The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-05-16
FEW BELIEVED TO HAVE ESCAPED
Report French Minister of Marine Says the Town Was
Completely Destroyed by Immense Mass of
Fire" and Practically the Entire
Population Perished

st. Thomas, D. w. T., May LIT is
how estimated that 10000 persons per
ished as result of the volcanic erup-
ton in the island of Martinique.
the cruiser Suchet, has telegraphed to
the minister of marine from Fort de
France, Island of Martinique:
Have just returned from ST. Pierre
which was completely destroyed by an
immense mass of fire, which fell on the
town about o'clock yesterday morn
ing, The entire population (about 25,-
900 lis supposed to have persisted. l
have brought back a few survivors
about thirty. All shipping in the har-
Dor was destroyed by the fire. The erup-
ton continues"
Confirms Disaster Report.
st. Thomas, D. w. l., May o.
At $3.50 a. m. the French cruiser
Suchet arrived at Pointe-a-Piere. Is
land of Guadeloupe from Fort de
France, this morning, bringing several
refugees. She confirmed the report that
the town of ST. Pierre was entirely
destroyed at o'clock Thursday morn
ing by a violent volcanic eruption and
it is supposed most of the Inhabitants
Of st. Pierre were killed. Neighboring
parishes were laid waste, and the resi-
due Of the population Of st. Pierre is
without food or shelter.
The British Royal Mail Steamer Esk,
which arrived at ST. Lucia this morn
ing, reports having passed st. Pierre
last night. The steamer was covered
with ashes, though she was five miles
distant from the town, which was in
lmpenetrable darkness. A boat was
sent in as near as possible to the shore
but mot a living soul was seen
ashore. The Quebec Steamship COM
pany's steamer Roraima, was seen to
explode and disappear.
Saw Heaps OF Dead.
Commander Suchet reports that at 1
o'clock Thursday the entire town of
ST. Pierre was wrapped in flames. He
lendeavored to save about thirty per-
sons, more or less burned, from vessels
in the harbor. His officers went ashore
in small boats seeking for survivors,
| but We're unable to penetrate the town.
1 They saw heaps of bodies upon the
wharves, and it is believed not a single
person resident in St. Pierre at the mo-
4 governor Of. the colony, his wife and
staff, Were in ST. Pierre and probably
i persisted. The extent of the catastro-
phe cannot be imagined.
The captain of the British steamer
RoddaE was very seriously injured
i All his officers, engineers and nearly
every member of his crew are dead.
Gable Communication Cut Off.
Kingston, Jamaica, May s.--All the
i islands in the neighborhood9 of Mar
Unique are isolated apparently by an
4 Earthquake. Gable comm Jnication
j with, st. Vincent, Barbadoes, Grenada
4 Trinidad, Demera and st. Lucia is in.
a terrupted- Fears are entertained 70,
the. safety of the cable repair steamer
Il Grappler, which was at Martinique
. prior to the disaster.
1000 Whites In ST. Pierre.
London. May s.--A former resident
Z
a there are about thousand white PEG.
& ple among the Inhabitants of the de.
stroyed town.
Central America Suffers.
Guatemala City. Republic of Guate.
maAa, April "a Correspondence OF
the Associated Press.) For nearly "a
4 week earthquakes have been tumbline
a down cities, towns and villages on the
n western slope of the Sierras in this re-
u public.
On the night of April is, at the cap.
ital, binding flash OF lightning. fol.
u lowed by a thunderstorm and torrents
q of rain, all In the space of a very few
minutes. caused the people in the
streets to rush for shelter. In an In.
slant, however. the earthquake was
upon them. The following shocks were
less severe and by 10 o'clock many Of
the inhabitants were wandering about
texamining the walls Of the cathedra
of Sanat Teresa. La Recollection anc
other churches which were more or les.
damaged.
QAezaltananss Stricken.
Quexaltanango, the second city Of thu
republic. suffered by far the most