The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-05-15
Thousands of Dead Bodies Strew
City of st. Pierre. Now
Total Wreck.
DEAD ARE BURNED IN PILES
At Least $4,000 Perished in Disaster
and EruptIons Still Continue
Investigation in Progress.

FORT De FRANCE, Island OF
Martinique. May 13-Investiga-
tions that are now being made at
the desolated city of st. Pierre
show that the original estimate
of the extent of the disaster and
the frightful loss of life were in
no way exaggerated. 1t is prac-
tically certain that 10000 people
have perished. Many of the vic
tins are buried under the avail
anche of mud and lava that de-
stroyed the city, but there are
thousands of dead bodies still Wis
ible, and the sight is one one OF
the most frightful horror.
Louis H. Ayme, the United
States Consul at GuadeloLre, has
reached the desolate spot where
St. Pierre stood, and confirms
the awful story in all its essen
tial details. He is authority for
the following facts:
Thursday morning the inhabi-
tants of the city awoke to find
heavy clouds shrouding the Mont
Pelee crater. All day Wednes-
day awfnl detonations had been
heard. These were echoed from
ST. Thomas. on the north, to
Barbados, on the south. The
canonading ceased on Wednesday
night, and fine ashes fell like
rain on st. Pierre. The inhabi.
tants were alarmed, but Governor
Moutet, who had arrived at ST.
Pierre the evening before, did
everything possible to allay the
panic.
The British Steamer Roraima
reached St. Pierre on Thursday
with ten passengers. among whom
were Mrs. Stokes and her three
children, and Mrs. II. J. Ince.
They were watching the rain Of
ashes, when, with a frightful
roar and terrific electric discharg.
es, cyclone of fire, mud, and
steam swept down from the era.
ter over town and bay, sweeping
all before 1t, and destroying the
fleet of vessels at anchor off the
shore. There the accounts of the
catastrophe so far obtainable
cease.
Thirty thousand corpses are
strewn about, buried in the ru
ins of ST. Pierre or else floating,
gnawed by sharks, in the sur
rounding seas. Twenty -eight
charred. half-dead human being:
we're brought here. Sixteen o.
them are already dead, and of the
whole number only four are ex
pected to recover. A steamer
chartered in Guadeloure, nearet
Martinique at $50 Sunday morn
ing. The island, with it's lofty
mills. was hidden behind a huge
veil of violet or leaden coloret
haze. Enormous quantities O
the wreckage of large and small
ships and houses strewed tn,
surface of the sea. Huge trees
and too often bodies, with flock
of sea gulls soaring above snt
hideous sharks fighting abou
them, were floating here ant
there. From behind the volcanic
veil came blasts of hot wind min
gled with others ice cold.
In one corner % bodies of men
women and children were min
gled in one awful mass, arms ant
egs protruding as the. hapless
beings fell in the last struggle o
deaths agony. 2, Through lh'
middle of the old Place Berth
ran tiny stream, the remains o
the River Gayave. Great trees
with roots upward and scorchet
by fire, were strewn in every di
rection. Huge blocks and stil
hot stones were scattered about
From under one large stone tn
arm Of q white woman protrud
Most notable was the utter 81