The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-06-18

| ION shore all was aflame. The city
burned with terrible roar. We re"
allied that the inhabitants had all died,
as not one was to be seen making an
attempt to escape. Not cry was heard
save from the ships that were in the
harbOr. Our own condition was des-
perate in the extreme. The heat was
intense We were able to keep our
faces above the surface of the water Tor
a second at time at the most. We
would take mouthful of air and then
sink into the water to stay there until
forced to come to the surface again.
This only lasted about three minutes.
After that we were able to float by the
side Of the boat, dipping only occasion
ally. When we could sustain the heat
that filed the air, we clambered back
into the boat and rowed back to Carbet.
At Carbet we found the village abso-
lutely deserted
at is impossible to describe even in
the most faint manner the horrors of
st. Pierre. There were some things
that can be explained and many more
that cannot be explained by anything
known to modern reason.
at happened that one of the first
bodies found by the party with which
we entered st. Pierre ON Monday, May
5, was that of a pretty little girl about
four years old. She sat in lifelike po-
sition by the side Of a box containing
her toys. But how explain the fact
that the house in which it was found
was in absolute ruins, and, instead Of
being under the debris, the body was
on top of it all? 1t was as though the
little girl and her box of toys had been
lifted into the air and, after the build
ing had fallen into ruins, been dropped
back to earth So it was in the streets.
The explosion happened just before 8
O'Clock. 1t was feast day. Mass was
called for O'clock, and many were
on their way to the cathedral. All of
these had been lifted into the air, and
after the ruins had fallen the bodies
dropped back.
"When melinite explodes in thehands
of a man, it is always the case that his
clothes are blown from his body. So it
was at st. Pierre. All of the bodies
were naked, SAFE for the shoes. More
over, the clothing had not been burned
off, as has been so often reported. The
only bodies touched by fire were those
that remained where the houses burn
ed after the explosion.
1--WE saw great stones that seemed
to be marvels of strength, but when
touched by the toe of a boot they
crumbied into impalpable dust. l pick
ed up bar of iron. 1t was about an
inch and a half thick and three feet
long. 1t had been manufactured square
and then twisted SO as to give it great
er strength. The fire that came down
from Mont Pelee had taken from the
iron all Of its strength and had left 1t
so that when / twisted it it fell into
filaments, like so much broom straw.
"Back of the cathedral was the sa-
wanna. Great trees had been torn up
by the roots, leaving a hole twenty
feet deep and thirty or forty feet
across. Then this hole had been filled
by the ashes that poured down from
the volcano. Trees were cut off as
though by mighty knife in the hands
of a giant reaper. Everywhere were
banks of cinders and ashes. All about
us were bodies. On few faces was to
be seen that peace which l have seen
mentioned by others. l believe that al
most all had time to realize what was
upon them, but they did not have time
to suffer. Their arms were Outstretch-
ed. The hands were open and the fin
gers were spread. 1t was a common
gesture, and l believe that it was an
act of men and women who threw up
their arms to ward off blow which
they knew was descending upon them.
''There was another fact which has
not been remarked upon as it deserves.
know that the explosion Of Mont Pc
lee was not accompanied by anything
like an earthquake, for the reason that
when we entered st. Pierre we found
the fountains flowing, just as though
nothing had happened. They contin-
ued to flow and are flowing still unless
destroyed by the later explosions.
s'There was no flow of lava. 1t was
all ashes, dust, gas and mud. Therein
lies another fact that must be consid-
cred. 1t should be remembered when
discussing this catastrophe that the
crater that sent disaster upon st. Pierre
was not at the crest Of the volcano.
The old crater was at the top. and 1t
was filed with water, forming pref
ty lake. The first eruption, which sent
destruction upon Precheur, was from
a crater far down the side of the noun
tain. The destruction then was worked
by mud.
''Now, the water in that lake disap-
peared little before the eruption of
May 3. There had been constant and
heavy rains. Then a small peak of the
mountain fell in and covered the crater,
from which the hot mud had been
| pouring. am convinced that that fall
of earth, stones and water closed up
the vent, and when the pressure on the
inside became sufficient it forced out
the side of the mountain.