The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-22

J
plants and flowers covered with this
gray dust.
In the countryside desolation. aridity
| and great silence prevail. Under the
I bushes little asphyxiated birds may be
found. In the meadows the oxen are
I restless. and they mart and below de-
1 spairingly.''
St. Pierre read and discussed this. be-
yond the shadow OF doubt, but their
I sympathies were not for themselves.
+ In token Of this, here is what appeared
I in Les Colonies of May Z, the last day Of
publication:
1.-THE state Of mind Of the unfortunate
! people of Precheur five miles north OF
St. Pierre IS deplorable. The feelings Of
the people are at low ebb and the may
or, NJ Grelet, IN spite of all his efforts.
is unable to restore confidence. Yester-
| day by order Of the governor. a new con-
voy Of supplies was carried to Prechon-
tins. This consisted of 5000 kilogrammes
Of Goldfish salted meats, and beans. and
the boat conveying it had scarcely ar
rived upon the beach when it was in
vaded. The officer in charge had great
difficulty in makink the people understand
was necessary to present a signed order
from the mayor"
In another column of the paper this
appeared:
The departure from st. Pierre is una
bated. From morning to night and even
during the night one sees hurrying peo-
pie, carrying packages, trunks. and chill
dren. on their way TO Ponds. St Denis.
Morne d Orange, Carbet and other
places. The steamers Of the Compagnie
Girard plying between st. Pierre and
Fort de France are never empty. To
give an idea Of this mad. foolish move
nent. look at figures: The customary
number Of travellers 10 Fort de France
by this line is eighty a day; on three
days the number has risen TO 300.
I'VE confess that we can not under
stand this panic Where IS one safer,
better off than at St Pierre? DO those
who have moved to Fort de France i'm
agine that they will be safer there than
here in case of earthquake? This is in
deed foolish mistake, and it is neces-
sary TO place the people on their guard
against it. We hope the opinion express
ed by " Laudes in the interview We
publish viii be convincing TO those who
are most afraid
From the foregoing it is evident that
toward the last the threatenings Of Mont
Pelee outweighed the petuIant intolerance
of the newspaper. and the disquietude
spread, especially among the poor and ig-
norant In view Of what Les Colonies
printed from day to day in the seven days
before the disaster It is remarkable that
fear was not begotten early. There is
no doubt that apprehension did exist,
the energies Of the newspaper bear wit
ness of that, but there is no record; in
fact there is pathetic absence of any in
which must have seized the people of st.
Pierre on that last dreadful morning. 1t
is fear which is and for years viii be
the portion Of every one in the island of
Martinique. A rumble, black cloud, or
a dust fall can arouse it in an instant
now; but St. Pierre underwent all OF
these and more and accepted them sim
ply as phenomena for excursionists, IN
til it was too late.
The first intimation of Mont Pelee's ac-
tivitv was given on April %, when Ro-
main. the guide, brought back his dis
credited tale. Four days later rumblings
were heard. and a whitish vapor was OBJ
served rising. feather-like. in the breeze
about the head of the mountain. the
noise and the escape Of vapor continued,
and fine dust began falling in the
crowded. sunny streets of st. Pierre and
in the adjacent countryside. Rocks came
down the Riviere Blanche in great guam
tifios. and hundreds Of dead fish were
found along its banks. Then came mud
streams rolling slimily down the noun
tainside. and here Les Colonies. realiz-
ing that fear was arising in the CITY
so,,erb+ ~ allav it by attributing all the
phenomena to recent heavy rains. IL
did not seek to account for the dust out
an the issue of May it published note
of advice to mothers TO keep their chill
dren at home during the dust fall' as II
was provocative OF inflammation OF the
ewes and throat. Also householders were
advised TO take their plants indoors for
q dav or two to avoid injury by the dust
AT the foot Of the column in which TINS
note apDearea were TWO pregnant lines
of unanswerable inquiry:
shall we have an earthquakes?
Probably not"
II is more than amazing that the de-
struction of the GueTin Usine. or sugar
factory. at Riviere Blanche on May did
NOR arouse the apprehension of the
authorities of st. Pierre or. at least, Of
the commercial interests Of the city.
How many lost their lives in that disaster
is not known. because before the factory
and the houses fanidng the river mp the
mountain slope could be uncovered and
cd nzl cd
ovist The issue Of Les Colonies of May
6 contained the interview with NJ. Laudes'
the distinguished professor OF the Ly-
ceum.' to which reference has already
been made. and an almost metropolitan
Of the facts connected with
The overwhelming of the Usine Guerin
But the story properly begins with the
paper OF May and this extract:
ION Saturday evening. toward half
mast six o'clock, the excursion from Fort
de France on lie Topaze che small steam
or which ran as a sort Of ferry between
s.. Pierre and Fort de France. a distance
NJ about eleven niles tried to approaA
Prechcur. 10 obtain rs close view as
possibie Of the phenomena. The fog 81 (
cfnders. however. wes SO dense that the /
eoastline wasobiiteratcd. and tho steamer /
was compelled 70 put back.
Communication by land IS now far /
from expeaitsous. and one has difficulty (
in making his way Many excursionists I
always the excursionlstsl afoot and on /
have been obliged lately to 4
turn back. Since three o'clock Yesterday 4
afternoon there has been nc communica- I
ton between tho customs service OF St 4
Pierre and Precheur. Toward seven /
o'clock the rain Of cinders began anew.
on The evenings Il Sunday and Monday +