Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-05-15
stances prevented him from giving
more.
HISTORY OF ST. PIERRE,
NOW A MASS OF RUINS
Home of 10000 People, Nesting Un-
der Mount PeIee, Was Famous
for Its Beauty and General
Proserity of Inhabitants.

der Mount PeIee, Was Famous
| for Its Beauty and General
| Proserity of Inhabitants.
The city of ST Pierre was built at
the waters edge, on the slope of the
mountain that destroyed it. Up from
the open harbor the streets of the city
We're cut in the rock Some times
they were so steep that instead of
roadway they were steps in the hill
| side. and always from the vantage
point of street crossing one could
look down into the harbor over the
roofs of the houses built but block
below
Mount Pelee above it, covered with
green to its very summit 4,45O feet
above the sea level, the highest point
on the island, was known to all the
inhabitants as eruptive. but little they
Jared for that, as Mount Pelee was
1uiet, without even rumblings within.
and not since 1851 had it shown any
signs of activity. Even in 1851 the
people of ST. Pierre were more sacred
fhan harmed by the eruption. and they
regarded their monster as almost a
tame one.
The 10000 inhabitants of st. Pierre,
forming almost a third of the total
population of the island. took life cas-
lily and gayly. AS in all tropical cit
les, business was suspended among
them during the hot hours of the day
Only in the evening and in the morn
ing We're they to be seen at their bust
ness and amusements, but these
hours they spent in the open air on
the streets, and the city seemed al
ways like a city in fair time, with
intending throngs of brightly dressed
merrymakers.
And St. Pierre has always boasted
that 1t had no slums, no poor quarters
within it. Its poor were not paupers,
and there were never any lack of food
or shelter for all.
The cathedral stood in the center
of the city, with two great white tow
ers. and around it were many other
public buildings, all of them massive
and well built of stone, though often
plain externally. The public library
had building of its own, and there
was handsome theater, which, how
ever. was rarely used as travelling
theatrical companies sometimes for.
got st. Pierre for years at a time.
The private houses were usually
painted in clear yellow tone, and from
this color and it's charming contrast
with the bright blue sky above st.
Pierre got most of its reputation for
beauty. In every street there was
running water, which was very
great advantage to the city from
sanitary standpoint, and there were so
many fountains at the corners from
which pure cold water spouted that
not merely was the best of drinks al
ways at hand but the effect in the
cooling of the heated air was appre-
ciable
The mixed race which made up
more than three-fourths of the popula-
tion of st. Pierre had among the num-
bers all of the market people. A fish
and fruit market existed at the north
end of the city, but the customers
did not go to them. Instead the
strong, 1.-the natives took great bask-
cts of food upon their heads and wan
dered through the streets seeking
their customers.
The merchants who exported and
imported goods were largely French
men. or of French descent, though
few British and American houses did
business in the city. Practically all
of the foreign commerce of the island,
amounting to total of about 100000
900 year, passed through the harbor
of st. Pierre.
One feature of the city was the lit
tie river flowing through it and prac-
tically dividing it between the richer
and poorer resident Many hand
some stone bridges spanned the
stream. A mile from the city St
Pierre maintained botanical garden
that was a marvel of beauty.
There were four banks in the city,
the Banque de la Martinique, Banque
frans-atlantique, Colonial Bank of
London and the Credit Foncier Colon.
ial Among the merchants were six
teen commission men, twelve dry
goods dealers, twenty-five provision
dealers. twenty-six rum manufactur-
ers, eleven colonial produce mer-
chants. four brokers and two hard
ware dealers.
Martinique is little island with an
extreme length of forty-five miles and
total area of only 3S1 square miles,
but 1t is one of the most densely popu-
lated regions of the world In 1894
the time Of the last official census
there were 1895 people upon it, and
| the number has increased rather than
decreased since then. And this great
population, averaging 500 people to
the square mile, is really even more
closely packed than the figures show
for the central parts of the island are
mountainous, and in many places the
virgin forests still stand. The ara
BILE lands have to support the entire
population.
| Historically the island is famous as
the birthplace of the Empress Jose
phine. Her fathers sugar plantation
was located not far from Port do
| Franco tho canitaI of tho leland M,