Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-10-09
DESTRUCTION OF ST. PIERRE
Whether II Was by Heat-BIast or
Aerial Gas Explosion Remains
TO BE Decided.

The problem of exactly how St..
Pierre and its inhabitants were de-
stroyed is still before US. There are
two theories, says Century.
/. The heat-blast theory. This as
sumes that the lapili, gases, and steam
of the cloud were elected with sufii-
cient initial force TO destroy buildings
from two to five miles distant, and
were sufficiently hot to infame the
city and destroy the people by SINCE
ing, suffocation and asphyxiation.
2. The aerial gas explosion theory.
This postulates that the weight Of
the cloud. causing it to descend. the
exhaustion of air, the flame, and the
great aerial force developed, were the
products of an explosion caused by
the union of gases of the cloud with
the oxygen Of the air, which took place
in the air, but near the surface Of the
ground.
From whatever point Of view the
subject is approached, all the evidence
focuses upon single deduction: that
there was a terrific aerial explosion
within the cloud after II erupted from
the mountain. which developed tre-
mendous destructive forces, and that
the situation of st. Pierre adjacent to
the bluff behind ii was such that the
reverberation caused therefrom as
sisted in its destruction.
The position of the cliffs enclosing
the area of devastation would have
had much to do with the destruction
of st. Pierre. inasmuch as places out
side of the Outbound amphitheater
and upon the edge of the plateau
above its depth were spared from de-
struetion.
The aerial explosion. if it occurred,
involves the presence within the cloud
of a combustible gas, but science is
still unable to state its nature The
distinguishing of explosive gas in
wolves a faculty of scientific special
ization which the writer does not pos
sess; but as sudden and mysterious as
was the great secret. it has left its
traces and clews. which the detectives
of science will follow up. Metal sur
faces of objects in the ruins will be ex-
amined and analysed for traces of sui
phur and chloride The deposits from
the numerous steaming fumaroles are
already within the chemical labora-
tory. Even the ash and rocks Of the
island will be submitted to minute in
vestigation.
Haunting my mind is a hypothesis
which may be but a dream, and which
cannot be proved, yet is one which
would explain all the phenomena.
On that fatal morning two clouds
erupted almost simultaneously from
the mountain, one following the other
n a slight interval The first Of these
came from the open fue of the summit
and fioated southwark hori-
gontally toward Mont Vert. In this
cloud developed a violent storm Of cleo
trio discharges. The second came
from lower down the mountain at the
spot probably known as La Soufriere
Or L'Estang Sec The ejecta from the
latter vent were not from an open flue.
as the summit cloud. but were from
he initial explosion Of an ancient vent
ong clogged up by an accumulation
II old material and sulphurous gases.
Being heavy with gases. and while roll
ng toward the city, what would have
had that host Of electric
sparks from the upper cloud flashed
INTO the lower aerial mass Of super
heated gases. even though they had |
otherwise refrained from already !
uniting with the oxygen?