New-York tribune., 1902-06-04
BEFORE THE ERUPTONS.
WARNINGS OF THE COMING CATAS
TROPHE GIVEN BY MONT PELEE-

Perhaps the best authority for what preceded
the eruption of May IS file Of the St Pierre
newspaper, the last issue of which appeared tIle
afternoon before the disaster. A complete HE OF
Les Colonies from April Is to May was Sc
cured in Fort de France by the Rev joseph r
MacGrail chaplain of the Dixie, who kindly trans
lated for the reporters all the passages reieIlihs
to the earthquakes and the erupttons OF MohI
PeIee The mountain began grumbl1ns anu Siii'N
ing on April 25 according TO this authority ana
continued TO threaten until the disaster Came
The efforts of the Editor of Les Colonies to quiet
the fears Of the people of ST. Pierre ana 10 coi
vince them that the phenomena which 1rlshteleo
them were due to ether causes than volcanic ac-
tivfty are peculiarly pathetic. In view or the oe-
struction of the paper and all connected with 1t
when the cataclysm came. On April q the mohn-
tain threw up fine dust and smoke ana theIe
was rumbfng of the earth that threw the people
of ST Pierre into & panic The earthquakes were
not severe, but were frequent
Bv Monday. May 5, the dust was falling so th1ck-
lv that breathing was difficult By that time, too
the Mouillage River was filled with DEAD hsh' ana
those who had been up the valley little way
reported that food of black volcanic mud was
slowly coming down toward the sea The RlVler
Blanche was transformed into torrent and the
greatest fear prevailed at the Guerin sugar works.
situated the mouth of the stream Les
Colonies of that day said the food was due to
heavy rains on the mountain slopes. and exhorted
the people Pierre to calmness and commence
On that very day the Guerin works were over
whel1ned. and the next day Les Colonies con-
tained the story of the disaster under the utie'
THE Eruption of 1902 The substInce OF this
story was that on April q. which was Sunday,
Messrs. Boulin. Waddy. Dacord Beutil. Auns and
Bapte had gone to the crater OF Pelee to ascer-
tain if possible. the location of the opening from
which smoke and dust had issued the preceding
Friday. They returned safely. and reported that
there was nothing dangerous in the appearance
of the mountain.
On "Wednesday. April 30 there were three dis
tiEct earthquake Shocks the first at 340 o'clock In
the afternoon, the second at 500 O'Clock and the
third at 6:l0 o'clock. The shocks were not felt by
everybody says the report. ''as the vibrations
were horizontal Since Thursday morning a con-
tinuous column of fire. smoke and cinders has risen
from a point where evidently a new crater mas
been formed
Mr. Landes professor Of the lyceum for boys
the report continues mas favored US with the fol-
lowing scientific statement OF his observations VI
the phenomena leading to and attending the de-
struction OF the Guertn factory MI Lanoes
sta tement. dated May s. is as follows: AT c!oCh
a. m Yesterday I smoke escaping from a cleIt
in the earth near Terre Fondue. in the upper part
OF the mountain noticed that RIviere Blanche at
that time was greatly swollen. containing ABOUT
FIVE times the usual volume OF water IL was
bringing down rocks UP to fifty tons In weight
was in the village of PerlneIe. and left there at
$3.50 r. m TO look at retange sec Ohe dry pool In
the crater) where 7 saw a large whitish mass
descending into the valley Of Fivere Bianche Win
the velocity of an express train Its course was
marked by dense white smoke II was this mass
Of mud and not lava that overwhelmed Guerin =
factory. Later. the foot OF Morne Lenard, a
new stream appeared. which may have been lava
This phenomenon is unique in the history or VOL
canoes and have concluded that the catastrophe
was due rather 10 avalanche OF water than TO
muddy lava from the crater OF Pelee. In my opin-
Ton the valley has received the contents OF the lake
or reservoir on the mountain. the dam OF which
was broken. This water had fallen 100 metres. and
the reason earthquake shock was felt was that
the shock was broken by the waters OF the sea,
into which those OF the mountain side fell
The conclusion I have reached Is that the high
est central crater OF Pelee vomfted black mud and
yellow matter interrnIttenty. and that the latter
crumbled readily dust I wish 10 remind the
people that Eesuvius rarely has victims, and that
Pompen had warning enough to enable people