The Washington times., 1902-05-13
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Mouttet, governor of the colony, tried to
stop the panic which seized the inhabi-
tants of st. Pierre when Mont Pelee be-
came threatening. assuring them that
danger would not increase, and sent de-
tachments of soldiers to prevent an exo-
dus of the inhabitants.
Later he went to St. Pierre himself,
taking his wife with him. as evidence
that he considered the town to be free
from danger.
The Roraima's Story.
The steamer Roraima reached st.
Pierre about o'clock Thursday evening
with ten passengers, among whom were
4 Mrs. Stokes and her three children, and
a Mrs. II. Ince. When the vessel came to
the pier the passengers were on deck gaz-
ing at the spouting volcano. and when all
eyes we're upon Pelee, terrific ex-
plosion occurred, followed by the huge
tidal wave. Gas. rocks, smoke, flame, and
white hot ashes we're hurled upon the
town with terrific force, and right here Mr..
Ayme says the stories OF the disaster
cease.
Twelve survivors of the horror are in
the military hospital here. Twenty eight
burned ard MANNED people were rescued,
the vessel reached here.
Only four of the twelve now alive are
expected to recover. In most of the in
stances the people had inhaled flames.
a newspaper steamer went to st. Pierre
from here Sunday morning. All the way
up the coast the island was half hidden
by grayish pail Of smoke and dust, and
quantities of wreckage were passed.
All Kinds of wreckage.
This debris consisted of pieces of large
and small vessels, sections of houses.
large trees, and floating bodies, over
which hung a host of seagulls, and in
the midst OF the human remains sharks
were fighting.
A; lie Precheur, five miles north of St.
Pierre, canoe after canoe, laden with
panic stricken natives, was passed, and
they all wanted to be taken aboard the
steamer.
Approaching the shore at st. Pierre II
was seen that not n horse or building
of any description was intact. The ruins
were still burning. and amid heaps oi
mud, ashes and stones were seen an in
describable mixture of human limbs aud
bodies.
Most of the corpses lay face downward
The odor OF burned flesh filled the air.
In one corner the bodies of twenty
one men, women and children we're found
in a confused mass. AMI in She middle
of what was once the Place Bertin there
ran tiny stream, the remains oi the
river Goyave. Blocks of hot stone were
scattered about and from beneath pro-
truded the arm OF white woman.
Air Suddenly Filled.
The air must have been suddenly filled
with gaseous flames, which the people
tried in vain not to intale. as 1T was
noticed that most of the victims had
their hands clasped tightly over iheh
mouths. In front of the Colonial Bank |
of Barbados we're found a morse and buggs
and the body OF a policeman.
Mr.. Evans, of the engineers depart |
ment of the Roraima. said today. TIN
vessel arrived at St Pierre about o'clocl |
and as eight bells struck, Mont Pelee |
exploded. Norris and rushed below. |
Neither of us was badly burned. We were /,
going to our posts in the engine room |
to weigh anchor at the time, as the RoT-
alma was about to leave the port.
when / came up from below the ship |
was afire, and the red hot stones and ashes |
were coming down steadily. We fought the |
flames until 3 O'Clock, when the Suchet |
came to our rescue Everybody who could |
was then at work building raft, as we |
saw the steamer could not long remain |
afloat."
Captain Muggaz's Death.
Benson, the carpenter on the Roraima, |
told the story of the death of Captain Mug |
gar. He said:
II was on deck when the explosion oc- /
CURED Captain Muggar ordered me TO |
get up anchor, and had reached the wind
lass when the torrent of fire swept down |
upon our decks. ! rushed into the fore
castle to get some of my belongings to-
gether. and coming out, saw Captain Mug
gar Mr. Scott, the first officer, and other
members of the crew.
Captain Muggar had been on the bridge.
He was terribly burned and had inhaled
the flames. He wanted to jump over
board and ! tried to get him to put on
life preserver, but he was so crazed with
pain that / don't think he understood
what was saying.
He was undressed, having torn off his
clothes when they took fire. He jumped
into the water"
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