On the Eruptions of the Soufriere and Mont PeUe. 425 



and further investigation reveals the presence of more or less well- 

 marked beaches or terraces — a system of old sea beaches or rock 

 platforms partly obliterated by subaerial erosion, and in some places 

 covered with debris. On both sides the submarine slopes are steep, 

 but most so on the leeward coast ; as on the east or windward side 

 there is a considerable expanse of shallow water in which a submerged 

 terrace at a depth of 150 feet can be traced by means of soundings, as 

 indicated on the charts. There are no raised coral beaches here as in 

 some of the other islands, and the latest movements of the land have 

 probably been in a downward direction. 



The Soufriere mountain forms the northern extremity of the island, 

 and its general form at once suggests a comparison with Vesuvius. It 

 is a simple cone without lateral or parasitic craters. The one at its 

 summit is surrounded on the north side by the remains of a gigantic 

 crater ring, which has the same relation to the present crater as Somma 

 has to Vesuvius. On the north-east lip of the main crater there is a 

 smaller one known as the New Crater, as it is believed to have origi- 

 nated in the eruption of 1812. It is only one-third of a mile in 

 diameter. It is doubtful whether the New Crater was active during 

 the late eruption, and there can be no doubt that it was from 

 the principal or "Old Crater," that the materials mostly were 

 emitted. Deep valleys, often with precipitous sides, have been cut in 

 the slopes of the mountain, especially on its southern side, and it is 

 in these — and particularly in the Wallibu, Eozeau, and Rabaca Dry 

 River — that the greater part of the ejecta of the recent eruption have 

 collected. 



The eruption of May, 1902, though sudden in its outburst and 

 disastrous in its effects, was far from unexpected. In the north of St. 

 Vincent there were two settlements of the aboriginal Caribs, and these 

 had been so startled by the frequent violent earthquakes, that in 

 February of last year they were considering the advisability of desert- 

 ing the district. But the first signs of actual volcanic activity were on 

 Tuesday, May 6. The inhabitants of the leeward side were fortunate 

 in having a clear view of the crater, and warned by the outbursts of 

 steam they fled to Chateaubelair, and other places along the coast-line 

 to the south, so that few lives were lost in this quarter. But, on the 

 windward side, the summit of the mountain, as is frequently the case, 

 was wrapped in cloud. Here, at the base of the mountain, there is an 

 extensive stretch of flat land, known as the Carib country, on which 

 were situated some of the largest and richest estates in the island, with 

 a dense population mostly black or coloured. So little alarm was felt 

 here, that even on the morning of Wednesday, May 7, when the lee- 

 ward side was practically deserted, sugar-making was in progress on 

 several estates, and all the operations of tropical agriculture were 

 being conducted as usual. From Kingstown, telephonic messages 



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