate tongues of fire sweeping down
from the mouth of the volcano The
earth shook with SO great violence
that she could not retain her feet. She
was blinded by the glare of the flames.
The heat was SO terrific that her flesh
was blistered. She awaited the death
which she believed to be inevitable.
Fortunately the fire swept little to
one side OF her and she was saved
At Grande Anse the tide swept 80
feet inshore, destroying many houses
and drowning scores of inhabitants
Even at Fort de France the most
stout of heart have lost courage
Colonel LIE Occur has reported to
his government that it is his opinion
that the entire Island of Martinique
will have to be abandoned He asks
for assistance in transporting the in.
habltants to the other islands of the
West Indian group