On the Eruptions of the Soufriere and Mont PeUe. 427 



12 o'clock and 1 o'clock on the "Wednesday afternoon, and poured 

 down the valleys to the sea. So far as we know there were no mud 

 lavas, in the ordinary sense, flowing down these valleys, but only a 

 tremendous rush of boiling water, which left no traces which we could 

 recognise when we visited the district. 



By 1 o'clock the roaring of the volcano was tremendous. Showers 

 of stones were being projected both to windward and to leeward. The 

 enormous columns of steam continued to ascend from the crater. 

 The lightnings were terrific, and after the large outbursts, which took 

 place every few minutes, volumes of vapour might be seen covering the 

 whole area. Hitherto the eruption had been of a type with which 

 geologists are familiar, and the destruction done was confined to the 

 higher parts of the mountain in the close vicinity of the crater. 



But about 2 o'clock — to quote the words of an eye-witness (Mr. T. 

 M. McDonald, of Eichmond Vale Estate) — "there was a rumbling and 

 a large black outburst with showers of stones, all to windward, and 

 enormously increased activity over the whole area. A terrific huge 

 reddish and purplish curtain advanced to and over Eichmond Estate." 

 This was the strange black cloud which, laden with hot dust, swept 

 with terrific velocity down the mountain-side burying the country in 

 hot sand, suffocating and burning all living creatures in its path, and 

 devouring the rich vegetation of the hill with one burning blast. 



On the leeward coast few were overtaken by the black cloud, as the 

 inhabitants had fled and taken refuge in the villages south of Chateau- 

 belair. Those who were caught were killed or badly burned. One 

 boat was near Eichmond at the time the blast swept down. They 

 describe the heat as fearful. Hot sand rained into the boat, and the 

 sea around was hissing with its heat. The darkness was so complete 

 that a man could not see his hand. They saved their lives by diving 

 into the water; when they returned to the surface the air was suffocating," 

 but they continued to dive again and again, and, when at their 

 last gasp, they found that the air cleared, and they could breathe 

 again. This occupied onl} r a few minutes — probably much less in 

 reality than it appeared to them. One man was too exhausted to con- 

 tinue diving ; he clung to the gunwale of the boat, and the tops of his 

 ears were severely scorched. 



It may be worth while to quote the descriptions of a few spectators 

 who saw this cloud from a safe distance. Dr. Christian Branch, of 

 Kingstown, writes : " We saw a solid black wall of smoke falling into 

 the sea about 2 or 3 miles from us. It looked like a promontory of 

 solid land, but it rolled and tumbled and spread itself out until in 

 a little time it extended quite 8 miles over the sea to the west 

 . . . . Then began the most gorgeous display of lightning one 

 could conceive .... It was still bright daylight, but the whole 

 atmosphere quivered and thundered with wavy lines intersecting one 



