Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-05-17

Fort de France. Martinique, (By Ca
le).-It is now generally estimated that
about 10000 persons lost their lives at
ST. Pierre as a result of the outbreak
of the Mount Pelee volcano last Thurs
day. How many persisted in smaller
towns and on plantations is not known.
The United States consul at Guade-
loupe, Col. Louis H. Ayme, has made a
tour of the desolate site where ST. Pierre
stood. From an interview with Colonel
Ayme, who is trained American news
paper man, formerly of Chicago, the fol-
lowing facts are learned:
Thursday morning the inhabitants of
the city awoke to find heavy clouds
shrouding the Mount Pelee crater. All
day Wednesday horrid detonations had
been heard These were echoed from ST.
Thomas, on the north. to Barbados, on
the south. The cannonading ceased
Wednesday night and fine ashes fell like
rain on ST. Pierre. The inhabitants were
alarmed. but Governor Mouttet. who had
arrived at St. Pierre the evening before,
did everything possible to allay the panic.
The British steamer Roraima reached
ST. Pierre Thursday with ten passen-
gers, among whom were Mrs Stokes and
her three children. and Mrs. II. ]. Ince.
They were watching the rain of ashes
when, with a frightful roar and terrific
electric discharge, vast mass of FIRE.
| mud and steam swept down from the
crater over city and bay. sweeping all
before it and destroying the fleet of YES
sells at anchor off the shore
Thirty thousand corpses are now
strewn about, buried in the ruins of ST
Pierre or else floating, gnawed by sharks.
in the surrounding seas. Twenty eight
charred. half dead survivors from the
scene have been brought here. Sixteen
of them are already dead and OF the
whole number only four are expected to
recover.
Enormous quantities of the wreckage
of large and small ships and houses now
strew the surface of the sea. Huge trees
and many bodies. with fiocks of sea gulls
soaring above and hideous sharks fight
ing about them. are floating here and
there. From behind the volcanic veil
come blasts of hot wind mingled with
others ice-cold.
| At lie Precheur, three miles north of
St Pierre, canoes with men and women
frantic to get away are begging pas
sage on the steamer.
The whole north end of the island is
covered with silver gray coating of
ashes resembling dirty snow. Furious
blasts of fire. ashes and mud sweep over
the ruins of St. Pierre. which stretch
nearly two miles along the water front
and half mile back 10 a cliff at the base
of the volcano.
The still smoking volcano towers
above the ash-covered hills The ruins
are burning in many places and frightful
odors of burned flesh fill the air
Not one house is left intact. Heaps of
mud, ashes and volcanic stones are seen
on every side. The streets can hardly
be traced.
Here and there amid the ruins are
heaps of corpses, almost all of the faces
being downward. In one corner 22
bodies of men. women and children were
mingled in one awful mass. arms and
legs protruding as the hapless beings
fell in the last struggles of death q
agony.
Through the middle of the old Place
Berlin runs tiny stream. Great trees,
with roots upward and scorched by fire.
are strewn in every direction. Huge hot
stones are scattered about From under
one large stone the arm of a white
woman protruded.
The utter silence and awful. overpow-
ering odor from the thousands of dead
were fearful
Careful inspection shows that the fiery
stream which destroyed St. Pierre must
have been composed in part of poison
Gus gases. which instantly suffocated
everyone who inhaled them. and of other