The West Indies' Eruption.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7318, 11 June 1902, Page 3

The West Indies' Eruption.

[l'er Frisco Mail] Continued from Founti I'ji-jc. ~ >^N' Fi:a:;cikto, May '22 ■■U.p-.rls of the destruction of St. I'i.u-re readied outside world on Mny ;). Ihc •first definite information cauiu from tun American ( onsul at St. Luci-i, und was as follows :—

Tha destruction of Sr. Pitrro is complete. Tbe upper end of the Mand of Martinique* is nearly all uudor ashes. The southern part is safo as far as tho (h'structu.n of cities goes, bin all vegelata'ion i-: destroyed, people and stock aro perishing for water, rivt ra are blocked by aslits, food is scarce, and famino cannot be escaped!

Tha criuer of La Pufriere on St. Vincent is in full eruption, and visible fifty miles away. Steamer* report thick ashes uvo hundred miles away from tho Island.

Tho loss oi Ufa must bo enormous, but it is impossible at this titno to approach tho shore. Every effort is boiu" made to rench St. Vincent, but there U great fear that some making the effort will bo lost.

Forty thousand people perished on Martinique, including tho Governor and wife and many other notables. Tho entire population of St. Pierre, and practically all the residents of nearby villages, are among the victims. All shipping in the harbor, with the execution of the British steamer IJoddam, was destroyed, with nearly all the crews. The Itoddam has reached hero. Her captain is badly burned, and all the crew are either dead or hurt.

New craters on the side ot Pelee have opened.

Ships passing St. Vincent report that Lasoufriere is hidden behind clouds of smoke. Sand and lava discharges from it are constant and come with a crash like heavy artillery. Details which have no; yet ceased to come in confirm and increase the horror of tins disaster. The following is from Port Do Prance, island of Martinique dated May 12:—About thirty thousand pcopla lost their lives last Thursday as tho result of the outbreak of Mont IVleu at St. Pierre. The commander of the French cruiser Sueliet cave American Consul Ay me, at Guadeloupe, the fhxt news of (he disaster the day aftor it occurred.

Mr Ayjno has reached the desolate spot where St. Pierre stood and confirms the awful story in all i;« essential dotai's. Thursday' morning found tho inhabitant!1, of St. Pin re anxiously looking towards thick clouds shroudin'f Mount Pelee crater. All day \Vednes°day horrid detonations hud been heard. Those had been echoed from St. Thomas on the no-th to the Barbados on tho south, during tho night these had ceased, mid only fino asho3 lika rain fell at St. Pierro.

The Governor then at Fort do France tried to slop the panic the volcanic disturbance had caused, lie t-,1,1 the alarmed people (he danger would not increase, and sent a detachment of soldiers to prevent a general exodus of inhabitants. Later he went to St. Pi erro and there perished.

A British steamer arrived at St. Pierre some time afterwards with twelve passengers. They were all watching the rain of ashes when, with a frightful roar and terrific electric discharges, a cyclone of fire, mud and steam 'swept down from .he crater over the town and bay, destroying a licet of vessels at nncuor off shore there.

Twelve survivors only are at the Military Hospital at Fort de France while thirty thousand corpses are strewn about or buried among the ruins of St Pierre or else a floating prey of sharks' in the surrounding seas. Twenty-eight painfully burned human beings were brought here. Sixteen of them are already dead and only four are expected lo recover.