St. Pierre was a vast charnel-house. Skirting for nearly a league the blue waters of the Caribbean, its smoking ruins became the funeral pyre of 30,000, not one of whom lived long enough to tell adequately a story that will stand grim, awful, unforgotten as that of Herculaneum, when the world is older by a thousand years.
St. Pierre was as dead as Pompeii. Most of her people lay fathoms deep in a tomb made in the twinkling of an eye by the collapse of their homes, and sealed forever under tons of boiling mud, avalanches of scoria and a hurricane of volcanic dust.
Over the entombed city the volcano from a dozen vents yet poured its steaming vapors in long, curling wreaths, that mounted thousands of feet aloft, like smoking incense from a gigantic censer above the bier of some mighty dead.
Such was the disaster which burst upon the hapless people of the island of Martinique, while almost at the same moment a sister isle, St. Vincent, was suffering a kindred fate. Similar in natural conditions, these two little colonies of the West Indies, one French and one English by affiliation, underwent the shock of nature’s assault and sank in grief before a horror-stricken world.
Transcriber's NoteThere are some inconsistencies in the chapter subheadings between the Table of Contents and chapters themselves; these have been left as printed.There is some variation in factual information—for example, the amount held in the Mint. These occurrences have all been preserved as printed.There is some variable spelling; this has been repaired where there was an obvious prevalence of one form over the other, but is otherwise left as printed. There is a reference on page 112 to "gambling hells", which seems to be a genuine term, although it could be a typo for "gambling halls". Since there is no way to be certain, it has been preserved as printed. Archaic spelling has been preserved as printed.Typographic errors in punctuation and spelling (omitted or transposed letters, etc.) have been repaired. Hyphenation has been made consistent where there was a prevalence of one form over the other.The following errors have also been repaired:Page18—John amended to James—"Former Mayor James D. Phelan"Page47—aids amended to aides—"It was not without a struggle that Mayor Schmitz and his aides let this, ..."Page93—omitted word 'he' added, for sense—"Kanaka Pete chased the man he had marked ..."Page160—omitted 0 added to tabular entry for Connecticut.Page317—damage to the bottom of the page has left one word partially obscured. From the visible letters and available space, the word is most likely 'gradually', which has been used in this e-text.Page372—Callas amended to Callao—"... producing a new bay at Callao; and in several mountains ..."Page373—XXXII amended to XXXI—"CHAPTER XXXI."Page382—XXXI amended to XXXII—"CHAPTER XXXII."Page401—omitted word 'if' added following 'as'—"It was as if St. Pierre had been just dipped ..."The frontispiece illustrations have been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of a paragraph.Omitted page numbers were blanks in the original.
Transcriber's Note
There are some inconsistencies in the chapter subheadings between the Table of Contents and chapters themselves; these have been left as printed.
There is some variation in factual information—for example, the amount held in the Mint. These occurrences have all been preserved as printed.
There is some variable spelling; this has been repaired where there was an obvious prevalence of one form over the other, but is otherwise left as printed. There is a reference on page 112 to "gambling hells", which seems to be a genuine term, although it could be a typo for "gambling halls". Since there is no way to be certain, it has been preserved as printed. Archaic spelling has been preserved as printed.
Typographic errors in punctuation and spelling (omitted or transposed letters, etc.) have been repaired. Hyphenation has been made consistent where there was a prevalence of one form over the other.
The following errors have also been repaired:
Page18—John amended to James—"Former Mayor James D. Phelan"Page47—aids amended to aides—"It was not without a struggle that Mayor Schmitz and his aides let this, ..."Page93—omitted word 'he' added, for sense—"Kanaka Pete chased the man he had marked ..."Page160—omitted 0 added to tabular entry for Connecticut.Page317—damage to the bottom of the page has left one word partially obscured. From the visible letters and available space, the word is most likely 'gradually', which has been used in this e-text.Page372—Callas amended to Callao—"... producing a new bay at Callao; and in several mountains ..."Page373—XXXII amended to XXXI—"CHAPTER XXXI."Page382—XXXI amended to XXXII—"CHAPTER XXXII."Page401—omitted word 'if' added following 'as'—"It was as if St. Pierre had been just dipped ..."
Page18—John amended to James—"Former Mayor James D. Phelan"
Page47—aids amended to aides—"It was not without a struggle that Mayor Schmitz and his aides let this, ..."
Page93—omitted word 'he' added, for sense—"Kanaka Pete chased the man he had marked ..."
Page160—omitted 0 added to tabular entry for Connecticut.
Page317—damage to the bottom of the page has left one word partially obscured. From the visible letters and available space, the word is most likely 'gradually', which has been used in this e-text.
Page372—Callas amended to Callao—"... producing a new bay at Callao; and in several mountains ..."
Page373—XXXII amended to XXXI—"CHAPTER XXXI."
Page382—XXXI amended to XXXII—"CHAPTER XXXII."
Page401—omitted word 'if' added following 'as'—"It was as if St. Pierre had been just dipped ..."
The frontispiece illustrations have been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of a paragraph.
Omitted page numbers were blanks in the original.