Show DIE IN RAIN OF FIRE forty thousand people perish during volcanic eruption in west indies the city of st alerre island of martl Is destroyed Dei troyed and of the entire population of th city but thirty ecale from the island of martinique in the west indies conies a story of on of the most horrible catastrophes thai could be imagined while the citizen of st pierre were pursuing their daily occupations suddenly the volcano ol 01 mount belee pelee exploded and fire from i swept the whole town destroying practically all of the inhabitants ol 01 the city and vicinity about 1 ol 01 the population was composed of whit people all of whom it s reported death the governor of the colony and hit etael and wife were in st pierre and probably perished the inhabitants of the bouthern ou thern district of the island who were dependent on st pierre for provisions an menaced by famine the eruption began saturday may 3rd when st pierre was covered with ashes and appeared to be enveloped in fog the flow of the lava continued until wednesday may ath it is now believed that over 40 people native and white met death in the terrible catastrophe A dispatch received in washington from ban juan porto rico says the cable officials there have received dis patches from the island of dominica that a schooner which has arrived there from the island of martinique reports that over forty thousand people are supposed to have perished dur ing the volcanic d st in mar unique the cable repair ship grap pie belonging to the west india and panama telegraph company of lon don was lost with all hands during the eruption of mount belee pelee at st pierre martinique the grappler was one of the first sh ps to disappear the following cablegram has just been received at the state department the united states consul at point A pitre at 7 on the ath inet a storm of steam mud and fire enveloped th city of pierre and vicinity not than twenty persons escaped with theli lives eighteen vessels were burneil and sunk with all on board including four american vessels and a nei from quebec named efraime th united states consul and family art reported among the victims A wai vessel has come to guadaloupe for provisions and will leave at 5 tomorrow the state department has been re ceiling dispatches from cona mercia houses in bew york asking that wai ships be sent at once to martinique to afford relief the matter is under con Bide ration the consul at martinique ie thomas prentiss he was born in michigan and wa appointed from massachi Mass achu as consul at islands in 1871 and late served as consul at port louis Maun tita bouen france and batavia he was appointed consul at martinique in 1900 the vice consul t martinique is ames cesart who was born and appointed from louisi ina in 1898 the latest available figures show the total population of the island of martinique at of whom 25 lived at st pierre and cc to mr ayme have nearly all perished the commander of the french cruiser ass telegraphed to the minister of marine M de lanes under date of thursday may ath at 10 p m as follows have returned from st pierre which has been completely destroyed by an immense mass of fire which fell on the town at about 8 in the morning the entire population about souls is supposed to have perished I 1 have brought back the few survivors labout thirty all the ng in the harbor has been destroyed by fire the eruption contin |