With such an account ten miles from the scene of action, it is not remarkable that the story has lost all semblance of truth when it reaches New York.
When the scientists were embarking on the Dixie, they were constantly asked 'Well, doctor, just what do you expect to do when you get to Martinique?' It was at that time a difficult question to answer, but may now be answered by telling briefly what we have done. The
Dixie arrived at Fort de France at daylight, May 21. At 10:30 that morning a party of officers, scientists and correspondents were taken on the Potomac to St. Pierre and landed. The second great eruption of Pelée had taken place the day before, so that every one was on the alert, and we were warned by Lieutenant McCormick, commanding the Potomac, that if the tug's whistle blew we were to make for the boats at once. We wandered through the dreary ruin, which has been described. I was impressed by the completeness of the destruction of the masonry and the absence of visible large volcanic fragments. The streets were filled with masonry rubble, mostly rounded sea-worn bowlders, and everything was coated with green-gray powder or sand. The roofs were gone, an occasional timber was burning, bodies were still numerous if
