Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-05-15
A Week OF TERROR.
FORTY THOUSAND PERSONS
KILLED ON MARTINIQUE
AND MORE THREATENED.
LAST DAYS OF ST, PIERRE
Land a Flaming Pit and the Sea is
Overriding With a Pail Of
Hot Ashes and Dense Smoke
Details Of Disaster.

Details Of Disaster.
CAsrRMs, ST. Lucia, B. W. H.
May l0.-Mont Pelee, which destroy
ed st. Pierre, in Martinique, n week
ago to-day began to throw out dense
OF smoke.
At midnight the same day flames
accompanied with rumbling noise, I
lighted the sky over an immense area,
causing widespread terror.
May 4 hot ashes covered the whole
city quarter Of St. Pierre an inch
thick and made Mont Pelee Invisible
At noon May 4 astream OF burning
lava rushed 400 ftdown the mountain
side, following the dry bed OF a tor
rent reaching the sea, five miles from
the mountain, in three minutes.
In its rush the fiery flood swept
from its path plantations, buildings
factories, cattle and human beings
over a breadth Of about half a mile.
At the rear of the mouth Of the
River Blanche stood the large Guerin
sugar factory, one Of the iinestin the
island. 1t is now completely en-
tombed in lava. The tall chimney
alone is visible.
One hundred and fifty persons are
estimated to have persisted there, in
Guiding the owners son.
SEA REcEDED AS THE LAVA POURED
AS the lava rushed into the sea the
latter receded 500 it. along the west
coast.
Returning with greater strength, a
great wave covered the whole sea
front Of st. Pierre, but doing little
damage ashore or atloat.
Terrible d~etonations, heard hun
dreds Of miles northward, followed at
short irregular intervals and continued
at night. In the intense darkness
the electric light failed, but the town
was lit up by flashes of flame from the
mountain.
The terror stricken inhabitants
rushed for the hills in their night
clothes, screaming, shouting and
wailing--mad with terror.
The PHssono family escaped 10 st.
Tura ina small stream. Thirty-hye
persons, mostly women and children,
arrived here In the forenoon OF The
eth and furnished the above details.
The men remained at Martinique.
The same afternoon, later, tele-
Graphic Communication was interrupt
ed with both the islands Of Martini
que and ST. Vincent.
It is supposed that after the erup-
ton Of Monday, May 5, the volcano
subsidized until the great explosion OF
Thursday, May S, which destroyed ST.
Pierre,
THE FINAL CATASTROPHE COMES.
During the afternoon Of the sth the
British steamer Roddam, which hao
left St. Lucia at midnight on the III
; for Martinique, crawled slowly int
the Castrles harbor, unrecognizable
lgray with ashes, her rigging dlsmantl
led and sheets and awnings hanging
about, torn and eharred.
Capt. Whatter reported that, hay'
ing Just cast anchor of st. Pierre at /
la. m. in fine weather succeeding ar
awful thunderstorm during the night
be was talking to the ships agent
Joseph Piissono, who was in a boa
alongside, when he saw a tremendoul
; cloud Of smoke and glowing cinder
rushing with terrific Tapidity over thu
q town and port, completely, in an in
slant, enveloping the former in
sheet OF flame and raining fire o.
board his ship. The agent had jus
time to climb on board when his boa
disappeared.
S Several Of the crew Of the Roddan
were quickly scorched 10 death. B.
lsuperhuman efforts, having steam up
the cable was slipped and the steame
hacked away from the shore and min
9 hours later reached Castries.
DEAD SAILORS sTREw THE DECK.
Ten OF the Roddam's men wer
I Lying dead, contorted and burned gu
OF human semblanee, among tn
black cinders which covered tn
ships deck to a depth OF six inches
Two more Of the crew have since died
Two survivors, Of the crew were lou.
in their pralseof the heroic conduc
u OF the captain steering their yessC
away from destruction with his owl
hands, which were badly burned b
! the rain Of fire which kept falling O
the ship for miles after she got unde
: way. Beyond burns all over his bod
the captain is safe, as Is also the ship.
. agent, though be is badly scorched.
Mr.. Pliss0n0 Is believed here 10 b
the sole survivor Of the 10000 inhab
u tants Of the town and all the shippln
Ia the port has been utterly destroye
the West Indian and Banana Tel,
graph Cos vessel going first then th
Quebec liner Roralma.
,a Captain Muggah. Of the lattel
waved his hand in farewell to III
ROddam as his vessel sank with
terrific explosion.
,TBE WHOLE SEA FRONT WAS BLAl
a ING.
"a The British Royal Mail steamt
Esk, which called of Martinique at ]
"A O'Clock last night, reports standing o
shore five miles, sounding her whist.
and sending up rockets. She receive
= no answer The whole sea front WI
+ blazing for miles. The Esk sent a DO;
ashore, but II could not land on a
n count Of The terrific FIRE, which wasa
! companied by loud explosions. Not
living souiappeared ashore after u
boat had waited for two hours III
.a and ashes iellaii over the steamer
Audrain Real Estate Advancing.
l j. A. Wluffey, Of Benton City,abo
a week ago bought the Jesse Day
farm o. 800 acres, east q Mexico, Z
. si0, 700. lie has Just sold this farm
a gentleman who lives IN Iowa
70 el2, 900.