Devastation on Martinique and St. Vincent
The latest reports from the stricken islands of Martinique and St. Vincent show that the extent of the terrible calamity which overtook the inhabitants of those islands was not overdrawn in the earlier reports. The number of dead on the island of Martinique still stands at 30,000 according to the latest estimate. The latest reports from St. Vincent state that 1,600 dead have been found and buried, and it is probable that the earlier estimate of 2,000 dead is none too high. The Martinique volcano continues its activity, and a new volcano has broken out on the north side of the mountain. At times Mount Pelee has threatened to duplicate the tragedy of May 8. On May 17 searchers and burial parties were compelled to flee from the island and embark on vessels in the vicinity. These searchers report that the volcano is in a most vicious mood, and that hot mud and ashes were again raining down upon the site of the stricken city. All the northern portion of this island is covered with volcanic mud and ashes from a depth of a few inches to two or more feet. Six thousand refugees are now at Fort de France, and 3,000 are at Kingston. Even Fort de France, fifteen miles from St. Pierre, is not considered out of danger. Careful inspection shows that a rushing cloud of heavy gas came down upon the city, and suffocated the greater part of the inhabitants. This was immediately followed by a cloud of fire, and a rain of fiery matter which consumed many of the bodies of those stricken down by the deadly gas. The work of relief on both islands is being carried on in a systematic manner, and it seems quite likely that not all the money appropriated for these sufferers will be used or needed. The volcano on St. Vincent, after several days of activity, has quieted down; but the area devastated by its eruption is greater than that on Martinique. It was not so thickly populated, however, in the vicinity of the volcano, and therefore fewer lives were lost. Many of the natives have lost houses and lands and everything they possessed, and the government has a difficult question to solve in the way of providing for them. Prof. K. Bierkland, of Norway, has invented an electro-magnetic cannon, and given a demonstration of its power before military officers. The results of this demonstration were so convincing that a firm of artillery manufacturers has offered to buy the invention for immediate exploitation. By electricity the projectile is forced from the gun at a tremendous speed. Theoretically the cannon will throw a projectile weighing two tons a distance of ninety miles. How far it will actually throw such a projectile, however, remains to be seen. Some of the technical observers state that it means a greater revolution in fighting material than that brought about by the use of gunpowder. On May 15 the delegates of the anthracite mine-workers in convention at Hazleton, Pa., decided to continue the strike of 145,000 men for increased wages. The coal companies refuse to yield to the demand, are bringing up their mules from the mines and turning them out to pasture, and making other preparations for a long struggle. Company stores are refusing to trust the miners for supplies. Cash must be paid or no supplies of any kind can be obtained. Altogether, it looks as if there were hard times ahead for the workmen of that region. As a result of this strike, the price of anthracite in New York has already been raised $1.00 on the ton. On May 18 earthquakes were reported from the south of Portugal, believed to have some connection with the recent upheavals in the West Indies. Volcanic activities are reported from many parts of the earth, since this outbreak occurred. Seven days after the eruption on Martinique, the famous hot springs at Teplitz-Schoenau, Austria, suddenly began to send forth water of a deep red color. It was found that the water was filled with ochre, and the reservoirs had to be emptied and thoroughly cleansed. A similar phenomenon was observed a few hours after the great earthquake which destroyed a portion of Lisbon, in 1755. Advices from Ecuador state that General Alfaro, a former president, is planning a revolutionary move against the present government of that republic. On May 17, Alfonso XIII. took the oath as king of Spain, having passed his sixteenth birthday. The crowning of the young king was attended with much display and ceremony, but the reports indicate that there was little enthusiasm on the part of the people. An insane man who attempted to present a letter to the young king created much excitement, as it was thought he had attempted the assassination of the king. A number of anarchists were arrested who are believed to have been plotting the king’s death. The government is making preparations for the resurvey of the floor of the Caribbean Sea and adjacent waters. Reports from the islands indicate that there have been great changes in the bed of the sea there, due to the recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in that vicinity. In some places the depth of the water has increased from 400 fathoms to 1200 fathoms, and it is presumed that there have been corresponding rises in the sea-floor in other places, which will be a menace to navigation. A disastrous cyclone swept over a portion of Texas on May 18, and visited portions of three other States, finishing its course in Kentucky. The greatest havoc was wrought in Texas, and the little town of Goliad suffered most severely. In that town 98 deaths are reported and more than a hundred were seriously injured. Three churches were in the path of the storm and were utterly demolished, with fully a hundred other buildings. The largest photograph supply houses in the United States have entered into a combination under the direction of the Eastman Kodak Company. This trust will control the entire output of dry plates in the United States, and will have absolute control of both prices and agents. The amount of capital represented by this combination is stated to be between $35,000,000 and $40,000,000. Advices received from the Baltic provinces of Russia state that drought and frosts have practically destroyed the crops, and great crowds of starving peasants are flocking to Moscow from the central provinces in search of means of subsistence. The peasants are reported to be feeding their stock rotten straw from the thatched roofs of their dwellings. The Chinese Government on May 13 announced that after two days’ fighting, the rebels in the southern part of the province of Chi-li have been completely defeated and their leaders captured. It is stated that 200 of the rebels were killed. The end of the engagement savored of a massacre, all the wounded being killed. Eight men were killed and a number injured in a conflict between officers and negroes at Atlanta, Ga., on May 17. The negroes had barricaded themselves in a building and refused to surrender. When the officers closed in on the building, the battle began. Four of the men who lost their lives were white and four colored. The prison commissioners of Scotland, in their report for the year 1901, again call attention to the serious increase in crime in Scotland. The increase has been steady since 1845. In the year 1900 there were imprisoned 60,503, and in 1901, 66,769. There is an increase in both minor offenses and more serious crimes. The Congress of Salvador is energetically protesting against the large award granted to the American company against the Salvadoran Government for taking away certain concessions which it had granted that company. It is probable that the government will refuse to pay the award. The new Sheridan yard of the Panhandle Railroad was the scene of a terrible explosion on May 12. Five cars of naphtha which were being run onto a switch in the yards exploded, killing 22 persons and more or less seriously burning or otherwise injuring 300 others. Advices from Portugal state that grave fears are entertained there of an active revolution. Considerable apprehension is felt as to the attitude of the Portuguese troops. One regiment has been disarmed and disbanded for fear they would join the rioters. On May 12 Congress voted $200,000 toward the relief of the survivors of the stricken islands of Martinique and St. Vincent. The President approved the bill, tho he had recommended that $500,000 be appropriated for that purpose. Prof. Willis L. Moore, of the Washington Weather Bureau Office, has invented a device which he claims will keep any room cool in the hottest days of summer. The apparatus is said to be simple and comparatively inexpensive. The President has given instructions to the attorney-general to investigate the operations of the anthracite coal trust and break up the combination in case it is found to be violating the interstate commerce law. The new naval appropriation bill which was taken up by Congress on May 13 carries an appropriation of $77,650,000. This is for the maintenance of the existing navy and the construction of six new vessels. The government of Hayti has been overturned, and a provisional government installed in its place, a former president having been chosen chief magistrate. Scientific parties from different parts of the world have gone or are going to the West Indies to study the results of the volcanic disturbances there.