Catastrophe (part thirty-four)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty-four) XXI Interview with M. Lagarrigue A moving voyage aboard the Rubis, on the morning of the 8th M. Lagarrigue, the confessor of Saint-Pierre, is—I do believe—the only priest belonging to […]
Catastrophe (part thirty-three)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-three) The 21st, the crater still smokes a great deal. The 22nd, the mission departs and works as usual. We recognize, as was announced by the Suchet, that the city has changed in appearance. This time the […]
Catastrophe (part thirty-two)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty-two) Monday, 5th. This morning, flat calm, detonations rare. The top of the mountain is covered in a clear, blue cloud. The neighboring houses appear all white. We hear noises like lava that boils and overflows. […]
Catastrophe (part thirty-one)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty-one) Around one o’clock, we heard something like salvos of cannon fire issue regularly, that is to say, at equal intervals. This lasted about an hour and a half. That evening, M. Alain, director of the […]
Catastrophe (part thirty)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty) “During the night of the 7th to the 8th, the occurrences redoubled in intensity. The women gathered in the salon, praying. We heard the volcano’s noise constantly. We could easily distinguish three sorts: intermittent explosions, […]
Catastrophe Extra
From the Sheffield [England] Weekly Telegraph of May 4, 1918, is a curiosity worth preserving—a fictionalized and romanticized version of the “miraculous prisoner”, with a love interest added, and the race of the participants obscured. It’s interesting to imagine the closing months of WWI, an editor thinking about what will entertain his readers, possibly […]
Catastrophe (part twenty-nine)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-nine) It is important to say, because it would be odious to allow propagation of this absurd legend, of survivors imploring for help, and receiving none. Dedicated people—doctors, soldiers, police, the simple citizens—climbed through the ruins […]
Catastrophe (twenty-eight)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-eight) And we will linger no longer, discussing the improbable, the screamingly impossible. For me Auguste Sybaris produced, simply, the impression of a pillager surprised by fire, at work on a bit of premature safecracking. He […]
Catastrophe (part twenty-seven)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-seven) Two Legends The miraculous prisoner and the two gunners Here is an extraordinary story—that of the prisoner, Auguste Sybaris. But I do not suppose M. Clerc believes it true, for M. […]
Catastrophe (part twenty-six)
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (twenty-six) M. Clerc before the eruption and in the ruins We return to the volcano. Here is how M. Clerc described to me the eruption of the 8th, which he witnessed from […]