A Terrible Disaster.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 107, 12 May 1902, Page 3

A Terrible Disaster.

CABLE NEWS By Emctbio Tslbgraph.— Copyright

THE ERUPTIONS AT MARTINIQUE. CIXI BURIED IN VOLOANIU MUD PBS PBBB ASSOCIATION. New York, May 9. A St. Thomas cablegram announces that thousands of persons have been k<llad at Martinique A stream of boiling mud, has been flowing from the crater since May sth, and has overwhelmed the chief factories. The volume is new decreasing. Sin Friere, a velcano on S\ Vincent (British Wf st Indies), is smoking and ominously activ*. The craters on Dominica are in a state of eruption, and is consternation at Guadeloupe (Leeward Group) owing to loud noises and frequent shocks.

Paeis, May 9. The commander of the cruiser Sachet has cabled to the French Government that a mass of fire fell on St. Pierre at eight o'c'ock in the morning, completely destroying the town and burnieg the shippiug. The en-i-e population is supposed to have perished except thirty, who wera brought to Port de France. Tie eruption continues. FURTHKB PARTICULARS. A TERRIBLE TALK OF DESTRUCTION. 36,f00 TO 40000 PEOPLE PERISH. Received 10, 8.10 p.m New York, M»y 10. It is that 30,000 people have perished at Martinique, including the Governor, M. Mouttet. BeceWed 11.4 59 p.m. Nsw York, Mfcy 10. The cable is ir>terrupted, and two ■teamen, which were carrying messafes, were lost. Another was unable to land.

The whites living at St. Pierre are . estimated at 1000, of whom probably a doz«n are English. Eighteen vessels wera destroyed, including four American ships. Three hundred inhabitants living in the vi-jinit/ of San Priere took refuge at the Chateau Eclair. A British schooner, the Oeean Traveller, h ß s arrived at Dominica. She left St. Vincent owing to a heavy fall of sand from San Friere, bu*". was unable to reach St. Lucia owirg to the currents. She arrived opposite Pierre on Thursday morning, and her crew saw the volcano Mont Pelee explode, a rain ef fire sweeping down and destroying the town and its environs, with the shipping, including a cable repairing steamer Grappler (a vessel of 8000 tons, belonging to the West India and Panama Telegraph Company), The French cruiser Rochet went round St. Pierre on Thursday afternoon and found the plac* in flames. Thirty perssns were rescued, belonging to the shipping. The Snch.et's men were unable to penetrat* to tA e town. Heips of bodies were refn on the wharves. It is feared the Governor and staff, with Colonel Wire, American C'onsu', and bis wife, hav<? fallen victims. The steamer Esk w?s covered with ashes while passing St. Pierre five mi'e off on Thursday night, everything ashore being aflame. Tbe British steamer Roraima, during the morning, exploded, the Suchet raving eight of her passengers. Another steamer, tho Roddam, was partly burned. She slipped her anchor, but seventeen men, including the •fficers, dieel of injuries received. The captain was taken to the hospital at St Thomas. Out of tbe Roddsm's crew of twentv-three, all were killed or injured except, two, who declare' he disaster was " like a glimpse of hell," and beggaring description. Five miles from land the cosst appeared onveloped in an impeachable darkness, the atmosphere was thick with oinders, and sulphur fumes. M. la Parent, president of the French Geological Society, states that the ckiifeßty of Mont JP«l4e exploded,

projecting -ho > eis of incandescent lavs and submerging everything with the flow of Uva following. The p' pulsion of St. Pierre was 36,000 The latest estimates of the dtad at. Martinique are between that number and 40,000. An eruption at St, Vincent is in progress, and volcanic dust is failng at the Bardadoes, where it lies an inch thick. The Briti-jh cruiser Indefatigable, attached to the West Indian station, :has been despatched to S f . Yincent to render assistance. Paris, May 10. Flags are half-mast»d throughout Prance. Sir Edmund J. Monson, Brit'sh Arat>a> ad >r in Paris, h»B expressed Britain's sympathy with France in this terrib'e disaster, VOLOANIO OUTBREAK AT j ST. VINUENT ! THIRTY PERSONS KILLED.

Received 12,1.10 a.m. New York May 11. News from St. Vincent, via Pointe-a-Pitre, reports that a storm, with lightning and thur der, broke over the island on Thursday morning, becoming tremendous with a continuous roar. Pitch; darkness followed. The volcano San Friare was en-. veloped in columns of smcke, and threw out stones and a snoriaccous hail.: Thirty persons are known to have I been killed. j Oo Friday the shocks continued at i intermittent intervals, but were fainter, j A vast amount of property is des- j t'oyed, and ashes lie two fe-.-t deep in i the village near the Chateau Eela'r. j

[Martinique is one of the French West Indian Islands, in the Windward Group, 30 miles south by west, of Dominica, and 20 miles north of St. Lucia. It is of irregular form, high and rocky, about 45 miles long and 10 to 15 broad ; area, 380 square miles. Its loftiest suoimi*, Mt. is 4450 ft. high. There ate six extinct volcanoes on the island, and one of the cratera is of large dimensions. Extensive musses of volcinic rocks cover the 'interior, rise to a great elevation, and extend frrm the mountains to tbe sea, where they form numerous deep indentations aloog t f ?e coAst. Between th« volcanic rocks bioad irregular villus of arpat fertility occur. The climate is hot, but not unheilthy, being tempered by r-guliir s. Hurricanes and earthquakes ars not unfiequent,,]