Author’s Note
At the turn of the twentieth century, Saint-Pierre, Martinique, was known as the Paris of the West Indies. It was an important political, commercial, religious, and cultural city, the capital of the French West Indies. Music, theater, and art thrived there. Thousands of hogsheads of sugar and rum were exported annually from this important seaport. Great fortunes were made here, and political dynasties were born here. But on May 8, 1902, Mount Pelée erupted violently, killing thirty thousand citizens and obliterating the city within a matter of minutes, a shock from which the city is still recovering. It was the eruption of Mount Pelée that gave the world the term pyroclastic surge (nuée ardente) to describe the incandescent cloud of gas, ash, and lava fragments that swept down from the mountain, scorching, burning, and incinerating everything in its path. The term nuée ardente was coined by Alfred Lacroix (1863–1948), a French mineralogist and geologist who published an exhaustive volume about the eruptions in Martinique. Before this time, the concept of pyroclastic surges was unknown in the world, although scientists began to suspect their existence in 1883 after the eruption of Mount Krakatoa.
The novel is based on the events recorded between April 21 and May 8, 1902. For the most part, the scenes follow the established timeline in most history books, including each volcanic eruption, the mudslide that destroyed the Guerin Sugar Factory, the telegraph messages, newspaper headlines, and the movements of Governor Mouttet. The only times the narrative differs is when historians disagreed, when the historical record lacked sufficient information, or for dramatic purposes, as in the mudslide that destroyed Domaine Solitude. While Governor Mouttet did create a scientific commission to study the problem, they never left Saint-Pierre. However, I did discover that a group of climbers led by Eugène Berté did reach the summit of Mount Pelée on April 27. They discovered that the Étang des Palmistes, the crater lake of cool spring water, had become a pit of bubbling black lava. I substituted their experience for the experience of my fictional scientific committee for purposes of dramatic tension. The real Scientific Commission met with the governor in the dining room of the Hotel Intendance on the evening of May 7, mostly as a means to quell the public’s anxiety. When word got out that the governor was holding a meeting, a crowd gathered outside in hopes of hearing some news. When the meeting was over, the governor addressed the people from the front steps of the hotel, assuring them that they had already seen the worst of the volcano. He told them that the “relative positions of the craters and valleys opening toward the sea assure the complete safety of Saint-Pierre.” Tragically, in less than twenty-four hours, they would all be dead.
I blended fact with fiction to create my story. The characters of Prof. Gaston Landes, Fernand Clerc, Governor Mouttet, Mayor Rodolphe Fouché, Amédée Knight, Paul Mirville, and Marius Hurard were real people. They are important figures in the history of Martinique. The rest were either composites of other characters or completely fictional.
To this day there is a dispute among historians whether or not Governor Mouttet exacerbated the situation by preventing the people of Saint-Pierre from leaving. The fact is, quite a few citizens were able to leave on steamers and schooners or by carriage. But the death count stands at approximately thirty thousand. The controversy began when a French journalist named Jean Hess arrived in Saint-Pierre in the aftermath of the tragedy to investigate what happened. Piecing together the bits of information including telegraphs, newspaper articles, and eyewitness testimony, he came to the conclusion that the main culprit was Albert Decrais, the Minister of Colonies back in Paris. He claimed in his book The Catastrophe of Martinique, Notes of a Reporter that Decrais had pressured Mouttet into keeping the citizens calm and contained to not disrupt the election. One of the survivors, Fernand Clerc, alleged that the governor, under orders from Decrais, deliberately ignored the many danger signals and even threatened his civil servants with dismissal if they left their posts so that the election could take place as planned. There is a general dispute also regarding whether or not Governor Mouttet used his soldiers to prevent an exodus of the citizens. There is no doubt he believed they were safe given that both he and his wife stayed overnight in Saint-Pierre. That is how they came to perish alongside the other unfortunate victims.
Today the volcano is currently in a quiescent state, which means it is not active but is registering seismic activity. Mount Pelée remains a popular excursion for visitors and locals alike. People regularly climb the mountain to view its summit. The city of Saint-Pierre was never fully rebuilt. Some people can even be found living among the ruins. I found a couple who had set up house inside the ruined fort! Tourists can freely explore the ruins of Saint-Pierre and visit the city’s volcanic museum. The tourist office on rue Victor Hugo offers free walking guides, which are most helpful for navigating the old cobblestoned streets. Visitors can visit the dungeon of Ludger Sylbaris (1875–1929), the city’s most famous survivor.
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