The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-05-16
THE VOLCANO VICTIMS.
Number of Dead at st. Pierre,
Martinique, 10000.
Conditions on the Island of St Vim
cent Are Reported Worse-The
Number of Deaths From VOL
cano Eruptions 1000.

Fort De France, Island of Martin
iQue, May 13.-It now seems to be gen
orally admitted that about 10000 per
sons lost their lives as a result Of the
outbreak of the Mont Pelee volcano at
81. Pierre on Thursday last.
Careful investigation by competent
government officials show that ear
lier reports were accurate.
The American consul at Gaudeloupe,
Louis Ayme, has reached the desolnte
SPOT where st. Pierre stood and con-
firms the awful story in all its essen
tidl details.
G'he British steamer Roraima reach
ed St. Pierre on Thursday with ten
Ias sengers, among whom were Mrs.
Stikes and her three children, and
Mrs. Ince. They were watching the
rain of ashes when, with a frightful
roar and terrific electric discharges,
a cyclone of fire, mud and. steam swept
dowr from the crater over the town
and bay, sweeping all before il and
destroying the fleet of vessels at an
cher off the shore. There the ac-
counts of the catastrophe so far Oh
tainable cease.
Thirty thousand cOrpses are streWn
about, buried in the ruins Of st. Pierre
or else floating, gnawed by sharks, in
the surrounding seas. Twenty-eigAl
charred, half dead human beings were
brought here. Sixteen of them are al
ready dead and only of the whole num-
Der four are expected to recover. A
steamer, chartered in Gaudeloupe,
neared Martinique at $50 Sunday
morning. The island, with it's lofty
hills, was hidden behind a huge veil
OF violet or leaden colored haze. Enor-
nous quantities of the wreckage Of
large and small ships and houses
strewed the surface Of the sea. Huge
trees and too often bodies with floclls
Of sea gulls soaring above, and hide
oUs sharks fighting about them, were
floating here and there. From be-
hind the volcanic veil came blasts of
hot wind mingled with others, ice
cold.
With difficulty. a landing was ef-
fected. Not one house was left intact
Vivid heaps of mud, ashes and vol
canic stones were seen on every side
The streets could hardly be traced.
Here and there, amid the ruins, were
heaps of corpses. Almost all the faces
were downward.
In one corner % bodies of men.
women and children were mingled in
one awful mass, arms and legs pro
truding as the hapless beings fell in
the last struggles of death agony
Careful inspection showed that the
fiery stream which so completely de-
stroyed st. Pierre must have been
composed of poisonous gases, which
instantly suffocated every one who
inhaled them, and of other gases burn
ing furiously for nearly all the vic
TINS had their hands covering their
mouths or were in some other atti-
tude, showing that they had sought
relief from suffocation. All the bodies
were carbonized or roasted.
Washington, May 13.-The president
himself turned his attention Monday
to the extension of relief to the suf-
ferers from the terrible catastrophe ir
the Lesser Antilles. Secretary Hay
was called in. and brought with him
the dispatch from United States Con-
sui Ayme, which served as official
confirmation of the worst reports of
the extent Of the disaster, and, in the
opinion of the president, fully justi-
fed emergency measures. Secretary
Hay was requested to acquaint Sec
rotary Root and Secretary Moody with
the presidents wishes and they were
charged to carry out the details of the
arrangements. The treasury depart
ment was instructed to cooperate and
it is supposed that this will mean the
employment of the revenue cutters
and the medical officers of the marine
hospital service. The war department
with its we'll organized supply depart
ments was regarded as in better posi-
ton than any other institution to take
charge of the relief measures, except
that it had no means of transportation
the Sedgwick, which is out of condi-
ton, being the only army transport on
the Atlantic coast. Fortunately the
navy had a handy ship in the Dixie,
who arrived at New York recently
chased just prior to the Spanish war,
and having been merchant freighter.
is admirably adapted to the service
required Of her now.
Fort De France, Island of Martin
iCue. May 14.-Business here is sus-
pended. The people of the city have
assembled in the churches and the
cathedral, where special services are
being held for the st. Pierre dead, has
been thronged since daylight.
The United States government tug
Potomac left here Tuesday night for
the island of st. Vincent, where con-
ditiOns are reported to be worse. La
Souffriere, on ST. Vincent, was in full
eruption May 10. A stream of stone
and mud half mile wide was then
issuing from the volcano. Stones two
inches in diameter fell II miles away.
At Kingston, the capital of the island.
the ashes were two inches deep. Sew
en- hundred dead were reported Sun
day, May IL. 1t is estimated that the