The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-06-12
ST. VINCENT ISLAND.
Picturesque Place Wrecked
by Volcanic Outbursts.
SCENE OF BIG ERUPTION IN 1912.

Most beautiful tropical Island In
the british West Indies Group.
Climate Very Humid.
ST Vincent which has also suffered
from the eruIaion of its own Soufriere
Volcano, is one of the most beautiful
and picturesque islands of the British
West Indian group, says the New
YORK Press. 1t has an area OF 131
square miles and has been described
as one Of the flashing jewels that lie
Ike q necklace around the Caribbean
sea- The last British census credited
it with q population of 10000, of which
6 large majority are negroes engaged
in the cultivation of sugar cane, which
is the principal crop. Two hundred
years ago it was the home Of the Carib
Indians who were induced by the
French to join ii revolution against.
England. They were crushed. and
thousands were transported. Hun
dreds. rather than submit, flung them
selves into the sea- 4 few descend
ants of these original owners of the
island stiI exist on lands granted to.
them By the British government.
ST Vincent, like all the islands in
the group, is of volcanic origin and
eliminates ia the vast crater of Morne
Y Garou. which in 1912 was the scene
of a tremendous eruption. Billions of
tons of rock and earth We're hurled
high into the air. Part. as molten lava.
flowed down into the sea- part SILVER
ed into thin dust, was carried high up
into the Clouds For three days the
awful convusions of nature continued.
The dust from the crater so obscured
the rays OF the sun and brought on
darkness SO terrifying that the few
survivors believed the world had come
to on end The impalpable dust was
carried by the trade winds to the is
lands of Barbados and St Lucia and
turned day into night. The inhabit-
ants became panic stricken with fear
and abandoned their ordinary voca-
tons and devoted themselves to pray
ers and fasting.
This was the closing period of Sc.
ries of. volcanic eruptions which had
lasted two years, and the direction of
the seismic wave was not unlike that
which has devastated Martinique. The
disturbance in 1872 seemed to pass un-
der the bed of the ocean to Venezuela.
Caracas. the capital of that country,
was partly destroyed by an earth
quake. and 10000 persons persisted
With the exception of the great Lisbon
earthquake the eruption of the mighty
mountain was the most frightful cata-
clysm known to the world up to that
time. The whole configuration Of the
island was changed The eastern end
sank into the sea, and where it stood
there is now a great depth of water.
The volcanic forces remained quiescent
until 1892 and then the warning rum
bic was heard again, but it was false
alarm, and the terrible scenes Of the
early part of the century were not re-
peated.
The island of ST. Vincent lies 100
miles west of Barbados and between
St. Lucia and the Grenadines. From
north to south stretches ridge of high,
wooded hills. extending to the seq on
either side The Soufriere, whose erup-
ton recently started, is in the north
west 1t towers 5000 feet above the
sea- Its crater is three miles in cir
conference and 500 feet deep. From
the summit the view on all sides was
superb Eastward over the new crater,
formed ia 1912, the Atlantic was Wis
ible through the bill ranges, westward
to the blue waters OF the Caribbean
quaint and curious town Of Chateau
Belair. Travellers who have stood on
the highest point describe the view Of
Morne Garou as a spectacle Of awe in
spring grandeur, with the vast forest
clambering over lofty peak and deep
hewn glen right to the northern verge,
where, twenty miles off, the island dips
under the blue waves.
The climate of st. Vincent is unusu-
ally humid, the average rainfall being
seven feet annually. But the mortal
fty rate is low, and the inhabitants en-
Joy excellent health. The soil in the
valleys is a rich ioam, well calculated
for the growing of cotton and cocoa
palms. as well as sugar cane The av-
erage temperature is S5 degrees r. in
the highlands. In the lowlands it
hovers between 80 and 95. The island
has been noted for the beauty of the
plumage Of its birds and for it's rare
specimens of insect life.
1t is the home Of the giant freely,
whose phosphorescent brilliancy is so
great that one fly will shed sufficient
light by which to read book or news
paper. A dozen Of these insects will
light up a large room, and the Caribs
in the olden days used them for pur-
poses of illumination. Unlike the birds
In the tropics farther south, the birds
OF the forests of ST. Vincent are not
only brilliantly feathered, but are pos
gessed of melodious song. One is a
sort Of mountain oriole. which has a
note Of peculiar sweetness and won
derful penetration.
AS in most countries where earth
quakes are feared, the houses are, as