Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-05-22


The fiery stream which SO completely
destroyed st. Pierre must have been
composed of poisonous gases, which in
stantly suffocated every one who In
hailed them, and of other gases burn
ing furiously, for nearly all the vic
tins had their hands covering their
mouths or were in some other attitude
showing that they had sought relief
from suffocation. All the bodies were
carbonized or roasted.
Through the middle of the old Place
Berlin ran a tiny stream, the remains
OF the River Gayave. Great trees,
with roots upward and scorched by
fire, were strewn in every direction.
Huge blocks and still hot stones were
scattered about.
The completeness of the catastrophe
is evident when it is stated that. so
far as known at the present time, no
one save handful of survivors picked
up from the wrecked vessels in the
harbor by the French cruiser Suchet,
escaped. Even they are unable to
tell what actually happened, SO crazed
are they from the experiences they
passed through. 1t is certain, however,
that the disaster came suddenly.
On the morning of the disaster the
inhabitants of the city awoke to find
heavy clouds shrouding the Mont Pc
lee crater. All the previous day loud
detonations from the volcano had been
heard. so loud that the reverberations
echoed from st. Thomas on the north
to Barbados on the south. The fear
full crashing sound ceased and there be-
gan a shower of fine ashes, which fell
like rain over the city. The inhabitants
became alarmed. but Gov. Mounted,
who arrived at st. Pierre the evening
before, did everything possible to al
lay the panic. They partly succeeded,
but scarcely had the fears of the peo-
pie been allayed when there came the
explosion. and in an instant st. Pierre,
its people, its houses, had been blotted
out Of existence
After search of three hours in the
ruins found no trace of the American
consulate. Consul Thomas T. Prentis,
his wife and two daughters, are un-
doubtedly dead. That quarter of the
city is still vast mass of blazing
ruins. Nor has any trace of James
Japp, the British consul. been found.
Mr.. Japp had large family at st.
Pierre.
From everything I saw | feel conf
dent that 10000 Is not too great an
estimate of the loss of life. Every one
in the city persisted. and suburban
towns added thousands to the number
of victims
Plantations and small villages have
been devastated by the ceaseless rain
of ashes and fire which has poured
from Mont Pelee.
These survivors have taken refuge
in the hills, away from the danger of
the lava flow in the valleys, but still
menaced by the showers of fire. They
must be relieved. taken to places Of
safety, fed and clothed. The work
must be done quickly. Hundreds and
even thousands of them must perish
as 1t is before help can reach them.
The work of exploring the ruins OF
St Pierre, of bringing away the refu-
gees in the hills in the northern part
of the island and of burning the bodies
OF the victims is progressing as rapidly
as circumstances will permit
Fort de France is crowded with refu-
gees and food is already so scarce that
alarm is felt that-it will be exhausted
before supplies can reach here.
AS result of the relief work the
people who had fed to the hills be-
hind the village of LIE Precheur. nearly
1000 in number, have been brought
here.
They are In a most pitiable condi-
ton. Hundreds of them are frightful-
ly burned and in most urgent need OF
medical care All the doctors and
nurses in Fort de France are working
night and day among the injured and
they are assisted by scores of volunteer
nurses, many women of the wealthiest
families of Fort de France giving their
services.
number of steamers, including the
government vessel Rubis, started from
here for St. Pierre They carried gov
eminent delegates, number of gend-
armes, detachment of regular in
fantry and several priests.
The vessels also carried a quantity
of fire wood, petroleum and quicklime,
for use in the cremation of the bodies
of the victims of the terrible volcanic
outbreak. Large quantities of disin
fectants and stocks of clothing for the
refugees were also shipped to St.
Pierre.
The refugees had, as rule. assem-
bled at lie Carbet and Case Pilote. not
far from st. Pierre, and. it is reported,
over a thousand of them have died
since the fearful stream of lava poured
down Mont Pelee.
The sea for miles round was covered
with the wreckage of the vessels sunk
of st. Pierre at the time of the dis
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