404 
DRS. T. ANDERSON AND J. S. ELETT ON THE ERUPTIONS OF THE 
was strong or persistent is quite unlikely. Some refugees who fled in boats from 
Chateaubelair landed near Ifosebank and fled precipitately along the road, leaving 
their boats unfastened in any way. So calm was the afternoon and the ensuing night 
that these boats were found next morning floating within a few yards of the place 
where they were deserted. Hence it is clear that the indrauo-ht cannot have been 
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vigoi ous. That any ordinary current of wind coidd have checked or altered the course 
of the great black cloud may be I'cgarded as in thehigliest degree impi'obable. When 
it swept past Jlichmond to the north of Chateaubelair it was travelling with the 
velocitv of a strono- lueeze or ii'ale, and was so laden with dust that its weiHit must 
have been enormous. We may regard it rattier as similar to the inrush which takes 
place when an express train passes at high speed through a railway station—a conse¬ 
quence of the movement of a large mass with a considerable velocity through the air. 
It may have drawn clear fresh cool air up to the edges of the black cloud, and in this 
way have mitigated the heat or prevented the lateral diffusion of the foul gases it 
contained. Possilfly it may even have saved the lives of some. But it was a conse¬ 
quence of the great down-rush of dust and gases, and not in any real sense an 
opposing and countervailing agency. When at a later period we witnessed an erup¬ 
tion of Montague Pelee the black cloud passed close to us, but although we watched 
for it carefully, neither of us observed any vigorous oj^posing indraught of air. 
It would seem that immediately around the volcano darkness was absolute while the 
great dark cloud jjassed overhead, but that, at least iii the district to the south of 
Chateaubelair and of Georgetown, though it was so dai'k that lamps had to be lighted 
in the houses, yet the fugitives could find their way along the roads without much 
difficulty. l4r. Christ [AN Branch states that when his boat entered Kingstown 
about 6 o’clock that evening, the light was still sufficiently good to enable the boatmen 
to make out clearly the headlands they passed as they rowed southwards along the 
coast. He says that the darkness was never absolute outside the great black cloud 
which rolled out of the volcano. Dr. Dunbar Hughes, Captain Carder, and Mr. T. 
M. McDonald seem to liave been able to travel along the narrow, steep, winding, and 
in some places dangerous I'oad to M^alli])u without any verv great inconvenience on 
account of the darkness. They \cere able to recognise the jieople whom they passed, 
and even to see the features of tlie land some short distance awav. In Georo-etown 
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between 2 and 3 o’clock in the afternoon it was very dark, but still people Avere able 
to go fi'om one house to anotlier. The danger Avas I'ather fi'om the bombs and large 
pieces of stone Avhich AA-ere falling at intervals. During tlie AA'liole night it aatis 
possible to |)ass througli the village Avith a lanteiTi or eA'en by the light of the innu¬ 
merable flashes of lightning Avhich shot across the skA". Ea'cii in the Aullages in the 
Caiib Country there is evidence to shoAV tliat after the Idack cloud })assed, and hefore 
night set in, there AAms a glimmeiing light sufficient to enable the teirified surA’ivois 
to flee from one house to another. Witliin the houses the darkness aatas greater, and 
lamps or matches had to l)e used to furnish light. It is also probalile that the 
