BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-04
SAEl YUAN, SEPTEMBER 4
Final Facts About Pelee

The magazine stage of recording the
Caribbean disaster has been reached
and several wellfounded theories have
been published 10 explain scientifically
the catastrophe. Mr. M. M. Ballou as
early as 1892 had uttered a singular
prophecy upon the future of St. Pierre.
In Equatorial America he had written.
sOnce or twice since that date 1851
ominous mutterings have been heard
from Mt. Pelee, which it is confidently
predicted that it will one day deluge ST.
Pierre with ashes and lava, repeating the
story of Pompeil". The prophecy was
more oracular than precise and expires
sed only foreboding of what might
occur in the vicinity of any volcano. 1t
was BASED on the phenomena Of Pelee
in 1851 when it ruinbled and thundered
for few hours and changed the con-
fguration of the mountain only lit
tie. The first signs of a renewal Of the
volcanoes activity appeared this year as
early as April 2, when some steaming
fumaroles were noticed by Professor
Landes. On April 25 the first real signs
of an eruption occurred, when the vol
cano began to smoke and throw out
ashes. The first explosion occurred
May s; and while the narration of the
destruction to human life has been so
recently and fully told, the scientific
facts are not universally known. There
were two discharges in this first eX-
p1osion. One was intensely black
vapor, pierced with lightning flashes,
and went directly upward from the
main crater. The second shot out lat
orally from new fssure in the side of
the mountain. 1t was this that caused
the destruction, for it swept the whole
southwestern slope from ST Pierre to
the mouth of the Riviere La Mare. 1t
was like discharge from a blow pipe
having an initial velocity of hundred
miles an hour and consisting mainly of
superheated steam carrying immense
quantities of intensely hot dust. This
brought total darkness for thirty minu-
tes. Observers are agreed that another
explosion which occurred May 20 was
much greater than the first.
/ There are several investigating facts
brought out b. the investigations Of
scientists that will correct popular er-
rors on the subject In the first place
there was no lava flow This is now
pretty generally understood by the in
telligent reading public, but the FIRE
queut newspaper references to lava
caused a misunderstanding at the time.
The deluge three days before the first
explosion was caused by the breaking
away of large lake on the side of the
mountain, down height of 5000 feet
1t broungt with it trees, immense rocks
and thousands of tons OF ashes, and by
the time it reached the lower slopes it
bad become liquid as-mud 1t caused
g-eat loss of lite. During the eruption
feat masses of sand gravel and
boulders came down the mountain side,
ybut no lava Richmond, on St. Vincent
twas buried under iorty.five feet of such
material in some places.
g Another important matter 10 note
about the catastrophe was the absence
of inhammable gas. The frequent refer
ences to flame ., burning gas :,
rain of fire in the early accounts of
the disaster were due partly to inaccu-
rate observation, partly to the appear
+
discharge and partly to excitement
and a confused blending of cause with
effect. The common observer conclud-
ed that the great conhagration was
caused by some direct flame, and thatt
the atmosphere was surcharged with |
infamnable gas It is almost beyond a |
doubt that there was no inflammable |
gas present, but that the confagration
was the result of the Superheated /
steam and dust. The same result |
would be produced if a West Indian
hurricane of $50 degrees Fahrenheit,
bearing great quantities of sand and
stones, were to sweep over land.
The testimony of the whole goes to
show also that while the presence Of
gases is probable, yet the loss of life
was due, not to any suffocating gas, but
to the same cause OF the conf1agration,
viz, to the steam Messrs. LasSere and i
Simonut. who were struck with the
blast on Grande Rebuilt; Evans and
Morris the engineers on the Rorain1a
the Italian sailors on the Roraima
Ciparis, the prisoner IN the dungeon, all
dee. are that they were not choked by
gas and that they smelt nothing I'm
usual except slight sulphuroas odor
that seemed TO come from the ashes
They said that at first the blast was
too hot TO breathe much and afterward 4
there seemed to be nothing which theyl,
could breathe.
Or Jaggar Of Harvard University and K
the United States Geological Surveyli
says: There is no need lor calling i'll I
any urusslal gas; no doubt there we're
several gases present and the COM j
bustion Of tropical vegetation made {