250 The National Geographic Magazine 



Photo by Israel C. Russell 



Statue of Our Lady of the Watch, Morne d' Orange, South End of City 

 This statue, weighing several tons, was hurled 50 feet by the terrific blast (see page 273) 



Preliminary Air Movement. — Mr 

 Ferdinand Clerc, the chief planter of 

 the island, whose miraculous escape 

 from the city at 7 o'clock on the morn- 

 ing of the 8th has been recorded, in- 

 formed me that the needle of a large 

 aneroid barometer hanging in his house 

 fluctuated violently, and this fact deter- 

 mined him to leave the city. These 

 fluctuations were undoubtedly disturb- 

 ances in the air from explosions within 

 the open crater. 



Detonations. — Professor Arnoux, as- 

 tronomer of the St Pierre observatory, 

 at the time of the catastrophe was on 

 the overlooking plateau of Mont Par- 

 naise. He had distinctly heard detona- 

 tions when the eruption took place. 



Jean Marie Evans, a foreman of the 

 Raibaud estate, two miles southeast 

 from St Pierre, in a deep valley, also 

 told me that there were frightful deto- 

 nations in the mountain just preceding 

 the eruption. 



