Testimony of Mr. Ellery Scott, officer of Roraïma, ship at anchor in front of Saint-Pierre at the time of the eruption

"The day hardly started, when on May 8, in the morning, Martinique was announced. We had just crossed a storm, and it was approximately six hours when we dropped anchor for the unloading dock of the Bertin place. When the agent came on board with the barges and the gabariers, he says to us that the Pelée mountain did his since saturdays and that until in Saint-Pierre it had fallen a strong rain from hot ashes.

However the volcano appeared alleviated, and the gabariers are reflected valiantly with work. There were with the anchor beside us, in the bay, approximately eighteen vapor or coasters, of which one was a French ship of the port of Nantes, Tamaya, Moritz captain or Maurice, without counting four sailing ships. The english steamer Roddam was very close to us. There was then a singular phenomenon, like a kind of trepidation of the atmosphere, and I have the feeling to be hustled by an invisible hand.

Immediately, somebody exclaimed near me: God! look at. He stared at the Pelée mountain, and the glances of all took the same direction. What I live, I am impotent to describe it, but my first thought was that it was the end of the world. It would have been said that all that there is of dynamite in the universe had just made jump the mountain. An immense column of flames rose right in the air, then, widening, seemed to collapse on us the top of the sky.

I run then, with our second, Moxley, and some men trying to weigh the anchor. While passing, I intended the captain to give orders, and I live Mac Fear, the mechanic, to go down precipitately in the entrepont. At the time when we arrived ourselves at front, the terrible waterspout was on us. A true avalanche of incandescent stones, ebullient mud and drops of fire fell down on the boat like a flight of grapeshot. At the same time, it would have been said that all the water of the port collected in block, with a terrible crash, to attack the ships, which raised by enormous vagueness, seemed to hood and run.

When the tidal wave reached the Roraïma, it was an appalling pitch, and all was shaven on the bridge: masts, chimneys, boats, all. There was a sleeve with air with my range: I clung to it of all my forces, which failed to cost me the life, because the force of the flood inserted my body in the opening. Two sailors released me and involved me in the entrepont. I remained a few moments there, with half disappeared, while the projectiles and fire made rage above me. From time to time, a carbonized sailor fall, with atrocious howls, through the hatchway and expired in bottom: I was buried soon under a heap of corpses. Somebody however having raised me, I went up on the bridge and I put to try to save the casualties who all were wide that and there under mud and the incandescent stones which continued to rain.

While I was with this work, the captain appeared: I recognized it only with its clothing which smoked, because its face, entirely flaring, were unrecognizable. Bring all, shouted it. It was impossible to obey this order, because, after having escaped with the tidal wave, the ship had been perforated like a skimmer by the rain of fire. I did not re-examine the captain any more since, but a sailor said to me that he had jumped over edge, had taken refuge on a raft which one had improvised in all haste, and which he had died there almost at once.

During this time, the sea continued to roll of formidable ground swells, the Pelée mountain did not cease exploding, and of extraordinary jolts shook the atmosphere. As regards Saint-Pierre, the spectacle was terrifying. The city had disappeared, and in his place one saw nothing any more but one immense trail of gray dust, flame and smoke. All around us, the ship who had not run flamed and all the bay was covered with corpses floating separately or by groups. A few hours later, , the French ship Suchet could accost us: thus I was saved with sixteen other people, all more dead than sharp. One led us to Fort-de-France, where we were collected at the hospital."