SOUFPJEKE, AJsD OX A VISIT TO MONTAGXE PELEE, IN 1902. 
4U5 
darkness was most intense between 2 and 3 o’clock, shortly after the great outburst, 
and that as the afternoon wore on the light somewhat improved. 
Kingstown .—At Kingstown, and in the south end of the island, it was generally 
known on Wednesday forenoon that the Soufriere had resumed activity, but there 
were no physical signs to indicate that the eruption was in progress till about 12.30 
in the afternoon. Then tlie loud noises jDioceeding from the volcano attracted 
attention, and aljout 2 p.m. it was seen that a ^mst cloud of steam was ascending 
in the northern sky, till its appareait heiglit uais twice as great as that of 
Mount St. Andrew, which overlooks the town.* It was somewhat pointed or tongue¬ 
shaped, hut broadened out as it rose, and consisted of Ijidging, globular, rolling 
masses which were constantly changing in form and increasing in num1)er. I'lie 
noises from the mountain were continuous and very loud, with a roaring, long drawn- 
out character which baffles description. ♦ 
About half past 2 o’clock grey })eh]jles of a pumiceous character began to fall, and 
at the same time the atmosphere was charged with sulphurous odouis. Some of the 
stones were almost the size of a hen’s egg, but they did little damage in the town 
except to the large-leaved trees, some of which had their foliage peidbrated or torn to 
shreds ; many of them were covered with a thin layer of wet mud. Then smaller 
stones began to fall “ like a sharp shower of hail,” and these were followed by little 
pellets of fine moist ash “ aliout the size of small sago.” Dry ash followed, and tliis 
formed the bulk of the shower, becoming somewhat finer, lighter in colour, and less 
abundant as the evening wore on. It had a sulphurous smell, though some compared 
the odour rather to that of guano. Mr. Powell, of the Botanic Gardens, infoiined 
us that the foliage of the more tender plants was Idighted and turned yellow, and 
all the forward bread-fruit dropped, not from the weight, ljut from the nature of the 
ash. The plants with stout thick leaves suffered comparatively little damage, and in 
fact it was noticed that a few days afterwards their foliage was cleaner, greener, and 
more free from insects than l)efore, so that there was reason to believe that the 
ash had insecticidal properties. 
Lamps had to l)e lighted in Kingstown about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and 
although the darkness was not intense before nightfall, the air was so full of falling 
(hist that the appearances resembled those of a vei'y thick, dark city fog. During the 
night the noises continued, but appaiently no further showers of stones occurred. 
The lightnings were very vivid and fre([uent ; the air warm, close, and stuffy. The 
fine dust j^enetrated into every corner of the houses, and covered the furniture and 
all the objects in the rooms with a grey film. It had also an iriltating effect on the 
nasal passage and respiratoiy organs, and on the conjunctiva, especially of those 
persons who were obliged to be in the open air. 
Through the whole of St. Vincent earthquakes and tremors were very numerous 
* See despatch from Mr. Camerox, Admini-strator of St. Vincent. Blue Book, ‘ Correspondence on the 
Volcanic Eruptions in St. Vincent and Martinicpie, in May, 1902,’ p. 25. 
