Torsade Literary Space La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-seven
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-seven) I’ve counted. Forty whites at least, of all classes and all ranks, creoles, officials, soldiers and officers, have affirmed to me with indignation, that in his writings (lines read between), the editor of l’Opinion had cleverly expressed what the blacks […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-six
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-six) The chiefs carried big sticks. The priest, who had seen this, and who heard the gendarme tell his story, added: “What was most amusing were the wives of the thieves, who prepared their meals.” The father did not […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-five
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-five) “The inhabitants of the north were ignorant as to the destruction of Saint-Pierre. Two hundred people from Céron refused to embark. The curé of Grande-Rivière related to us the exodus of inhabitants towards Basse-Terre, and La Trinité. “In summary,” said […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-four
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-four) XXI Interview with M. LAGARRIGUE A moving voyage aboard the Rubis, on the morning of the 8th Lagarrigue, confessor of Saint-Pierre is, I do believe, the only man of the cloth of […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-three
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-three) “The 21st, the crater still smoked a great deal. “The 22nd, the mission left and worked as usual. We recognized, as had been announced by the Suchet, that the city had changed in aspect. This time, the ruin is consumed. Everything […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinque: thirty-two
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (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 a lava that boils and overflows. Towards one o’clock, louder detonations. […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty-one
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-one) Around one o’clock, we heard something like salvos of cannon-fire, issuing regularly, that is to say, at equal intervals. This lasted about an hour and a half. That evening, M. Alain, director of the Pecoul settlement, warned us that there was […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: thirty
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty) “During the night of the 7th to the 8th, the phenomena redoubled in intensity. The women gathered in the salon, praying. We heard continually the din of the volcano. One could distinguish three sorts of noises very distinctly: intermittent explosions, […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: twenty-nine
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (twenty-nine) And it is important to say, because it would be odious to allow the propagation of this absurd legend—survivors imploring for help, and receiving none. Dedicated people, doctors, soldiers, police, the simple citizens, have climbed through the ruins of Saint-Pierre […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: twenty-eight
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (twenty-eight) And we will linger no longer in discussing the improbabilities, the crying impossibilities. Auguste Sybaris produced for me, simply, the effect of a pillager who, surprised by fire while at work prematurely on a bit of safe-cracking, had wanted to explain […]