The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-05-16
An Owe, wheI!ning Horror
ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE,
DESTROYED.
Fully 10000 People Killed by
the Eruption of Mt. Pelee-
Greatest Disaster of Modern
Times-Help From all Sides.

of Martinique. was destroyed by
a volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelee
on Thursday of last week. The
first dispatch. which follows. gave
no idea of the extent of the horror:
"The British steamer Roddam.
Captain Freeman, which left st.
Lucia Wednesday for Martinique,
returned there at ) o'clock Friday
evening. bringing a report that
the town of st. Pierre. Martinique.
has been totally destroyed by vol
canic disturbances in the island.
Almost all the inhabitants of
St. Pierre are said to have been
killed. All the shipping in the
port has also been destroyed. The
Quebec Steamship Company's
steamer Roraima is mentioned as
lost with all on board.
The Roddam was almost com
pletely wrecked. Her captain
was seriously burned, and Il of
her crew are dead"
The above has since been con
frmed in all its narrowing details,
ouly it is mild in comparison with
the real facts.
WASHINGTON. May 12.-The
Secretary of State today received
from Louis II. Ayme. United
States Consul at Point a Pitre.
Guadeloupe. who went 70 Martin
ique with Instructions from this
government. the following dis.
patch:
Fort de France. May 11.-The
disaster is complete. The city OF
81. Pierre is wiped out. Consul
PrentiS and his family are dead.
The governor says $4,000 have
/ persisted: 10000 are homeless aud
hungry He suggests that tile
Red Cross be asked TO send cod.
fish. flour. beans. rice. salt meat,
and biscuits as quickly as posi-
BILE. Visit of war vessels valuable
AYME."
FORT DE FRANCE. Island o,
Martinique. f. w. l., May 13.-
So far as is known here not a
single survivor from St. Pierre
/ has yet been found. From whar
can be gathered it appears tina
the city and every one Of its in
habitantS were wiped ont in 81
seconds. 1t is believed that there
was suddenly shot down from thu
volcano a great sheet of flame
and that this swept St. Pierre
! from end to end The fact that
all the shipping in the harbor was
burned helps to confirm thi,
theory.
This Is also evidenced by the
condition of the bodies in St.
| Pierre.
Fire seems to have been the
cause of death in a great majority
of cases. The faces of many vic
tins were calm, showing they
were struck down suddenly, with
no time to appreciate the great
peril.
Immense pyres of wood and
branches of trees, soaked with
coal tar and petroleum, are used
to cremate the bodies.
Vessels filled with half crazed
refugees, men. women and chill
dren, are constantly arriving
here. None can give more than
disconnected stories of the dis.
aSter.
Fort de France knew of the
disaster few minutes after its
occurrence. 1t was hours, how
ever, before the full extent of its
horror was known.
About o'clock last Thursday
a thick cloud of smoke. cinderS
and ashes swept over this place
from the direction of st. Pierre.
1t turned daylight into darkness,
a rain of rocks and ashes poured
on the town as the cloud swept
over with terrifying swiftness,
causing a wild panic. The sea.
to add to the terror. swept back
in a great wave for a distance of
90 feet or more. Twice this wave
swept back and forth. damaging
much of the shipping in the har-
Dor.
The streams of lava from La
Pelee, besides destroying St.
Pierre, extended north and west
Of the city, annihilating these six
towns in their paths:
Populations
La BasSe Pointe ... 5000
Ajoupa Bouillon ....... 5000
LIE Carbet .... 5000
lie Precheur ............ 1000
Macouba.. "......... 5000
Grande Riyiere......... 1000
St. Pierre ............30,O0O