Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-15
10000 ARE DEAD
Careful Investigation Confirms
Former Reports Of st. Pierre
Disaster.
$4,000 PEOPLE HOMELESS
City Entirely Wrecked-Gov. M. Mout-
tet Tried to Prevent an Exodus Of
Frightened Inhabitants from the
City-Cyclone Of Fire, Mud and
Steam Swept upon Them.
$4,000 PEOPLE HOMELESS

Thursday last. Careful investigation by
competent government officials show that
the earlier reports of the Associated Press
were accurate.
Briefly put last Thursday morning the
city of ST. Pierre disappeared within tcn
minutes in "A whirling cyclone OF iire
Nomited from Mont Pelee, 10000 persons
were instantly and horribly killed, and the
volcano, whose ancient crater had been &C.
cupied by a quiet lake in which picnic
parties bathed. suddenly discharged a tor
rent of frey mud. which rolled toward the
sea, engulfing everything before 1T. Then
the last cable communication was broken
and the doomed city was isolated from tie
world.
The commander of the French cruiser,
the Suchet gave the American consul
at Guadeloupe, Louis ii. Aymc. the
first news of the appalling disaster the day
after it occt rred. Mr.. Ayme mas reached
the desolate spot where st. Pierre stood
and confirms the awful story in all its es-
Sential features.
from an interview with Colonel Ayme,
who is a trained American newspaper man,
a correspondent of the Associated Press
learned the following facts regarding the
destruction of St. Pierre:
Thursday morning found the inhabitants
of that city anxiously looking towards the
thick clouds shrouding the Mont Pelee Graz
ter. All day Wednesday horrid detona-
tons had been heard. These had been
echoed from St. Thomas on the north TO
Barbados on the south. During the night
of Wednesday these had ceased, and only
line ashes. like rain fell on ST. Pierre. As
this continued, the governor. NJ. Mouttet,
who was then at Fort DE France. tried to
stop the panic which the volcanic disturb
ance caused He declared the danger would
not increase. gent a detachment Of soldiers
to prevent a general exodus of the inhabi-
1ants and later went to st. Pierre himself
with his wife.
rhe British steamer Roraima arrived at
ST. Pierre some time afterwards. with ten
passengers among whom were Mrs. Stokes
and her three children and Mrs. III. Jaince.
Ihey We're all Watching tne ram u hsnes
electric discharges a cyclone of fire, mud
and steam swept down from the crater
over the town and bay destroying a fleet
of vessels at anchor off the shore. There
the stories stop. Twelve survivors only
are in the military hospital at Fort De
France, while 10000 corpscS are strewn
about or buried in the ruins OF ST. Pierre,
or else floating. gnawed by sharks, in the
surrounding seas. Twenty-eight chaIrcd
half dead human beings were brought heie
Sixteen of them are already dead, and
four others only are expected to recover.
The Associated Press steamer chartered
in Guadeloupe. reached Martinique at $50
Sunday morning. The lofty-hillcd island
was hidden behind a huge Veil Of violet or
leaden colored haze. Enormous quantities
of the wreCkage Of large and small SHIPS
and houses were met with. Huge trees
and hideous sharks lighting about them,
were found here and there, From behind
the volcanic veil came blasts OF hot wind,
mingled with others, ice cold.
At lie Precher, five miles north of st.
Pierre. canoes filed with men and women,
frantic to get away were found.
The Who'll north end of the island was
covered with a silver gray coating OF
ashes resembling dirty snow. Furious
blasts of fire. ashes and mud swept over
the steamer but, finally, st. Pierre was
reached
MOI a houSh hhri 'N'AOi'
The CITY of ST. Pierre stretched nearly
Two miles along the water front and half
n mile hack 10 a cliff at the base of the vol
\ano. The houses Of the richer French
families were built of stone. The ash
covered hills were banked by the still
smoking volcano. The ruins were still
burning in many places and frightful
odors Of burned flesh filled the air. With
great difficulty a landing was effected. Not
one house was left intact. Everywherc
were viscid heaps of mud. of hrighte,
ashes or piles of volcanic stones. The
streets could hardly be traced. Here and
there amid the ruins were heaps OF
corpsee.
Almost all tho faces were downward Ir
one corner tUentv-tWo men. women an6
children were mingled IN one awful mass
arms and less protrudinr as the haples.
beinp fell in the last struggles Of deaths
agony. Through the middle of the oil
place Berlin ran "A tiny stream. the re
mains of the River Geave. Great tree.
with roots upward and scorched by fir,
were strewn in every direction. Hug.
blocks and still hot stones were scatteret
about. From under ono large stone III,
arm of a white woman protruded. Mos
notable was the utter silence and the aw
full. oyerpowering stencil from the thou
sands Of dead.
VlCIlMs INol aNlLh ocffoCAlEl''
Careful inspection showed that the fer,
stream which so completely destroyed ST
ons gases which Instantly suffocat,t
every one who inhaled them, and of 9th,
gases burning furiouslv for nearly all IN,
victims had their hands covering thei
mouths or were in some other attitude
showing that they had sought relief from
suffocat,on. All the bodies were carbon
lied or roasted.
A. G. Austen. the manager of tn
Colonial bank of Barbadoes, landed "A
at. Pierre with a party from the Births
roal mail steamer Solent. He found III
hank clock stopped at some minutes be
fore eight O'clock. A horse and buggy an,
a noliceman were in a pro,In of dead at IN
door