The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-10
ST. PIERRE
DESCRIBED
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
down ard eyes hand shaded. for the glare
is distressing. To the right. southwark.
two bright hres are burning at the wa
ter's edge These are coal piles. from
which the rum distiHeTy. the machine
ana oooperage shops. and the ice factory
al that end OF the city drew their fuel
They arc the only things Iele TO burn in
ST Pierre
The lead line carefully watches the
tugs progress. and once. when well in
shore. Lieutenant Mccormick says 10
those about him: We are Just over the
wreck OF the Roraima." lie takes the
lead line and sounds and then aods. Yes,
here she is, just under us
The odor Of the dre ruins, the same odor
as that which fIis New York street af-
ter fire. comes strongly 10 the nostrils.
not from the cbal piles. but from the
northern part Of the city, whence a soft
breeze Is settling. Borne on this breeze
is another norstril filing odor. It is IN
mistakable. The city is filed with il
one does not feel rid of it for DAYS
Now. as the eve searches the wide cres-
| cent Of the shore.it ranges down miles q
ruins. ruins 50 complete as TO be APPALLING
The terraces on which St Pierre was
built against the mountainside are oyiit-
Grated Entire buildings have been torn
from their foundations, crumhled ard
scattered between the terrace lines
There are no streets. only rubbish
Uttered alleyways. Ill defined The shore
line is a blackened strip a sort OF mourn
ing band along the western limits Of the
dead city. That st. Pierre was destroy
ed had been announced by cablegram sec
eral days before. but not one OF those
who went ashore there today and yester-
day was prepared 20 md such destruc-
ton. Destruction is usually comparative;
it reaches a superlative in ST. Pierre
In the 'Mouilage" the beautiful open
harbor Of the city. there are two huge
iron buoys which have outridden the fury
OF the waters. and toward one OF these
the Potomac makes her slow way. With
in few yards Of il she comes 70 rest,
and the dinghy with two sailors and a
hawser are set over 20 moor her. As
one of the bluejackets climbs upon the
buoy TO make the hawser fast TO the pom
derous iron ring he sets cloud Of gray
dust flying toward US.
Amid the pervading unnatural silence
the clink Of the ring and the Justify called
instructions Of the bo'sun on the Poto-
mac are singularly discordant. 4 verita-
bic din results in minute or two when
the noon hour. eight bells is struck. 1t
sounds ike an aimless jingle. With il
comes the completion Of the mooring and
the calling away OF the boats TO take the
{ h. IA
score OF us-we are a hair dozen officers
Of the Dixie. a dozen from the diminutive
Dutch cruiser Konlngen Regentes lying
in Fort de France harbor. FIVE scientists
with hammers and bags. and the remain
der newspaper rrespondents-turn from
our uncomprehending scrutiny Of the
ruined city and line up TO ne the boats.
Each after the long period in which no
word has been spoken. betokens by some
ejaculation the effect the scene has had
upon him. one OF the young officers of
the Dixie who has been leaning with his
elbows on the rail. straightens himself,
clasps his hands in front OF him and ex-
claims with involuntary vehemence:
Good Lord. to think OF all the pretty
girls l used 10 know therer
The cutters are soon at the ladder.
Three Of them have been. carried aboard
the Potomac in order that instant un-
hampered flight may De taken from the
city in any emergency, for Mt. Pelee is
not 10 be trusted these days. especially
in view of the eruption Of Tuesday aud
the preceding narrow escape OF the party
which had found and was bringing away
the body Of the United States consul.
As the boats shove of. Lieutenant Nc
calls out:
THE signal for return viii be repeated
blasts Of the whistle When you hear
them you must hurry down 20 your
boats" To this ne appends the admonI-
ton that no one shall be permitted to
bring aboard the Potomac from the ruins
anything which may be designated as
loot. There is chorus Of Aye. aye.
sir" and then the boats glide away to-
ward tho shore.
or 70 the left. in a shimmering blue
gray mist. ut. Pelee stands. stin breath
ing heavily and angriiy after the exer-
tion Of Tuesday mornings eruption. The
omnipresent cloud cap rolls away To sea
and down the scanned. Scared sides II
the volcano innumarable jets Of vaporrise.
some Of them go feet ~ the air TIE
wide rivers ~ mud which spring from the
crater and ooze continually into the sea.
steam and fume throughout their length.
At Pelee has been shattered hy its cf-
forts. It's sides arc-riven. il impresscs
one as undermined. honeyconbed. n great
earthen she'll. Huge and formidable rs Il
IS the riffs and g1rges which stripe IS
deeply from head % foot suggest that one
surns ssirE convulsfnn mlrht blow the
whole thing into the sea. Those who
were familiar sith At Pclee before Nay
s and have seen it since say that 70 has