' X J ..",MH
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1.
Thirty Thousand Are
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icom
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Ban, of fort
- OBFFiflNCe.
V ,jf&ftii vl v3
MAP OF ISLAND OF MARTINIQUE.
(Mount Poloo ;vnd town of St. Pierre, scono of recent volcanic dis
aster, shown on northwest end of island.)
This Is tho first authentic account
of tho fearful disaster on the Island of
Martinique. It was sent by cable to
Paris from Fort do Fiance:
I visited St. Pierre yesterday after
noon with tho first party that hns
lnndod at the site of the destroyed
city slnco Thursday morning's catas
trophe. Tho streets and all the neighbor
hood around what a few days ago was
the largest and most prosperous city
In Martinique were found Incumbered
with heaps upon heapa of dead bodies
In all directions.
All tho dead seen were stark naked,
their clothing apparently having
burned from their bodies like so much
tinder, while they thcnihuiws weio
roasted to death.
In tho vast majority of Instances
fires seem to have been the sole cause
of death. Great numbers of tho bodies
have been burst asunder by tho ter
rific heat and llo disemboweled.
In many instances the faces of tho
victims are quite calm, as though they
were stricken down instantly where
they stood, without n moment's warn
ing or with hardly time to appreciate
for an Instant the deadly peril they
were In. Others have stamped on their
faces an expression of indescribable
terror.
The ontlro city and the neighbor
hood all about reeks with a horrible
odor of burned flesh. In one instance
an entirely family of nine persons was
found, all tightly locked in each oth
ers' arms, and the bodies in a honlblo
stato of decomposition.
Almost tho first thing dono was to
make preparations for the cremation
of tho dead. Fatigue parties of sol
diers built enormous pyres ol wood
and branches of trees' upon which they
heaped the dead bodies by scores and
burned them as rapidly as possible.
Tho total number of dead Is now
estimated at fully sn.uoo. The disas
ter Itself took place within thirty sec
onds, and in that half minute tho vast
majority of all these people were
killed.
It Is supposed, for there Is nobody
living apparently to tell tho exact
facts, that there was suddenly shot
down from tho mountain a great sheet
of Maine, accompanied by a terriblo
gaseous whirlwind and (lashes of
lightning, precisely stub ns aro re
ported as playing about tho summit of
La Soufrlore, on tho Island of St. Vin
cent. What horrible revelations of tho
havoc wrought to human lifo which
those grim mounds aro yet to reveal
can hardly be Imagined. In these two
quarters of tho city not a trace of tho
streets that oxlsted there can bo seen.
Thoy aro burled as completely out of
sight as wero those of Pompeii.
Along tho water front there nro a
VOLCANIC PEAKS
' ' J!Z-
Dead in Martinique
WWVLfl
J7PZSSAUH
few walls standing and the ruins of
tho custom-house were found.
Curiously enough, the face and
hands of the clock on the hospital
were not destroyed, nnd they furnish
an important record Iti tho history of
this terrible catastrophe. Tho hands
of the clock hail stopped at precisely
ton minutes to S, showing that It was
at that moment that tho city was over
whelmed and all these thousands of
people within it, and in Its environs,
were destroyed.
The wotk of exploring tho ruins for
tho treasure buried beneath them was
going on at tlie same time witli the
incineration of the dead. Tho vaults
of the bank of Martinique were opened
and all the securities, notes and cash
were found intact. They were all so
cured, anil together with other treas
ure have been brought to Fort do
France.
As much help as possible has boon
sent to the surviving people in tho
vicinity of the city. .Steamers loaded
with half-crazed men. women nnd chil
dren from districts in the neighbor
hood of St. Pierre aro constantly nr
rivng here.
Steamers also are going back ns rap
idly as possible to the scene of tho
disaster, carrying with them provi
sions and clothing. The 150 peoplo
brought here by the cable ship Pouyer
Quortior were from the neighborhood
of tho village of I.o Pieheur. Thoy
were entirely without shelter when
found, but none of them was burned.
ICvery ship in the haibor at tho time
of the disaster, with the slnglo excep
tion of the Knglish steamer Hoddam,
wan burned witli all on board lost, ex
cepting one captain, who was saved.
In relating his escape ho says that
the only way In which he managed to
save his lite was by repeatedly diving.
Ho was an expert swimmer and wns
able to remain under water for a con
siderable length of time. Ho returned
again and again to tho surface, barely
exposing his face for a moment or two
to tho terrific heat and thus getting
enough breath for nnother long dive.
Kver since the 23d of April last tho
volcano Mont Pelee, which finally
wrought all the havoc, has been maul-
festlng disquieting symptoms. A great
'olumn of smoke kept mounting from
It, and there wero from tlmo to tlino
showers of ashes nnd cinders falling.
Finally, on the nth of Mny, there was
a terrific eruption, which hurled Into
tho air vast volumes of mud, which
completely swallowed up tho Guerln
sugar factory, which stood near tho
River Blanche.
The first that was known hero nt
Fort do Franco of tho disaster was at
8 o'clock In tho morning of tho 8th
day of May. At that hour thoro sud
denly spread over the town of Fort
do Franco a thick cloud of smoko, cln-
NEAR ST. LUCIA.
K$f i jns h.
-JU-j L - An. TJlUiVSU t7
dors and ashes, which came from the
direction of St. Pierre.
The cloud swept over the city with
terrifying swiftness, turning bright
daylight Into tho darkness of night,
with hardly a moment's warning.
From this cloud n rain of rocks
poured upon the town and throw tho
entire population Into tho wildest
panic.
Tho sea suddenly swept back In a
great wave for a distance of between
fifty and sixty feet and vessels fas
tened to tho wharves were set crash
ing ngalnst each other with great
force. Twice the great wave swept In
and out from the shore, and finally
the waters settled down to their nor
mal level.
As quickly as possible In the con
fusion the government authorities and
the mayor of the city, realizing what
need there was, began to organize
some system for carrying help to those
known to be In dire distress.
Tho French ciulser Suchet. whlcb
happened to be lying in the harbor,
became Instantly alive with activity.
It was made ready for sea as quickly
as possible and started away at full
speed up along the coast in tho direc
tion of St. Plene and the great col
umn of smoke and fire. Theie were
several boats that had arrived nt Fort
de France that same morning, and
they, too, made Instant preparations
to return.
Troops and provisions were hurried
nbonrd of them, and they started nway
In tho wake of tho Suchet. They had
not been gone over two hours when
they returned, bringing back tho tid
ings that St. Pierre was utterly do
stioyed and that tho entire seashore
from the suburb of I.o Corbet as far
as tho Village of I.o Precheur was on
fire, and that It was Impossible to laud
at any point on account of the intense
heat.
Along the shore the spectacle was
appalling. It looked as though the
whole of tho northern part of tho
Island was one mass of llame.
The cruiser Suchet got back to Fort
de Frnnce some time nfter tho other
boats which had followed In tho effort
to i each tho scene of the disaster. On
board the Suchet wero thirty sur
vivors, who were picked up in the St.
Pierre submit of I.o Corbet. All of
them weio frightfully burned and
wounded, and nine of them died on
board tho cruiser before It reached
this port.
Kvery preparation has been mado In
the hospital at Fort do Franco to tnko
en io of ns many wounded as possible.
The work of rendering aid has boon
put on an organized basis, provisions
have been requisitioned nnd the prin
cipal stores, banks, and even tho bak
eries, aro guarded by boldlcrs.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST DISASTERS
lCiirtifiiiike, FlouiU anil IluttliM Unit
llntn Main iliulr 1 liounaiulK.
This Is the third time the Island of
Martinique has sulfered disasters of
volcanic origin. In 17(17 there was a
great earthquake which cost the lives
of inoio than 1.000 persons. That was
tho greatest disaster in tlto history of
tho island pievlous to this now report
ed. There wus an earthquake In 1839
which destioyed nearly half of Port
Royal, the present capital of tho Is
land, mid killed 700 persons. Tho
damage resulting from that shock ex
tended all over the island.
History's pages aro full of disasters
which have befallen tho human race,
but no calamity of its kind in recent
years can even approxlmnto tho ter
rible loss of life which has mado nota
ble the destruction of St. Pierre on
the islam! of Martinique. Of events
which have shocked tho world by tho
enormity of the destruction which fol
lowed In their wake, none but tho bat
tle of Gettysburg can approach tho
recent disinter for loss of life. iu.
stances wheio whole towns and com
munities have been wiped out aro
comparatively few, but nil have boon
terrific In their consequences. St. Pi
erre has been no exception.
Among the calamities which aro
most notable, tho destruction of Pom
peii and Herculanouin in tho year 79
stands ns the most ancient of which
there Is n coinploto account extant
Strangoly enough, tho destruction of
these cltleB Is tho nenrest approach
In history to the disaster which befell
the Ill-fated St. Pierre, Tho work of
Vesuvius on this occasion was as slow
as It was complete. Hcrculnneura
was literally swept from tho earth by
a stream of molten lava, whllo Pom
peii was suffocated by tho cinders and
ashes. Tho eruption lasted for days
and covered tho two cities to a dopth
of from eighteen to twenty feet, and
so changed tho topography of tho
country that It was ccnturlos boforo
topographers wero ablo to locate tho
lost cities. The loss of life on this
occasion was never known, but It must
have reached far Into tho thousands.
Not until 1735 was tho world ngaln
shocked by a catastropho of similar
proportions, although thoro woro many
throughout Italy, Sicily, South Amor
lea and tho Orient where tho loss of
lifo has boon estimated at much high
er figures, which were Impossible of
verification. The great earthquake
and tidal wavo of Lisbon In 1755 was
one of tho most far-reaching and de
structive phenomena of naturo which
has coino down In history.
It was a festal day in tho city nnd
all Portugal was there. Lato In tho
nftornoon a giant wave swept ovor tho
doomed city, nnd In eight minutes,
when tho wavo had recoiled, It carried
with It 00,000 peoplo Into the soa. Tho
survivors crowded tho stono wharves
along tho water front, mauy only to
he carried away by the tremendous
swell which followed the movement of
the first gigantic mnss of water. Tho
disturbance reached tho shores of
Spain, Morocco, Mndelra, and ninny
other Islands In the nrehlpolngo, carry
lug death and destruction with It
wherever It went. The shock of the
earthquake was felt over a territory
D.000 tulles long.
About tho beginning of the seven
teenth century Central America was
visited by mi oaithquuko which killed
10,000 peoplo, scatteieil over a wide
territory Naples at the same time be
gan to feel u series of earthquake
shocks which continued Intcimlttontly
for seventy-five ycais and eventually
amassed a total of 1 1 1 .000 people1
sinin.
Not until the battle of Gettysburg
was reached, however, has such a tre
mendous list of casualties occurred In
such a limited space or time and terri
tory ns at St. Plene. In tho three
days' fighting borore. Gettysburg, In
July. 1M'.;. the I'nlon loss wns 23,190,
of whom 2.3M were kllied and 13,713
wounded. Tho Confederate loss for
tho mime engagement has never been
olllclally Mated, but was approximate
ed aii.imo. of whom fi.iitiu wero killed
and 23.oim wounded.
Hy far the worst of recent seismic
shocks. howoor. occuned in the le
gion of the Malay archipelago in 1SS3
It accompanied the explosive erup
tions of the olcnno Krakatoa. on the
Island of the same name, In the strait
of Sundu. between .lun nnd Sumntra.
The eruption, which began In Mny,
continued for nearly four months.
Nearly tho entlio Island was de
stroyed. The wonderful phenomena which ,
followed this disturbance are still well
reniembeicd. The ashes and dust weie
thrown so high ns to mark the upper
air currents and lie carried completely
around the globe, producing a peculiar
effect In tho air, like a twilight glow,
MONT I'la.Kl" IN
that continued for many months. Tho
sound of tho explosions of old Kraka
toa was heard at a dlstanco of 2,250
miles, nnd It was estimated that tho
air waves traveled four and a half
times around tho enrth. Between 30,
000 and 37,000 lives wero lost, and
160 villagos wero destroyed.
Two years later the first earthquake
In tho United States of world-wldo Im
portance occurred In Charleston. On
tho night of August 31 nn earthquake
shock was foil along tho ontlro Atlan
tic coast of tho United tSates, and
several hundred miles into tho lntorlor
especially in tho southern states. Bo
foro morning It was known that Char
leston had suffered an unusual visita
tion, and when tho final nows wns
known It wns found that forty-ono
lives had boon lost In the fulling walls
of tho city nnd proporty to tho amount
of 15,000,000 had been destroyed.
In Mnreh, 1889, tho groat storm In
tho harbor of Apia, Samoa, electrified
tho world with Its appalling loss of
life. Tho Gorman gunboats Olga, Ebor
nnd Adlnr, and tho United States men-
of-war NIpslc, Tronton and Vandalla j
went to pieces on mo reeis, anu m-
teen merchant vessels either wont to
the bottom or stranded. One hundred
and forty two men fcom the warship
In the harbor were tost,
Jnpnn has proven Itself a vorltnblo
home of earthqunkes, tho latest gigan
tic loss of life occurring In 1891, and
resulted In a loss of 4,000 lives, 5.000
injured, and 50.000 homes destroyed.
The great Johnstown flood wns tho
first of two great dlsasteis In recent
years which has come homo to tho
people of the United Stated with crush
ing force On May 21). 1SS0, by tho
bursting of the dnm of the Cotiomaugh
tlver, Johnstown mid surrounding
towns were HWept out of existence,
and a loss of life approximating 10,000
souls took place In tho twinkling of an
eye. i
The calamity which befell Galveston
on the Slh of September, 1000, ranks
with Johnstown ns the most appalling
within the memory of present genera
tions. Beginning with a storm of mod
erate proportions, the Increasing wind
rolled the waves higher and higher
upon the beach, until, after a sudden
shift of winds near nightfall, the Is
land city was completely submerged,
ami gieat waves from the sea rolled
over the town site. It was a night of
the most tenibto suffering and mis
ery, in which nearly 50,000 souls In
and near Galveston expected every
moment to die. Between 8,000 and
10.000 people lost their lives in tho
storm, mid millions of, dollars worth
of property was destroyed.
The visitation of tire from neigh
billing volcanoes has wrought a de
struction of life and property upon St,
Plerio which Is yet to bo definitely de
termined, but promises to be one of
the greatest In the world'a history.
The islands off tho China coast, nnd
tho Malay Hortas, being of volcanic
origin, hao been especially subject to
earthquakes It used to be said of tho
Philippines that shocks wore constant
theie, and It is true that tho ncodlu
TIIK DISTANCK.
in tho seismograph In tho Jesuit ob
servatory In Manila Is always writing.
But thoro hns boon no cxtromoly dis
astrous disturbances, nnd nouo seri
ous slnco 1884, whon tho tower of tho
great cathedral was thrown down and
many lives woro lost.
O'Connor' Opinion of G'enll Ilhnitat,
Summarizing his judgmout of Cecil
Rhodes in Kvorybody's Magazine T.
P. O'Connor says: "His faco was a
contradiction. Masslvo, strong, re
markable In some respects; In others
It wns weak, common, undistinguish
ed. You didn't know whether you
could call It Imperial, Hko tho faco of
Caesar, or common nnd coarse, Hko
that of tho popular prize fighter. And
such tho man wns: impurlal, lofty, a
dreamer of great dreams, nnd, at the
t-aino time, somewhat squalid, some
what common, somewhat silly; one of
those amalgams of contradictions
which naturo makes In an hour of
wanton guyety and malice, and which
create among mankind tho cross-pur-pouos,
tho commingling of good and
evil, that aro tho tragedies of human
history."
NAMFS HIS AIDES
Prosidont Eloct Pnlma Se!oct3
Members of Hie Cabinot.
t
Alt AR MM Of HIGH STANDING
lliinililrl Oltrn In 11, i, Mir of llovrrnnf
Up ivriil Wooil Ojirn AVi'i'k of IV-
lltllli'4 Willed I'ri-ri'iln ,, M.
aiiKiinil nn May yotli.
A Havana Cuba, dispatch of May 17
huvh. Kenor Tomns list radii Pa! inn
last night announced the mimes of tho
members or his cabinet, ns follows:
nlego Tntnayo (tuitlounllst), secre
tary of government, a new portfolio.
Senor Tamiiyo will have charge of
the niral guaid. sunitntlon. the ad
ministration of the postolllccH nnd slg
mil service.
Carlos Xnldo (repiibllcan-nuloiiom-Ist).
department of stnte nnd Justice,
henor aldo is a well known business
man.
Ktnello Terry (Independent), depart
ment of agriculture. Senor Terry Is a
wealthy sugar planter of high clnr
ucter. Manuel Luciano Diaz (nationalist),
lepaitnionl of public works, Senor
I laz, w ho had barge of the works at
Matmii-as during the American occupa
tion. Is nn engineer of ability.
Fdiiardo Yero (nationalist), depart
ment of Instruction. Senor Yero was
superintendent or schools during tho
American occupation.
Garcia Montco (republican), a Inw
yer or standing, department or finance.
Senor Pnlma's selections niav leavo
some bitterness, but the general com
ment Is that the cabinet Is a good one
and composed or nble men or experi
ence nnd standing.
1-nst night festivities which will
continue Tor a week, began with a
banquet In honor or Governor General
Wood mid the other American officers,
given by the vetenins of the wars for
Cuban Independence. (Jon. Mnxlmo
Gome, presided. At his right sat Gov
ernor General Wood mid nt his left
Senor Palinii. Next to the president
elect sut William J. Bryan, Gonzalew
de QucBuda. former Cuban commis
sioner to Washington, m ted ns toast
master. The speeches were full of
graceful compliments nnd rellcltntlons
that the hour of Cuban triumph had
come. President-elect Pnlinn, General
Gomez mid the revolutionary generals
created immense enthusiasm as they
spokn eloquently of tho realization of
Cuba's nsplratlons.
William J. B.yan received a great
demonstration. This subject of his
speech wns "Patriotism," and in con
clusion he said ho would rather see
the stars and stripes live in the hearts
of the Cubans thnn float over their
country.
The climax was reached when Gen
eral Wood was Introduced. A won
derrul scene followed. The wholo as
semblage rose and cheered him. Tho
Indies in the boxes waved their hand
kerchiefs mid everybody remained
standing until ho bad concluded his
speech General Wood congratulated
the Cuban people upon tnelr triumph.
He thanked them for their co-operation
and wished them success In tho
name or the United States government
and the American people.
Replying to General Wood. Genoral
Gomez said the one aspiration or tho
Cubans wns to emulato the Amerlcau
republic.
KAISER OFFERS STATUTE
Would
rr.'.ont I'ii It. Ml Hlnt-n Ono
I'rc'ilrrlrk tli (Irrnt.
it
Tho knlser hns offered to President
Roosevelt a statue in bronze of Fred
erick the Great to bo taken ns a de
velopment of Ccrmuii-Ameiican re
gard. In his mesago to tho president
the kaiser acknowledged tho deep Im
pression created by the splendid recep
tion of bis brother, Prince Henry, by
the citizens or the United Stateb nnd
noUs thut In the speeches mado the
reference was quite frequent of th
friendly nttltude of Frederick to thu
young republic. Thnt example, he says,
lie Intends to follow. Commemorating
Henry's visit, he requests the presi
dent to nccept the gilt of a statue of
the great king to be erected iu Wash
ington, "u lasting sign of the Intimate,
relations successfully fosteicd mid de
veloped between the two great na
tions." Roosevelt In reply thnnks the kaiser
lunrtlly and stutes that ho will lay
the offer before congicss. "The Amer
ican people would be greatly pleased,"
he says, to receive the statue of one
of the greatest men or all times a gift
that will assuredly be looked upon as
a new sign of friendship existing be
tween the two nations. It Is n token
for the whole human race thut, at the
beginning of this century, tho Amer
ican and German people work together
In a spirit of hearty friendship," con
cludes tho president.
The house Frldny passed tho bill au
thorizing the president to turn over to
the government of Porto Rico all pub
lic lands held by tho United States
that aro not necessary for national
uses. The bill passed to refund all
taxes levied by the war revenue act
ngnlnst clmrltnblo und religious Insti
tutions. The Biipremo court has decided that
tho fee and salary law of 1897 does not
dfprlvo probate judges and prosecut
ing attorneys of their fees. Tho only
remedy for thofeo evil Is n law re
quiring that all fees snail bo paid la
Confederate money.
Justice Andrew C. nrndloy of the
supreme court of the District of Co
lumbia, died Thursduy night from an
abscess of tho brain.
Tho Nebraska schoolmasters' club
held Its last meeting for tho school
year Friday of lust week )a Lincoln. ,
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