Evening star., 1936-01-05

table flood of molten lava. The devas-
tated district was about eight square
miles. but beyond that lay a region
terribly damaged.
OF THE eighteen ships which were
" at anchor in the busy harbor only
one escaped, the Roddam, which
luckily had been ordered to quaran-
tine some distance away. Charred
and burned until it bore little resem-
blance to the proud ship which the
day before had dropped anchor at
st. Pierre, it skunk like ghost into
CastrieS, st. Lucia, the nearest har.
Dor, 20 miles away The deck was
strewn with scorched bodies and the
captain and his remaining crew were
blinded and tortured from their ter
rible experience.
The ghosts of the dead town still
stalk through the West Indies and one
meets many persons who witnessed the
cataclysm from Fort de France,
Bridgetown, Barbados, and as far
away as Port of Spain, Island of Trini-
dad.
Within the past year Prof Perret
received a hurry-up call to go to
the Island Of Montserrat, British West
Indies, where earth tremors, sup
posedly from Mount Soufriere had
been giving the inhabitants Of the
little village of Plymouth a bad case
of the filters.
The writer happened to be pas
senger on the same British steamer
and it was midnight when We ap-
preached the harbor. Every one was
awake or awakened as a sickening
odor of sulphur filled the air It's
presence gave rise to considerable ap-
prehension among the officers lest
an eruption was at hand. To the
passengers it was just a horrible
smell but to Prof Perret it was a
scientific warning, something that
might portend disaster.
We watched his small, wiry figure
go down the gangplank and called
oars carried him into the darkness.
No doubt the whole village was awake
and breathed easier at the approach
of its guardian angel"
Following a big shock in May, he
remained on the island observing,
taking tests of temperature and ana
lying the gases. For two years this
small island has had series Of local
earthquakes, which, seemingly, are
due to subterranean lava endeavoring
to reach the surface. His work here is
to prepare to give warning Of any
eruption. Although he believes there
Is no immediate danger of such an oc-
currence, field station has been es-
tablished with buried microphones,
temperature recorders and detectors of
earthquakes.
The analyses of the gas and water
collections are yielding new and in
teresting data of value to science.
The gas issuing in higher concentra-
tion yields by decomposition products
differing greatly from the original
compound, which without disagree
able odor, was found to be extremely
poisonous. Among these cases was
the well-known sulphuric- hydrogen,
which in one instance was so strong
that it turned the immaculate white
Canadian steamer to dark brown
over night.
TEN DAYS later on the return
trip when the steamer stopped
at Montserrat, Prof. Ferret was pleased
to report that Mount Soufriere was
quiescent and that there was no in
dication to show that an eruption
was imminent. From the boat
anchored within a mile and a half
ct the mountain a slight smoking was
In evidence but no odor.
In 1902, so little was known of the
terribly destructive nature of the pecu-
liar type of volcanic activity impend.
ing, that the people of st. Pierre re-
mained In town in the face of threat
SO menacing as to excite our astonish-
ment today. This appalling catas-
trophe gave rise to a worldwide in
vestigation Of volcanic phenomena in
the hope Of reducing to q minimum
the loss of human life. Twenty-seven
years later at the first outburst Of
Pelee st. Pierre was deserted, only a
few persons remaining over night.
However, it Is an important fact that
ample warning always precedes q
great eruption.
1t was in August, 1929, that things
were becoming increasingly interest,"
ing up Pelee Mountain way. The
dome" Of 1902, as described BY La
croix, had been blown of, while at
the sea deltas were formed and huge
blocks and boulders lay scattered
everywhere. A flaming cloud had
swept around small island and de-
stroyed live stock and 1000 coconut
trees that lay in its path. Just as
Vesuvius had grown enormously since
the Plinian eruption, 70 A. D., 50 had
Pelee enlarged by filling the valleys
and the forming Of a lofty dome
until q typical volcanic massif had
replaced the long, ridgelike eriinence
Of pre-1902 days.
Madame Pelee. lit appears, Is not
adverse to changing her head-seas.