Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-09-16
PELEE KILLS TWO THOUSAND.
Death Dealing Volcano Hurls Another
Internal Flood.


Internal Flood.
Mount Pelee has hurled another in
fernal flood over the Island of Martinique
and this time the deluge of fire has killed
1900 persons. The volcanoes latest death
dealing eruption came on the night of
Sept 3, while Martinique's officials were
risking their lives in an effort to save the
survivors who remained in the northern
part of the island after the fatal out
burst of Aug. so. Rescuers and homeless
men and women were caught in the most
recent rain of boiling lava, red-hot rocks
and saffocating ashes.
The ship that brought the news to st.
Lucia, B. w l.. is the royal mail steamer
Yare. She sailed from Martinique be-
fore full reports could be secured. But
she brought enough information to awak-
en- the residents of St. Lucia to the ter
rors of Mount Pelee even now, after the
once populous city of ST. Pierre has be-
come only burial ground for 10000 men
and women whose lives were snuffed cut
in an instant last May.
About the volcanoes crater are now only
heaps of lava-coyeged ruins. The sur
viyors of the villages there are scattered
in the country aud for them the St. LIZ
clans express the warmest sympathy.
The Yare reports that great numbers
of persons are fleeing from Martinique.
The people are convinced that the whole
island is destined to destruction. They
are panic stricken on every hand, all
though some of those of Fort del France
think Mount Pelee's wrath cannot be Wis
tied on them because of the distance
away and the nature of the intervening
country.
While the residents of St. Lucia offer
open homes to the fugitives from Mar
Unique. they fear for the citizens of st.
Vincent. La Soufriere the big volcano
ON that island, belched out great quanti-
ties of fire and stones and lava the other
night. Tremendous reports, far louder
than the mightiest cannon, startled the
people on the farthermost parts of the
island. The surface of the earth was
upheayed in places and the whole land
trembled.
The minister of the colonies, NJ. Dou-
mergue, in placing 100000 at the dispo-
sition of the Governor of Martinique, NJ
Lemaire, to relieve the distress in that
island, has urged the Governor not to
congregate refugees at Fort-de-France,
but to distribute them in the south, where
their necessities can be most easily sup
piled.
Recognizing the danger of tidal wave
at Fort-de- France, the colonial minister
has instructed Gov. Lemaire to adopt all
the measures necessary to enable the IN
habitants immediately to evacuate the
place in case of necessity and seek refuge
on the heights abeTe the town, where
g. i - l. III.
Not only was the eruption of Mount
Pelee on Sept. 8 remarkable, but there
was a terrific explosion from La Sou
friase. on thu Island of st. Vincent, on
the same day. The people of both Mar
Unique and ST. Vincent are panic strick-
en-, fearing the total destruction Of the
Islands. At Guadalupe, though not men
aced directly by volcanoes, the inhabit-
ants are in terror of a possible tidal
wave, which would engulf everything ard
everybody in the thickly populated coast
districts
Terror is in the air throughout the en-
tire chain of islands. Business is ut a
standstill, few shops are open and hun
dreds would starve to death in sheer inert
fear of more fearful end if it were not
for the efforts of some of the less timid
and terrified in the communities. The
fear of a tidal wave extends to every
island and hundreds of people already
have anticipated the destroyer from the
sea and have fled to higher ground.
The captain of the steamer Savan, in
describing the explosion from La Sou
friere on Wednesday night said he ran
into dense clouds of dust twenty niles
southwest of st. Vincent and absolute
darkness prevailed soon afterward. He
changed his course to due west in order
to avoid the ashes which were falling
thick and fast The first officer sonld
not see the captain. two feet away, and
only knew hiE by his voice.
The steamer Yare further reports that
more valuable plantations were destroyed
at the time of the recent outbreak in adj
ditioE to the townships referred to in
previous dispatches and adds that the
anxiety and detection Of the surviving
population are general
Details received prove that the erup-
don of Mount Pelee of Aug. 80 was far
more violent than any Of the earlier ex-
plosions AS the erlptions continue the
mouth Of Mount Pelee grows in size. 1t
is now Of enormous proportions Morne
Lacroix. one Of the peaks that reared
skyward from the side of Peiee. has fail
en- bodily into the crater and been com
pletely swallowed. There seems to be a
side pressure in the crater and the burn
ing ehasm widens pcreeptibly every day