The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-21
VOLCANOES OF
THE WEST INDIES


An Eruption on the Island ,
st. Vincent "details of tl
Calamity.
The fearful disaster at st. Pierr
in the island OF Martinique, whel
10000 lives were lost by volcan
eruption, was quickly followed by
similar disaster on the island of s
Vincent, one Of the British West III
dies, which was threatened even b,
fore the st. Pierre calamity. The CO..
respondent of the New York Herald
writing from the island of st. Vincent
gives graphic description of the stu
alton as follows:
Adnohitory rumblings and earth
quakes in the vicinity of Soufrier
came two weeks ago. On Monday
May 8, the lake in the old crater be
came greatly disturbed. On Tuesda
at O'Clock In The afternoon the noun
taiu began a series of volcanic efforts
Severe earthquakes accompanied thes,
terrible noises and detonations sue
ccedcd quickly. AT z O'Clock in the
evening an immense column of steam
issued from the crater and lasted un
til midnight.
Terrible explosions followed on
Wednesday morning, and at O'Clock
there was another sudden, violent es.
cape of steam. This ascended for
three hours, when other material was
elected. AT noon three craters ap-
peared to open and began to vomit
lava. Six streams at oAce ran down
the sides of the mountain, making an
awful scene. The mountain labor cd
heavily for half an hour after the ap-
pearance of lava. Fire flashed around
the edges of the crater, and there
were tremendous detonations in sue
Cession, rapidly merging into contin-
uous roar. This lasted through We'd
nesday night and until Friday MORN
ing. The thunderings of the VIC cano
were heard throughout the Car bean
sea.
The eruption hegan Wednesday. A
huge cloud in dark and dense col
umn, charged with volcanic matter,
rose to height of miles from tho
mountain top. Darkness like mid.
night descended and the sulphurous
air was laden with fine dust. A black
rain followed, a rain of favilla scoriae,
rocks and stone. There were bright
rapid. These with laundering, the
mountain shocks, the earthquake roar,
the lava aud falling stones created a
scene of horror. Large areas of culll-
vation have been buried beneath the
volcanic matter.
On the Windward coast seven planta-
tions are totally destroyed. Sixteen
hundred and twenty deaths are already
reported. There are 1G7 cases in the
hospital at Georgetown under treat
ment. The deaths have been caused
chiefly by suffocation by the sulphu-
rous gas, and burning lava masses.
A few of the cases In the hospital
are likely to recover. A new crater Is
reported formed on the Richmond es-
tate near the seashore. The country
districts on the Windward coast are lit
tered with dead bodies.
Kingston, the capital, and the whole
population are safe. There have been
no accidents or deaths. Clouds of
dust are blowing over the city, how
ever. The royal mail steamer, Wear,
is Transporting food and water TO the
Leeward coast, sailing vessels proceed
to the Windward coast on the same er.
rand. Doctors and nurses have gone
to the scenes of distress. The major
ity of The cOrpses being found are cov-
cred with ashes, decompOsed and hard
ly APP ~0achable. The dead are being
buried an trenches, thirty in each.
A dispatch from the island of St.
Lucia, dated 18th inst, says: "The
Soufriere volcano on the island of st.
Vincent is still in destructive erup-
ton. The terrific cannonade can be
heard hundred miles away. The re-
ports are followed by columns of
smoke, rising miles In the air. I'M
mense balls of colored fire also issue
from the crater. Lightning is playing
fercely in the upper sky and the
whole northern part of the island is
one mass of travelling flame. 1t is
impossible to reach the district by land
or sea, and there is no means of esti-
mating the destruction wrought to life
and property. Kingston, the capital
of st. Vincent, is still safe, though
showers of ashes and pebbles are con-
tinually falling. The volcano itself is
INVISIBLE"
The governor of the Windward Is
lands, Sir Robert Llewellyn, telegraphs
to the colonial office in London from
the island of St. Vincent, under date
of May 13, as follows:
81 arrived here yesterday and found
the state of affairs much worse than
had been stated. The administrator
reports show that the country on the
east coast, between Robin Rock and
Georgetown, was apparently struck
and devastated in manner similar ia
that which destroyed st. Pierre, and j
fear that practically all living things in
that radius were killed. PrObabl,
1000 persons lost their lives. The
exact number will never be known
Managers and owners of estates with
their families, and several of the bet
ter class of people, have been killed
A thousand bodies have been fount
and buried. One hundred and sixt
persons are in the hospital ut George
town. Probably only six of this mum
ber will recover. The details of tn
disaster are too narrowing for descrir
tion.
"I got, at st. Lucia, coastin
steamer, which is running up an
down the leeward coast with water an
provisions. Twenty-Five hundred pei
sons have rec, ived relief. / bay
asked for medical aid from Trlnida
and Grenada. All the neiohbOrip