SOUFEIERE, AND ON A VISIT TO MONTAGNE PELEE, IN 1902. 
391 
Mrs. Ballantyne, asking me to send home her daughter, who was then at school. I hesitated for a few 
minutes, and, when in consideration of what should be done, another stroke of lightning followed by 
heavy thunder was seen. I then complied with the request, and, feeling apprehensive of danger, I at 
once went to the manager of the school, Mr. H. B. Isaacs, and suggested that the school should he 
dismissed, and the children sent home till matters cleared up. After a few minutes’ consideration, the 
suggestion was granted, and I hurried back, and, in a few words, dismissed the school. 
“ It was now about 11 A.M., and the rumbling noise still continued. About 11.15 drops of water 
containing sulphurous matter fell, and that was the first direct sign which told me of the disturbance of 
the Soufriere. The water continued falling only in drops here and there. At this stage, very minute 
particles of dust or ashes fell, but were only observable on white material. My boots at this time were 
besmeared with the sulphimous matter mentioned, as I kept walking from one place to another. At about 
12 noon I was standing under the galvanised roof of the Grey’s store when small pebbles, about a pea 
grain size, commenced to fall. This falling of pebbles continued for about an hour, during which time 
several others along with myself gathered pebbles of the same. 
“ It was about 1.30 P.M. when smoke was distinctly seen issuing from the crater, and volume after 
volume rose, only to ascend higher than the former ; the clouds of smoke got blacker and thicker, and 
each mass seemed to travel faster than the first. 
“ At about 2 P.M., pebbles of a larger size commenced falling, and it was becoming injudicious to move 
about.” 
One of the most remarkable features of this eruption is the suddenness with which 
it broke out. At Chateaubelair steam was seen ascending from the crater on Tuesday 
forenoon, and the inhabitants had at least 24 hours’ notice before the volcanic 
activity assumed a dangerous phase about noon of Wednesday. But everywhere else 
around the mountain there was no certainty till about 11 o’clock on Wednesday 
morning—or only 3 hours before the climax was reached, and the great black cloud 
swept from the crater to the sea, burning and suffocating those in its path. Had the 
leeward side of the hill not been clear of mist, so that a view of the crater was 
obtained by those dwelling there, the loss of life would certainly have been much 
greater than it was, for the noises would have been mistaken for thunder, as they 
were at Georgetown. 
That even at Lot 14, 3 miles from the crater, the reality of the eruption was 
doubtful till near mid-day, jDroves that the outbursts seen from Chateaubelair up to 
that time were comparatively unimportant, and consisted only of steam and hot 
water, with a little fine ash and a few showers of stones. They constitute tlie 
preliminary stage of the eruption. Thereafter the activity rapidly increased in 
violence. About mid-day the crater lake was discharged, and this showed that the 
upwai'd pressure of the lava was overcoming the resistance, and forcing a path to the 
surface. The throat of the crater was being cleared. Vastly greater steam clouds 
now shot up into the air, and the noises of explosions, hitherto comparatively few, 
became numerous and loud, while showers of hot stones with trails of sparks began to 
fall upon the slopes of the cone. Between 12 o’clock and I o’clock p.m. the hill was 
still quite green up to near the summit. No serious damage had yet been done to 
the vegetation, and at Wallibu and Lot 14 only a thin film of fine grey ash had as yet 
fallen, just sufficient to give the vegetation a dusty appearance. At Wallibu, before 
