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flames shot through the
air,
bursting
like holiday fireworks. The people
marveled at the spectacle, whooping
and cheering.
Thoughts of fear or fleeing were
allayed. Things really didn't seem so
bad. "How could something so ma–
jestic be a deadly threat?" people
mused.
Meanwhile, a jagged fissure
opened in the side of the volcano,
violently releasing steam and boil–
ing mud which killed the cattle,
horses, and people near the fissure .
White-hot steam and mud seared
living fiesh, causing agomzmg
deaths. At one estate near the
mountain, the earth split, and
twenty men and women fell into a
yawning crevasse.
The fireworks continued. A huge
cloud of ash rose from Mount Pelée
and overshadowed the whole city,
covering the sky like sorne vast, dark
curtain. A loud, hollow bellow is–
sued from the volcano. People,
though fearful, put their faith in the
official reassurances,
remained
calm, and stayed in the ci ty.
And then, havoc.
Monday, May 5, bordes of ants
and centipedes swarmed down the
mountain into the villages and es–
tates, biting and stinging the people
and animals. Meanwhile, the situ–
ation in St. Pierre worsened. Poi–
sonous snakes invaded the mulatto
qua rter and attacked everyone
within reach. In thirty minutes,
thirty people were dead, many of
them children. Dead, too, were
horses, dogs, and other animals.
The same day, a giant waJI of
mud rose almost
lOO
feet into the
air and ponderously moved down
the mountain slope, gaining speed
as it headed toward the sea. A sugar
refinery lay in its path. The massive
120-foot-high wall ofmud, weighing
millions of tons, smashed into the
sugar refinery. Over a hundred fifty
workers were buried.
The mud hurtled past the refinery
into the sea, driving the sea far off–
shore. The water, in response,
reared higher and higher. Suddenly,
10
a giant wave was thrown against the
shore. A wall of water raced toward
St. Pierre.
Seeing the tidal wave coming,
panic-stricken onlookers fied the
seashore, trampling women and
children in the haste to save their
own lives. The surging wave crashed
down upon the waterfront, lifting
boats over the first row of buildings.
lt
rushed up the st reets, tearing
warehouses and other buildings
from their foundations.
Meanwhile, Mount Pelée contin–
ued spewing out tlame and fire.
The Glowing Cauldron
Tuesday, May 6: As dawn ar–
rived, cinders rained down on St.
Pierre and its
in
ha bitants, igniting
small fires throughout the city.
A few hundred feet below the
summit of Pelée, a pink glow ap–
peared in the rocks. The glowing
rocks shot into the sky, arced up–
ward, and fell to the foot of the
mountain. A jet of dust, steam, and
red-hot lava shot out of a massive
bote in the side of Mount Pelée.
Enormous pressures built up inside
the molten cau ldron. Ligbtning
bolts fiashed. On the heels of the
lightning, a dreadful noise, unlike
anything the people of St. Pierre
had ever heard, erupted from the
turbulent mountain. lncredibly, tbe
people of St. Pierre still refused to
leave!
And then Wednesday, May 7, ar–
rived.
It
was "Ascension Day" anda
public celebration and an official
banquet were planned in honor of
the govemor and his wife. Mean–
while, fire roared down the northem
slope of Pelée. A weakness in the
surface rock allowed lava to rise up
through the ground and pour down
the slope.
Pelée began its final death ca–
dence. A mighty explosion rent the
air and fiery flames shot out of the
crater. Thunderous roars like the
sound of booming cannons caused
people for miles around to put their
hands over their ears.
Another tremendous explosion
ejected tons of hot lava from the
summit of Pelée. Houses on the
edge ofSt. Pierre caught fue. Never–
theless, people still went about their
business, though somewhat uneasy.
In the harbor, ships placidly re–
mained at anchor. Celebrations for
Ascension Day were cancelled at the
last minute, despite the objections of
the mayor. People were confused.
Even so, there appeared to be an
overwhelming sense of ennui about
Pelée's activity.
Eerie Quietude
Thursday, May 8, dawned much
like any other recent day. Smoke
swirled around the crater of Pelée.
Occasionally, huge boulders were
blasted into the sky.
And then, strangely, Pelée fell si–
lent. An eerie calm hung in the air.
The deep-throated rumblings were
stil led. The sun carne out, bathing
St. Pierre with a peaceful warmth.
Then suddenly, the barometer
needle began swinging crazily. Pelée
developed a rapidly expanding red
bulge high on its side. The light of
the sun seemed equalled by the
glowing red ball. A terrifying noise
created panic among St. Pierre's
in–
habitants.
The great red ball grew larger, de–
tached itself from the mountain,
and started rolling down its slope,
gaining speed. A monstrous ball of
fire, 1,300 feet high, descended upon
St. Pierre and set the city ablaze, ut–
terly devastating it. Even ships in
the harbor were engulfed in the
cataclysm. A number of them dis–
appeared.
A second ball of tire burst out of
the hole in Pelée's side. Glowing
and swirling, it rolled downward
and merged with the first fireball.
St. Pierre was gone. Only devas–
tation remained. The time was 8:02
a.m. Thirty thousand people had
perished.
The Problem With People
Why did the people of St. Pierre
fail to take warning a fter they had
witnessed severa! days of fright-
PLAIN TRUTH Moy 1973