Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-13

FORT DE FRANCE. Island of Mar unique, May 13.-It now seems 10 De generally admitted that about 3O,uUo persons lost their lives as result or the outbreak of the Mont Pelee yolca- no at St. Pierre on Thursday last. Care ful investigation by competent govern ment officials shows that the earlier re- ports were accurate.
 Briefly put. in ten minutes last Thurs day morning the city of St. Pierre dis appeared in 2 whirling fire vom1ted from Mont Pelee, and 30.00O persons were instantly and horribly killed. and the volcano. which for more than fifty years had been quiet lake occupying its ancient crater. in which picnic par ties bathed, suddenly discharged tor rents of fiery mud which rolled toward the sea, sweeping everything before It.
 Then the last cable communication was broken, and the doomed city was isolated from the world.
 The commander of the French cruis- CT Suchet gave the American consul at Guadeloupe, Louis H. Ayme, the first news of the appalling disaster the day after it occurred. Mir. Ayme has reached the desolate spot where St. Pierre stood and confirms the awful story in all it's essential features.
 From an interview with Colonel Ayme, who is a trained American newspaper man, the following facts were learned regarding the destruction of St. Pierre:
 Thursday morning found the inhab- stants of that city anxiously looking to- ward the thick clouds shrouding the Mont Peiee crater. All day Wednesday forrid detonations had been heard These had been echoed from St. Thom- as. on the north, to Barbados on the south. During the night of Wednes- day these had ceased, and only fine ashes, like rain, fell on St. Pierre.
 Twelve survivors only are in the mil ftary hospital at Fort de France, while 30.OOO corpses are strewn about or bur fed in the ruins of St. Pierre or else floating. gnawed by sharks, in the sur rounding seas. Twenty-eight charred, half dead human beings were brought here. Sixteen of them are already dead, and four others only are expected to recover
 A steamer chartered in Guadeloupe reached Martinique at 6:30 Sunday morning. The lofty hilled island was hidden behind huge veil of violet or leaden colorea haze. Enormous quan- titles of the wreckage of large and small ships and houses were met with. Huge trees and too often floating bod les. with hocks of sea gulls soaring above and hideous sharks fighting shout them. were floating here and there. From behind the volcanic veil came blasts of hot wind mingled with others ice cold
 At Le Precheur, five miles north of St. Pierre, canoes with men and wom- en. frantic to get away, begged for passage on the steamer.
 The whole north end of the island was covered with silver gray coat Ing of ashes resembling dirty snow. Furious blasts of fire, ashes and mud swept over the steamer. but finally St, Pierre was reached
 The city of St Pierre stretched near ly two miles along the water front and half mile back to clin ar the base oi tine volcano The houses of the richer French families were built of stone The ash covered hills were fanked by fbe still smoking volcano. The ruins were still burning in many places, and fri1htfu1 odors of burned flesh filled fhe air. With great difficulty landing xras effected. Not one house was lef1 intact. E3eryw here were viscid heaps pf mud. of brighter ashes or piles o1 nn1caufe Htppes