The San Francisco call., 1903-01-25
The Illustrations on this
page are from "Mont Pelee
and the Tragedy of Marti-
nique," by Angelo Heilprin.
Copyright. 1902. by ]. B. Lippincott
Company.

from Pelee OF II. 500 ooo. eco cubic feet Of sedi-
ment would raise the level OF region hay
one foot Mont Pelee has now been lin con-
djtion of forceful activity for upward of 200
days: can assume that during this time
whose cubicaI contents hardly less than a
quarter of the Of Martinique as IL now
appears above the water? One is indeed AL
most appalled, by tine magnitude Of this work,
go 60 re- than is here stated We ask ounseIves
the questions. What becomes of the void that
is being formed in the interior? What form
of new catastrophe does it invite? There can
cept in the future happening (. that may be
associated with this special ;colfiftion But
geopgists must take count Of the ,fasce' as be-
Ing one OF the greatest potential energy whose
relation to the modelling and the shaping of the
destinies of the glebe is Of far greater signif-
canoe than has generally BEEN conceived.
Professor Heilprin. after several un-
successful efforts, owing to the activity
of the volcano, finally succeeded in get
ting a glimpse into the great crater Of
Pelee-only for a few moments and at
the risk of his life. What he saw and his
impressions at the time are contained in
the following;
An angry cold wind was now swirling around
both sides of the mountain, and. with it came
a seemingly hopeless rain. All of a sudden
light illumned the near horizon. 1t seemed
hardly more than three hundred feet from us.
Across the steaming lake bed, little mindful
of its puffs OF vapor and sulphur, we dashed
to the line above which welled out the steam
cloud Of the volcano, and almost in IN
stant stood upon the RIM or the giant rift in
whose interior the world was being made In
miniature. We had reached our point. We
Whence oa piuminet could be dropped :at6 poe the
seething furnace, witnessing a scene of ter
rorizing grandeur which can be conceived only
by the very few who have observed similar
scenes elsewhere. Momentary flashes of light
permitted Us to see far into the tempest
tossed caldron, but at no time was the floor
visible for over it rolled the vapors that
rose out to mountain heights. With almost
lightning speed they were shot out into space.
Facing us at a distance of seemingly not
more than two hundred and fifty feet, danced
the walls of what appeared to be the op-
posing face of the crater and somewhat nearer
the ragged white rocks burnt-out cinder
masses, whose brilliant incapdescence flashed
out like beacon lights some days after the
fatal Sth, and even at our later day iilumined.
the nght-crown of the volcano with a glow
of fire. We could not tell at the time II
they were part of cinder-cone or merely
accumulated heap that had been piled upon
itself. The spectacle was a stupendous one
like wild tempest raging everywhere. We
stood silent. overawed in its presence. The
degree OF force We felt no inconveniencs
from either gas or steam. low rumbllns
detonation, broken at intervals by louder
bursts. crept about the hidden floor Of the
of cInking falling and sliding cnders, the
kissing of the emerging steam-sounds which
one WOQlQ fuln describe were II QOSSlDle TO
do so. / tried SO far as 1t was possible to
localze the issuing sounds. but the blanket
ing by the enormous masses of swiTling
steam prevented this; everything seemed to
come from everywhere, with no marked dc-
centuatfoa in, any, particular quarter oc-
casional gusts of wind cleared the foreground
and displayed the Tgiant smoke column in
grand ma gnihcence.
Our Martinique boys appeared to be as
much impressed by the scene as We ourselves
were and for time lost all fear of the
awakening dragon We found that We We're
even 'overhanging cliff and not feeling dis
posed TO remain longer than was necessary to
make notebook observations and take photo
graphic views, lett rather precipitately for
lower regions.
Out of all the thousands of people who
were alive in ST. Pierre at 10 minutes to
s on the morning of the Sth. but two
were living by the time the last few
minutes of the hour had passed away.
One was the prisoner Ciparjs and the
other q shoemaker, Leandre. both ne
groes. The following is a description in
part of their sensations. First comes the
statement of the man Ciparis:
AS he stated his own experience. he was
when 1t suddenly grew dark, and Immediately
afterward hot air, laden with ASH entered his
room through the door grating 1t came gently
but fierCSly. His flesh instantly burned,
and he jumped about in agony. vainly calling
tor help. There was no help to come. The
heat that scorched him was intense, but lasted
for an instant only, and during that time he
almost ceased to breathe. There
companying smoke, noise of any kind. and
no odor to suggest a burning gas. The hot
air and ash were the working demons that
tore his flesh. Ciparis was clad at that time
in hat, shirt and trousers. but his clothing
did not take fire; yet beneath his shirt the
back was terribly burned. and his body gave
out the odor OF burning flesh 1t is difficult
to conceive OF a lasting agony greater than
that which suffered by this man For
three days and more he had been without food
of any kind and his only sustaining nourish-
ment the water OF his cell. This appears
to have been unaffected by the entering hot
wave. During his long Imprisonment he fire.
quently shouted for help, but the cries of
Save me- answered only by the groans
of anguish that followed 1t continued this
way until the following Sunday. when it
CHANGED that searching parties neared his place
of Imprisonment. He heard voices and re-
newed his cries for help. The voices were
those of two negroes, who, when they satisfied
themselves that the sound that came to them
was from a human being Immediately began
the task of rescue. The refuge was broken
open and in short time the half dead prisoner
was brought to free air.
The history of the Prisoner OF st. Pierre"
while most interesting in its details, is to an
extent shorn of it's romance by the later dis
ccyery Of at least other survivor Leon
Cumpere- Leandre, also negro, whose expert
ence as given to a representative of the Temps
- fho Iilof ", Iff H.