Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-01-06

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ST PIERRE, Martinique, December IS. 1884
TOR months had been looking forward
to my visit to Martinique, dozen
- things about this West Indian island
fascinated me, but in this article
shall have to confine myself to two.
One concerns beautiful Aimee Dubuc
de Rivery, the Yelled Empress Of the Turkish
Empire cousin of Empress Josephine Of France,
and a native daughter of this romantic French
colony The other deals with the devastating
eruption of Mount Pelee, May 8, 1902 and the
destruction of that famous commercial capital
and fortified seaport st. Pierre with all It's
10000 inhabitants.
To gain q better picture Of this terrible
catastrophe embarked on q small coastwise
steamer from st. Lucia and followed the iden-
teal course that Capt. Freeman piloted the
British steamer Roddam, some 80 years before,
into roaring inferno of fire, Of flying rocks
and ashes and sudden death. AS we steam
along attempt to imagine that I, too, was
passenger ON this selfsame boat, which was
the sole survivor of whirling cyclone OF fire
that shocked the world.
On May z, 1902, at midnight, the Roddam
left st. Lucia for st. Pierre, 20 miles to the
north, then the most beautiful city In the
West Indies. There had been reports that
Mount Pelee had shown signs of activity on
May 3, and on May downfall of ashes had
hidden the mountain from view. May
stream of lava had flowed down to the sea-
sweeping from its lf-mile path plantations
buildings, factories and $50 people. 1t was
only a hint of the disaster that was to come
Turing the first part of the Roddam's
- journey it is assailed by terrific Storm
I'm which streaks of lightning fash sharply
across the sky; the thunder is continuous
and deafening. The sea grows rougher, huge
waves sweep the deck Yet, in the morning,
the Roddam steams to anchor in fine weather.
The harbor at st. Pierre is deep, vessels can
go within Is or 20 yards of the shore. boat
comes alongside at o'clock bringing Joseph
Plissono the ships agent in ST. Pierre, and
the captain talks to him. From time to time
his glance takes in st. Pierre, which is sit
uated on sloping ground, the lower town"
along the water 'front.' dirty and unhealthy.
the upper town" clean and well built.
Suddenly, without warning, there is a ire
mendous explosion and a cloud of smoke, Gin
ders and fire sweep down the mountainside
with terrific rapidity and over the town and
port. In an instant the boat and captain are
enveloped in a sheet of flame Agent Plissono
climbs board as his own boat disappears
beneath the sea. Several of the crew were
quickly burned to death by molten lava. A
number of them lie dead contorted and burned
out Of human semblance on the deck. Panic
stricken Supercafg0 Campbell and 10 or the
crew jump overheard into the flaming sea and
are lost.
BY superhuman efforts the captain and crew
nip the cable and, steam being up, back away
from shore, Capt. Freeman, despite his severely
burned hands, heroically steering the vessel
out. On shore and in the port the fire seems
to burn everywhere at once. For miles the
Dea front blazes and deafenng explosions rend
the air Men and women rush back and forth
on shore amid the flames, but they do not run
long once the choking smoke hits them. Even
worse than the fire is this terrifying, poisonous,
choking smoke which succeeds it. When it
strikes, people drop dead in their tracks. 1t
Is picture of hell that beggars even Dantes
description Two miles away the great Guerin
distilleries are going up in burst of fire. The
ashes darken the sky, but the flashes of flame
reveal sights that might better be left unseen.
Heaps of bodies lie on the wharves where
they died struggling to reach the apparent
safety of the water. Those in the harbor fare
no better in the rain Of roaring fire. There
are ID vessels in port beside the Roddam and
they sink with all on board. Among them is
the cable repair ship Grappler, which was en-
.deavorng to repair the cable line, interrupted
on the morning Of May 7. Nearby Capt
Muggah of the steamship Roraima, suffering
terribly from inhaled flames waves his hand
90 Capt. Freeman as his ship goes down. Every
where on sea and land fiery ava-laden death
0eigns supreme over a terrified populace.
The Roddam, almost completely wrecked
slowly leaves the scene behind. Though the
mountain had elected flame, molten rocks and
sashes for matter of a few minutes only, it
akrnns a lifetime to the survivors. Five miles