The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-23

At about 9 a. m. on the morning o
 the sixth a private telegram was re
 ceived from Martinique advising tha
 the Plissonneau family had chartered
 the tseamer Topaze, one of the boat of the Compagnie Girard, and hat 8 started for St. Lucia at a. m.
 At about Il o'clock the Topaze ar rived with Mrs Plissoneau, MT. anC Mrs Joseph Plissonneau and three
 children, Mrs Pierre Plissoneau anC
 child, MT and Mrs. Joseph Ernoult ant
 three children MT. and Mrs. c. A. Me
 Hugh and four children, MT, and Mrs
 Gaston De Grandmaison and three chll'
 dren, Henry De Prompaghan, Mrs
 AAnatoIe De Pompagnan, Miss Cecile
 De Pompagnan, Masters Maurice De
 Pompagnan, Ernest and Gabriel Hayot
 and Miss Susanne Hayot.
 They reported that at noon on Mon-
 day, May 5 a stream of burning lava
 had suddenly rushed down the south
 western slope of the mountain and, fol-
 lowing the course of the Riviere
 Blanche, the bed of which is dry at this
 season of the year, had overwhelmed
 everything which obstructed it's tre- mendous rush to the sea. Estates and
 buildings were covered up by the fiery
 wave, which appeared to rise to a height of some twenty feet over an area of nearly quarter of mile. When
 the torrent had poured itself into the sea it was found that the Guerin sugar factory, situated on the beach near the mouth of the Riviere Blanche, some five miles distant from the mountain and two from St Pierre, was entirely em- bedded in lava, the tall chimney alone being visible. The burning mass of liquid had taken only three minutes from the time it was first perceived to reach the sea, five miles away. Then remarkable phenomenon occurred. The sea receded all along the western coast for a distance of about hundred yards and returned with gentle strength, cov- ering up the whole of the sea front of St. Pierre and reaching the first houses on the Place Bertin This created a general panic and the people made, ter ror-stricken for the hills Though the seas retired again, without any great damage being done ashore or afloqt, the panic continued, intensified by the ter ribe detonations which broke from the mountain at short and irregular inter- Vals. accompanied with dense emissions of smoke and lurid flashes of flame This was awful in daylight but when darkness fell it was more terrible still, and at each manifestation of the volca- nos anger people in their night clothes, carrying children, and lighted by any sort of a lamp or candle they had caught up in their haste, ran out into ba l oV1y ctt ing, and running aimlessly about the town.
 "The mental strain becoming unen- durable, the topaze was got ready and at o'clock in the morning the refu- gees hurriedly went on board and started for St. Lucia. 4'@
 "At ? ?. m, the gentlemen of the party, having placed their families in safety returned by the Tepaze to Mar unique,
 Tn the meantime telegrams were be- ing sent from Martinique imploring that a steamer might be chartered to bring away terrified people from st. Pierre. But the superintendent of the Royal Mail company at Barbadoes would not allow one of the coasting boats. the only steamer available, to go to Martinique At little before D. m. cable communication was interrupt ed and remains so."
 The experiences of the British steam CT Roddam are then detailed at length and the story of Voice of St. Lucia con tinues:
 ''The St. Vincent volcano which has been showing signs of uneasiness. burst into active eruption yesterday and Is throwing out showers of ashes. which are settling all over the island. while the sea for miles is covered with scoriae and at night flames can be seen from the south of this colony bursting out of the crater, which emits a continuous column of smoke high up into the sky.
 Our volcano is showing no signs of excitement or sympathetic agitation with the vocanos of Martinique and St. Vincent. A special report received from Soufriere this morning describes the | condition of the crater as normal. the cauldrons have not increased in number | and are boiling the same as usual. while ! there are no indications of any local | to cause the slightest anxiety" |
 New York, May 22.-The Commercial | Cable company this aftrenoon sent out the following notice: We are advised 1 that, in view of a renewed eruption at | it is very doubtful if mes { sages for Fort de France or any other part of that island can be delivered. They will be forwarded by mail from neighboling islands. when an oppor- tunity offers
 Washington, May 22.-Mr Choate, our ambassador at London, has inform ed the state department that cable gram from the governor of the Wind ward Island to the colonial office, re- ports that the Canadian government 1as made a substantial effort toward he relief of the distress in St. Vincent | py supplies of money or in kind Can ida also will supply the bulk of the imber required for rebuilding the de- ;troyed homes The government of the United States so Lord Pauncefote has been informed, will give ready facili- ies for the purchase of timber and ex- ,edite it's shipment. This last reference | S supposed to mean that the tariff reg llations will not be allowed to stand | n the way of the shipments of Cana ian timber through the United States o ports where it will be taken aboard | hip and conveyed to St. Vincent