Torsade Literary Space 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 […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: twenty-seven
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (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 that M. Clerc believed it true, for M. Clerc is […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: 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, to which he was witness from the height […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: twenty-five
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (twenty-five) When M. Jalabert received the dispatch, where M. Landes spoke of the possible fall of the Morne-Lacroix, and of the consequences, he thought it best before posting this, to communicate it to the governor. “There was nothing immediately threatening in the dispatch, […]
La Catastrophe de la Martinique: twenty-four
Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (twenty-four) “Decrais?” “Just so. Mouttet was only an instrument. Mouttet obeyed. You could well say that he died a hero, a victim of professional duty if, from professional duty for a governor of Martinique, you hear absolute obedience to the minister of the colonies, […]