as doomed I knew, but I was prevented from seeing the
destruction by a spur of the hill that shut off the view of the city. It
is impossible for me to tell how long I stood there inert. Probably it
was only a few seconds, but so vivid were my impressions that it
now seems as though I stood as a spectator for many minutes. When I
recovered possession of my senses I ran to my house and collected the
members of the family, all of whom were panic stricken. I hurried them
to the seashore, where we boarded a small steamship, in which we made
the trip in safety to Fort de France.

"I know that there was no flame in the first wave that was sent down
upon St. Pierre. It was a heavy gas, like firedamp, and it must have
asphyxiated the inhabitants before they were touched by the fire, which
quickly followed. As we drew out to sea in the small steamship, Mont
Pelee was in the throes of a terrible convulsion. New craters seemed to
be opening all about the summit and lava was flowing in broad streams
in every direction. My estate was ruined while we were still in sight
of it. Many women who lived in St. Pierre escaped only to know that they
were left widowed and childless. This is because many of the wealthier
men sent their wives away, while they remained in St. Pierre to attend
to their business affairs."

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE "HORACE"

The British steamer Horace experienced the effect of the explosion when
farther from land. After touching at Barbados, she reached the vicinity
of Martinique on May 9th, her decks being covered with several inches
of dust when she was a hundred and twenty-five miles distant. We quote
engineer Anderson's story:

"On the afternoon of May 8 (Thursday) we noticed a peculiar haze in
the direction of Martinique. The air seemed heavy and oppressive. The
weather conditions were not at all unlike those which precede the great
West Indian hurricanes, but, knowing it was not the season of the year
for them, we all remarked in the engine room that there must be a heavy
storm approaching.

"Several of the sailors, experienced deep water seamen, laughed at our
prognostications, and informed us there would be no storm within
the next sixty hours, and insisted that, according to all fo'cas'le
indications, a dead calm was in sight.

"So unusually peculiar were the weather conditions that we talked
of nothing else during the evening. That night, in the direction of
Martinique, there was a very black sky, a