The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-17
AWFUL PANIC
AT ST. PIERRE

LONDON. May io.-A dispatch TO the
Reuter- Telegram Company from Kings
ton. Jamaica. giving the details OF the
! Martinique disaster already known. says:
Thousands were killed at st. Pierre.
where 4 terrible panic prevailed. The err
upton began Saturday. May 3. when st.
Pierre was covered with ashes and ap-
peared to be- envelCped in fog. The flow
! Of lava continued until Wednesday. May
7th."
The message adds: in the island Of st.
Vincent the soufriere Cvolcano) is active
and earthquakes are frequent. SO far no
damage has been done"
In response To the request OF Governor
Llewelyn Of the Windward islands, the
British cruiser interchangeable will be dis
patched from the island OF Trinidad to
the island Of ST. Vincent by way OF st.
Lucia.
\ dispatch from the Daily Mail from
Pointe-a-Pitre. island OF Guadalupe
French West Indies. dated yesterday.
says: The Mont Pelee est. Pierre crater
elected yesterday morning molten rocks
and ashes during three minutes and COM
pleteiy destroyed St. Pierre and the dis
tricts within four-mile radius. All the
inhabitants were burned"
About eighteen passengers from the Ro-
raima Of the Quebec Steamship line were
saved By the french cruiser SuCnet.
The inhabitants Of the southern dis
tricts Of the island. who were dependent
on St. Pierre for provisions. are menaced
By famine.
A dispatch from the Daily Mail from ia
maica SAYS: 1.-The first intimation of
disaster lat Martinique was the break
ing OF the cables on Tuesday. The French
cable to Martinique from Puerto Plata
was broken Wednesday. Cable communi
cation with all the northern islands rs
stopped
The survivors OF the British steamer
as being "giImpses OF hell" beyond their |
description. The Roddam's men were |
killed chiefly by molten lava.
The Roraiam was wrecked in terrible |
upheaval OF land and sea. The whole |
crew persisted.
TWO ships were lost with all on board |
In an attempt to approach Martinique.
All then ewspapers here express the ut Il
most horror ut the catastrophe. which. /
they say. for its magnitude is only COM
parable TO Pompeii. and they extend deep |
sympathy To the French nation.
Owing 20 the cable breakdown I'm the |
West indies. no details OF the disaster at
have yet been received here.
The available dispatches from the West /
indies represent the inhabitants of the
,ther islands as being In deadly fear.
Professor John Milne. the seismologist.
~ hu interview III tHt Ddils
Express declares that his seismic instrI-
ncnts have recorded no disturbance. and
hey would almost invariably have done
10 had serious earthquakes occurred.
Professor Mines theory is that Mont
pelee had blown its head on" owing To
he utilization OF water through the
-ocks until IL had reached the molten
Material beneath. forming steam OF ire
nendous pressure. when something had
o give way.
1
ion OF st. Pierre. Martinique. was known
here early yesterday. the Parisians do
Tot yet seem to realize the awfulness OF
he catastrophe. which apparently hardly
Rused more than a ripple OF excitement
N the boulevards. Even the newsboys
asst night were not shouting the last edi- |
ions OF the evening papers with their
Usual VIM This was mainly due to the |
neagerness OF the dispatches received
lere. and TO the total absence OF details. |
me only sign OF grief yet visible il the |
iaif -masted nag over the Ministry OF the |
Beyond reproducing the cable |
dispatches received by the Government. |
he evening papers yesterday either re-
rained from commenting on the disaster &
r confined themselves to printing his |
cries. ancient and modern. of similar
vents. The morning papers today do lit |
L. better. IL
The Figaro follows To- cable dispatches a
fith n geographical history OF the island ,
Martinique and speculates whether the
Is due TO an eruption or an
arthquake OF to both. winding up with :
he statement that IL IN not France alone. a
ut humanity as whole that Is plunged q,
\ mourning. such calamities call up
he feeling OF solidarity uniting all who u
hink and feel. a
The Matin says It is one OF the most :
rightfIl catastrophcs recorded. and that
r. must go back TO Pompeii to find
arrliel for such a calamity. IL
ST. THOMAS. u. w. T.. May .. 9:35 n. | g
THE French cruiser Suchet arrived at
island OF Guadalupe. French n
Vest Indies. this morning. bringing sew g
raj refugees. She confirmed the report !
nat the town OF ST. Pierre. Martinique !,
as entirely destroyed at o'clock on
morning by n volcanic eruption. :
il supposed that most 81 the inhabi- n
lnts Of ST. Pierre were killed. that the a
eighboring parishes were laid waste and
TAT the residue of the population OF st /,
ierre Is without food or shelter. :.
The commander OF the Suchet reports | =
tat at I o'clock on Thursday the entire =
wn Of ST. Pierre was wrapped I'm flames.
. endcavored TO save about thirty per-
ms more or less burned. from the yes p
Ia In the harbor. His officers went Y
hore in small boats. seeking survivors. | a,
Il were unable To- penetrate the town. "
hey saw heaps Of bodies upon the oil
harves and II IN believed that not a Al
ngie person resident In ST. Pierre at Il
. moment OF the catastrophe escaped vi
The Governor Of the colony and his ! =
MT and wife were In ST. Pierre and | u
obabiy persisted. The extent OF the te
cannot be imagined. The |
plain % the British steamer Roddam | al
~ very seriously injured. and IL now m
the hospital 90 ST Lucia. Az Of his dc
iccrs and engineers were killed or dy- TT
<. Nearly every member OF the crew M
dead Surgeon Campbell and ten of ma
. crew OF the Roddam jumped over NJ
ard az ST. Pierre and were lost lVi
90