The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-20
SNAPPED MONT PELEE

How q Woman Photographed
the West Indian Tragedy. !,
HOT ASHES WERE STILL FALLING
Mira. H. Merrill OF new York Believes
Her Camera Wa b First Focus-
ed ON the burning Ruins and Mont
Pelee Snapped Her Camera SIX
Times.
This is the personal narrative OF
Mrs. H. Merrill Of 100 East Seventy
third street, New York city, who saw
st. Pierre under its shroud OF she
the day after Mont Pelee destroyed 1t,
laws the New York World. She took
photographs Of the ruins n the
mountain, still in eruption, from the
deck of the Korona, sister ship OF the !
Roraima, which latter was burned by
hot lava in the harbor. The buildings
of ST. Pierre, the warehouses and the
docks were still afame when the pho
tographs were taken. Lava was flow
ing in steady streams down the slope
Into the sea. Mrs. Merrill, notwith-
standing her difficulties, for the hot
ashes were still falling from Mont
Pelee, snapped her Gamers six times.
Mrs. Merrill left New York In the
early spring to visit friends at Bar
badOs.
II took passage on the Korona,
which was to have touched at ST.
Pierre on May 8, the day Of the ex-
s plosion Of Mont Pelee,' she said. I'VE
= escaped with our lives by a lucky
chance. The ship remained at Barba-
dos instead Of proceeding according to
schedule to st. Pierre, to take on an
extra cargo Of ugar. When | learned
this. l decided to spend another pleas
mt day at Barbados. On the morning
Of May 8 we heard sounds as II OF ter
rife cannonading.
..In the afternoon / was out with a
coaching party. The sky was suddenly
overcast, and it grew darker and dark
er until by 5 o'clock we We're In total
darkness. 1t was darker than, any
ni~ght-absolute darkness, II you car
comprehend it. During the night a fne
volcanic dust was sifted from the
clouds ard fell in binding and choking
quantities. 1t is a fine, gray, iourlikt
powder of heavy weight. 1t is really
good for brushing the teeth and look
like tooth powder with charcoal miXet
AZ with it. 1t covered Barbados and wa
thick upon the deck of the ship whe1
we sailed the next morning.
'The sky had cleared, and, although
Captain Carey Of the korona knew
there had been a volcanic eruption, d
did not know it was Mont Pelee. w
headed for St. Pierre, which lay Oh gu
regular route, to pick up the mails an
take on passengers.
FIFTY miles away the dust fro1
Mont Pelee continued to descend, bt
in lighter quantities. Soon we caugl
sight of>the great cloud of steam an
smoke hanging above the crater of I'll
volcano. We arrived i'll front OF 5
Pierre in the morning of May 9, Il
day after the eruption. \. thick pail
smoke still, hung over the place, ar
the ruins were still. burning. We ente
ed the barber for a closer view and &C
l believe, within a half mile OF Il
Roraima end the other shipping tn
had beer destroyed.
'NThe Roraima was lying in shallo
water and was still smOlderlng. n
a living soul vas seen about the ha
Dor, but bodies We're floating evel
where. in the water. When the III
officer Of the korona saw that a sh
of his own line had been destroyed a.
that most of his brother officers b
persisted, he burst into tears. The crt
of our ship had many friends, amo
the dead of the Roraima.
Lava was still pouring from the 81
OF the mountain, and I saw a lit
valley in which hundreds of peol
had lived completely filed with Il ri,
of the burning matter. The aspect
TIE scene was whitish, and the mo
tain and the town were covered Wit
cloak Of ashes that looked like sn
in the sunshine. =
ga great cloud Of white vapor stt
over the active mouth of the vo!ca
The desolatiOn was complete, ana IN
was not a sign Of a living thing as
MS the eye could reach. | had been
Martinique before. st. Pierre wal
beautiful little city. and when l RENE
bered how cheerful and bright 1t
NIL been the day before l could not b
weeping.
Captain Carey soon discovered
he could do nothing, and we made
way to Fort-de-France, where we
rived early in the afternoon. Betw
st. Pierre and Fort-de-France We p
ed up six negroes in a dugout. I
had been inland and had escaped
the shore and taken to the ca
When we got within hailing dista
of them, we heard their cries for
In their French patois. They had