The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-07-17
ST. VINCENT'S VOLCANO.
Great Eruption of 1912 Surpassed
Everything Up to the Recent
Mont Pelee Upheaval.

Those familiar with the geological
and Typographical formations of the
Windward islands said that it would
not be surprising if both Mont Pelee.
on Martinique, and La Soufriere, on
st. Vincent, exploded in the same
manner. Both of these mountains
slope gradually from the coast, both
go to about the same height, both
have a small lake within their craters,
| and, curiously enough, each has been
known colloquially as la Soufriere,"
| although the official name of each is
| different, says the New York Times.
The st. Vincent mountain, however,
has had very different history from
that of Martinique. Mont Pelee vom-
| tied forth volcanic fires in 1851, but
soon afterward became inactive, so
that both islanders and scientists be-
lieyed it to be completely extinct.
Not so with La Soufriere, of the
Morne Garou of St. Vincent. That
| mountain was the source of a tre-
mendous eruption in 1912, of another
| smaller one in 1885, and, according to
tradition, of still another in 171S.
The great eruption of 1912 took
place on April 27 of that year. There
had been disturbances all about the
shores of the Caribbean sea for two
years before the great outburst
came. On March 26, just day more
| than month before the principal
eruption, the coast of Venezuela was
vigorously shaken, and the city of
Caracas suffered the loss of thou
sands of its inhabitants.
The seismic convulsion moved to
| the sea from Caracas, and on the
date mentioned reached the little is
| land of ST. Vincent. With a great
roar, the gases and fumes, the flames
and molten rocks of the earth's in
terror were thrown into the air,
| carrying ruin and terror to all the
| surrounding country. For three
| days the great volumes of smoke that
| were emitted from the volcano COW
| cred the islands with darkness. 1t
is said that the noise of the eruption
was so great that the English SOL
diers at Barbados-60 miles away
supposed it was the cannonading of a
naval battle, and preparations were
| made to withstand an attack.
Before the eruption of Mont Pelec
little ST. Vincent enjoyed the distinc-
tion of having produced the most i'm
portant volcanic disturbance in the
history of the Lesser Antilles. The
| island is only IS miles long and II
miles wide. 1t lies in the Caribbean
sea, 60 miles west of Barbados and IS
| miles southwest of ST. Lucia. The
entire island is of volcanic structure,
and La Soufriere rises to height Of
| 4,04S feet.
This island was discovered by CO.
lumbus in 149s. In 1927, when Charles
!. granted ST. Vincent to the earl oA
Carlisle, it was pcopled by Caribs;
| in 1872 the island was given to Lord
Willoughby, and in 1922 was granted,
along with other islands, to the duke
| of Montagu by George |. After hos
| tilities with the French and Caribs,
the island passed definitely to Great
| Britain, in 1888. Immigrants were
| introduced soon afterward, and the
plantations of the island were well
cultivated.
The "Carib" country is broad and
fertile tract, sloping gently back
| ward from the sea to the base of the
hills of the central mountain range,
and it derives it's name, obviously,
from the aborigines OF the country.