The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1902-05-21
WORSE AND WORSE.
A Stream of Stone and Mud Half
aMile Wide.
PARTICULARS FROM ST. PIERRE.
Thousands Of People are Killed
ON the Islands by the Lava
That Runs Down Noun
tain Side.

That Runs Down Noun
tain Side.
A dispatch from Fort de France
says the United States government
tug Potomac left there for the island
Of st. Vincent where conditions are re-
ported to be worse. La SOufricrc, ON
st. Vincent. was in fun eruption May
10. A stream eOf stone and mud half
mile wide was then issuing from the
volcano. Stones two inches i'm diam
eter fell twelve miles away At
Kingston, the capital of the island,
the ashes were two inchS deep. Seven
hundred dead were reported Sunday,
May |. 1t is estimated that the to-
tai number of deaths on st. Vincent
reaches two thousand. Most OF the
victims are said to he Carib Indians.
Seven estates on the island have been
burned to ashes, and ii is authcnti-
cally reported that two earthquakes
occurred. 1t is believed the submarine
cables at s.. Vincent have been broken
by the disturbances. The present
volcanic eruption on st. Vincent is
the first since 1912.
LOOTING THE DEAD.
The dispatch further says the tug
Potomac cruiSed along the coast of
Martinique. She encountered an inky
black column of smoke which made it
necessary for her to go five miles out
of her course. Words fail to describe
the present situation ut st. Pierre. A
small detachment of French troops
is making efforts to inter the dead.
although the government seems to be
Strikingly uncOncerned as to what is
done in this direction. The looting
of the dead has begun already While
coming to Fort de France the Potomac
picked up Il boat containing five col
ored and one white man whose pockets
were filled with coin and jcwelry, the
latter evidently stripped from the fin
gers Of the dead Lieutenant B. Il.
Mccormick, the commander of the
Potomac, arrested these men and
turned them over to the commander
OF the French cruiser Suchct for pun
iShment. The Potomac also brought
ton of supplies TO Martinique. A
famine here is imminent. The north
ern section of the island is dcpupulat-
ed.
BUT FEW BODIES FOUND.
Strange to relate, i'm view OF the
number OF inhabitants OF st. Pierre
WHO We're swept to death by the vol
-anic waves from Mont Pelce. on
Thursday last, very few corpSeS have
been found 10y those who are engaged
in the work OF cremating the dead
bodies. This is due to the fact that
1.-The most populouS quarters Of the
town are buried under thick layer of
cindered lava which apparently en-
tirely consumed the bodies of the vie
Tins. Public interest centres i'm the
stories of the survivors and i'm the eff
forts being made to SuccOr the rcfu-
gees.
n woman named Laurent, who was
employed as servant at st. Pierre
in the household Of NJ Gabriel, and
who was among those taken to the hos
pital in this city, in describing her
experiences, said that on the day of
the terrible disaster she heard IA loud
report and theroupOn tainted. When
she regaincd her senses. few hours
later, she was horribly burned. and.
glancing around, she saw two mem
berS Of the Gabriel family Still alive
but they died before assistance could
reach them, Mile. Laurent. although
she lived for some time after being
taken to the hospital and was CON
SciouS while under the care Of phySi-
clans, died without being able TO inn
part any additional information con-
nprDinD the r1tnSt rpplp
STRANGE SIGHTS.
The path of the volcanic torrent
which swept over st. Pierre is marked
out in strange manner. The vicinity
OF the shore Ehcre vessels anchored
was swept by Il whirlwind of volcanic
gas, which ripped, tore and shattered
everything in its passage, but left few
traces of cinderS behind. ON the 9th
cr hand the fort, centre and adjourn
ing partSOf st. Pierre are buried under
thick bed of cindcrS which COnSlm-
ed everything beneath it, The scenes
within the dead city are strange and
grueSOme, says the dispatch. I'm the
section of the city known rs the MuuI-
ege, no sign of fire is visible but
everything seems to have been rent
and scattered as though 10y Il tornado.
The iron bcdSteadS in Tin" hospitals are
twisted, but bear no mark Of heat.
The bedclothcS and al! textiles i'm the
hospital simply vanished. About two
hundred COrpScS have been found i'm
the streets of St Pierre, most Of them
lying face downward. The central
quarter OF the town and the fort are
buried several yards under cindcrS. I'm
the neighbOrhOud of the creek, sew
cral houses were found intact, but
their inhabitants were all dead and
appeared to have been killed by light
ming. Here the bodies were lying.
sitting and reclining i'm CuriOuSly life
like attitudes.
THE DISASTER DESCRIBED.
Describing Che destruction of the is
land city correspondent says that
last Monday week Mount pclcc poured
forth a stream of molten lava 20 feet
high and half mile wide It's pro-
gresS was appalling. Rushing down
the dry bed of Riyicrc Blanche IT
reached the sea. The force OF the i'm
pact was such that the sea reccdcd foI
300 feet for miles along the western
coast. Loud detOnatiuns followed AT
short irregular intervals, absolutely
aw-inspiring and so loud that they
were heard 300 miles away. Al night
the volcano crater was Il mass OF luriO
flames which shot high up over TN,
mountain, while all the time the can.
nOnading went on. 1t continued at
intervals on Tuesday and Wednesday
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