The Eruption Of Mt Pelée - The Deadliest Volcanic Disaster Of The 20th Century (Brief History)

The eruption of Mt Pelée was the deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th Century. Virtually the entire population of the town of St Pierre, over 30,000 people, were killed in a matter of moments. To compound the tragedy, the residents had plenty of warning beforehand, yet political opportunism and human folly sealed their fates....
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Although focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.
#History #Disasters

[@archiveseeker]

I read how an Italian Captain sailed away, with only half his sugar cargo. He said "if Vesuvius was acting like your volcano, I'd get out of Naples". It erupted the next day.

[@kimmccarthy7747]

The Orsolina.

[@jr28778]

Vesuvio ayee Artie ! I didn't burn down your restaurant Artie

[@garrysekelli6776]

Dude probably read Pliny the younger. Fortunately he skipped Pliny the elder in class.

[@ragnapodewski4694]

It was the "Orsolina" the captain left the harbour without permission of his direction.

[@josephastier7421]

The phrase "If Vesuvius was acting like your volcano, I'd get out of Naples" can be used in any number of situations where people are in denial of an imminent disaster.

[@craigpridemore5831]

In 1900 the NOAA expert on Galveston said, 'We don't need to evacuate because the Gulf is too shallow and warm for a hurricane to cross.' and in 1980 the Oregon governor allowed people into the danger zone around Mount St. Helens because she didn't want to lose the tourist dollars that weekend. Where ever you are, you are ultimately responsible for yourself. If it feels dangerous, grab your family and RUN!

[@serendpity3478]

But they were prevented from running by actual troops.

[@scarpfish]

Mt. St. Helens is in Washington, not Oregon.

[@cynthiatolman326]

Wasn't tourist dollars, it was the loss of a few weeks of logging in Washington

[@drowessblack]

It was Dixie Ray, Governor of Washington state. I know because I was living in Seattle when St. Helens blew. At times as it blew several time you could see the plumbs from sections of Seattle. Her choice was her downfall later.

[@johnwithee9049]

Mt St Helen's is in Washington.

[@Hurricane0721]

The other thing about St. Pierre is that there are several smaller mountains between the city and the volcano. Some of the locals falsely believed that those ridges would protect the city from the volcano, such as diverting any lava flows away from the city. The locals did not anticipate something like a pyroclastic cloud.

[@melodiefrances3898]

Even just the concept of a pyroclastic flow is challenging to get. I had to read about them over and over before my brain could make sense of them

[@bomcabedal]

@@melodiefrances3898 At the time, it also wasn't understood very well; lava and ash were seen as the main dangers, because much of volcanology was still based on Pliny.

[@sifridbassoon]

this is a great video on a pyrocastic flow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eafNqKdvo9Oqjrs Recently, the common idea about Pompeii is that there were three flows during the eruption. The first rolled down the west face of Vesuvius and wiped out Herculaneum. The second came down the southern face toward Pompeii but ran out of momentum before actually hitting the town. The third (and last) flowed south and this time destroyed what was left of Pompeii

[@DL-ij7tf]

​@@sifridbassoon I was going to suggest people interested in volcanology and its history to watch the documentary Fire Of Love and I see your clip is from that. As soon as I clicked on it I thought "that looks like the one that couple died in" and indeed. That documentary is incredible, such amazing videography of natural phenomena you don't really ever see, the behavior and results of volcanoes almost seems alien or from another dimension like a sci fi movie.

[@ragnapodewski4694]

These ranges made the pyroklastic flow so unique. The heavy mass remained in the valley of Riviere Blanche, the hot top of low density raced over town and harbour all burning

[@memesofproduction3]

How ironic that the death row inmate survived and everyone else perished.

[@JeffKopis]

I guess his sentence was commuted!

[@JeffKopis]

The one guy who COULDN'T evacuate, even if he wanted to!

[@dumoulin11]

I lived there in the late 90s, and although the volcano was "dormant", you'd regularly feel tremors like a truck passing just outside your window. The summit is almost always lost in clouds.

[@tamisullivan8548]

Would not live there.

[@amandabananathepanda]

Really, where exactly did you live?

[@capnsteele3365]

@@amandabananathepanda not on that island, becuase the comment is a load of bullshit

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

Why would people move back a 3rd time?

[@williamwatkins2538]

@@WouldntULikeToKnow. the same reason we keep rebuilding in the coast after hurricanes.

[@skyn3817]

The tower must have been amazing to see, like something straight out of science fiction or a Lovecraft story

[@theravenseye9443]

Yes - one of those fleeting spectacles which is now lost to history.

[@TheWoollyFrog]

It was like a one finger salute to the governor.

[@worldcure7883]

@@TheWoollyFrog straight from mother earth.

[@aliciaacevesestrada8946]

Came here from your comment in Fascinating Horror’s channel, liked it so much! It’s always nice to find quality content. You’ve gotten a new subscriber sir!

[@theravenseye9443]

Glad you found me! Hope you enjoy my videos, feel free to comment etc..!

[@VeganV5912]

@@theravenseye9443 Timelapse, 5-10 days 🧟‍♂️🦠🍖🔴... (inside your stomach) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaWuZH6diLJ7m5Y .. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pavMqHV3gbB2e7M 🤮 NO fibre !!! Stays in your body and rots away 🤮🤮🤮🤮..... That’s why I’m vegan, lots of fibre if you eat plants and fruit and nuts and berries and tubers and lentils beans et cetera. PH 7, no smell. Which side of history are you on, Jeeffrey Dahmer 👓😩🦠🍖🔴... Or veganism ✅❤️💪😬😉 ??. You don’t hurt your cute little dog 😍🤗🐶🤥🤥🤥.....

[@VeganV5912]

👆👆🐷🦠🔴... 🤮

[@jbrubin8274]

I did the exact same thing. 😂🙌💯

[@RIVALContentJammerz]

We love death!!!

[@anthonyloconte7835]

In 2021 there were some quakes under Pelee that indicated a magma intrusion under the mountain. This did qualify as an episode of unrest.

[@kscorp5176]

Another excellent video! I never knew about the roadblocks. That governor was an ass. If horses collapse in the street due to the air, better believe I'd get myself out of Dodge even if I have to jump into the sea and swim!

[@theravenseye9443]

Yup... I feel sorry for the governor's family. Imagine being taken there the night before just as part of his political aims... So many needless deaths.

[@richardcranium3417]

“Trust the government. Trust the experts. Trust the science.”

[@Vincent_Sullivan]

@@richardcranium3417 Trust the science (I mean properly done science) = YES. Trust the experts = Maybe - if what they say aligns with the properly done science. Trust the government = Maybe - if what they say is aligned with the properly done science. Properly done science is the bedrock of all human knowledge and thus all human progress. One does have to understand how the process of science works however. Questions are asked, theories are proposed, investigations and experiments conducted, conclusions are reached, the science is published in a peer reviewed journal and then independent confirmation by other scientists is required. It can sometimes be a long process. Unfortunately there is a lot of junk science being promoted these days by conspiracy theorists and other people (including politicians) with agendas of one sort or another. Some people will sincerely believe the silliest things!

[@worldcure7883]

@@Vincent_Sullivan you think you know so much yet you still know nothing, you are only aware of what you have been told is correct. Raised on celebrity scientists giving wild speculative garbage to the public while plotting to capitalize off of panic and misunderstanding. You are being used, your parents were used and their before them; you are living in the sick twisted end result of hundreds of years of unending stupidity and self serving tribalism. You are no more sophisticated than a caveman and probably less than a quarter as self sufficient. Keep trusting the "science" lol, it's just a big joke that people smart enough to grasp reality are playing on your poor ignorant self.

[@deona267]

I don’t know anyone who can swim in water turned to acid.

[@cmonkey63]

As a regular viewer of Fascinating Horror's channel, I find this channel remarkably well-researched and evenly presented. Immediately subbed. (Side note: imagine being the guy sentenced to death, only to find himself one of only 2 survivors. Stranger than fiction.)

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks for the sub!!

[@XxMMXIIxX]

Fascinating Horror, Raven's Eye and BrickImmortar are the bulk of my YT algorithm lol

[@missykeatings9114]

Highly recommend disaster breakdown channel as well!

[@rw2452]

I also watch Fascinating Horror, and this channel looks good too👍

[@spencersholden]

@@XxMMXIIxXDark Archive too!

[@rainer250]

It was this event that gave birth to the type of volcanic eruption called Pelean, where thick, viscous lava form domes that steadily grow and more unstable as more lava is pushed up into the crater until a part or entire dome collapse, generating nuee ardente which is French for "glowing clouds". It's scary how fast St. Pierre was destroyed when Mount Pelee exploded.

[@nancydemoss608]

And remember that the governor and his wife moved to St. Pierre to make people feel "safe".

[@ArchTeryx00]

Pyroclastic clouds are no joke and are absolutely terrifying to witness. They move faster than Formula One race cars because they are heavier than air and the ground offers virtually no resistance to them. The temperatures inside are hot enough to effectively make it a nuclear bomb blast without the radiation. And it doesn't take a very intense eruption to release them to destroy everything in the vicinity.

[@rainer250]

@@ArchTeryx00 They can also cross large bodies of water, riding on a bed of steam as the immense heat causes the water to boil while the denser part of the flow sinks to the bottom. This was demonstrated during the climatic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.

[@sister_bertrille911]

"There was no warning." Wasn't there? The toxic air and dead animals weren't enough of a clue?

[@_Opal_Miner_]

Yep. When your town smells like sulphur and is overrun by snakes.....time for a holiday.

[@NucleaRaptor]

>wildlife running for dear life >toxic fumes fill the air >literal magma visible at the crater >apocalyptic lightning in the sky How much more of a warning do you need? :0

[@NyanyiC]

Exactly!

[@krab1791]

When it is so bad the snakes are leaving the area of the volcano, it’s a sure sign you should be moving away too.

[@DC4260Productions]

I am honestly shocked that such an awful disaster actually happened, and I see it wasn't helped by just how close the big town was to that volcano. It's a miracle there were two survivors, let alone any. Come to think of it, why would anyone build a town so close to an active volcano? St. Pierre and Plymouth (Montserrat) are basically the modern equivalents of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I can only imagine how awful those events would have been. Here's hoping people will always remember the victims of said disasters.

[@Elite7555]

The similarity is uncanny indeed.

[@flagmichael]

It was okay for a while....

[@adriennefloreen]

It is amazing how many towns are that close or closer to active volcanoes. Also, how many are built directly on top of previous lava flows or pyroclastic flows. Almost every volcanic island in the world has a city in the most unsafe spots during an eruption. A bunch of cities in Oregon are in areas like that, including some very large ones that are very far from volcanoes. The only volcanoes not surrounded by human settlement are in very remote cold areas or ones that erupt so frequently that humans wouldn't have time to build anything on them before the next eruption.

[@nancydemoss608]

Why did a few people live in the shadow of Mt. Saint Helens? And why did that old man refuse to leave his house by the mountain? I can't remember his name but it was the same name as a celebrity or politician. Why were there a handful of scientists working on the mountain? At least one stayed and lost his life. Why do people live along coasts or in flood prone areas? And on, and on.

[@anneoconnor8741]

The soil near volcanoes is very fertile. To this day people live on or near volcanoes. Like the rest of us they think "it will never happen to me"...

[@jbrubin8274]

The lack of transparency in favor of keeping the populous calm with a false sense of security. That element reminds me so much of ‘Isaac’s Storm’ (September 8, 1900, Galveston TX.) Fantastic job 🙌💯

[@steventhompson399]

I heard of this as being the deadliest eruption of 20thC but didn't know any details til I saw this. Good video! But how tragic... so many could have been saved if authorities took it more seriously... reminded me of nevado del Ruiz where authorities also screwed up and more people died

[@michaelverbakel7632]

It is still the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century in the Western Hemisphere. What also makes this also unique is that Mont Pelee not only erupted but that the mountain itself exploded.

[@steventhompson399]

@@michaelverbakel7632 I thought the largest eruption of 20th century was one of the Alaskan volcanoes, maybe mt redoubt or novarupta I forget

[@animasternorris6508]

@@steventhompson399 the volcano is named Mount Redoubt.

[@aron1332]

@@steventhompson399 it was Novarupta. It is also the largest worldwide in 20th century

[@TheNelly77]

@@steventhompson399 Novarupta, 1912. It gets overlooked in volcanic discussions because of the remote location, but the eruption was somewhat more powerful than Pinatubo's eruption in 1991.

[@ShermanM36]

My great grandfather on my mother's side left St Pierre de Martinique on May 7, 1902 to join the family plantation of Ste Marie. He reported to his father that the situation in St Pierre was worrying. His father decided to send his eldest son sought his wife and 5 year old son. The eldest went to St Pierre but decided to spend the night with his fiancee's family. After the eruption, his mother's body was found with his young brother in her arms... The eldest son also died because the victoria was found near his fiancée's home...

[@mr.niceguy1812]

This is without doubt, one of the most cringe inducing things I've seen in a long time. The description of skin sizzling when jumping into water really hit me, I've never been on fire & pray I never am. Great channel full of great videos, good job lad!

[@blakena4907]

Amazing how big that spine was. The one on Mt St Helen only managed to grow to a max height of 30 meters before continously collapsing under its weight.

[@melodiefrances3898]

It would have been amazing to see irl. I believe that they are a particular kind of volcanic structure that happens sometimes after a big blow out eruption.

[@AndrewJamesWilliams]

The only mercy was that those who were killed by the pyroclastic flow wouldn't have known what was happening they would have either been instantly vaporised or died of thermal shock - death would have been instantaneous.

[@ragnapodewski4694]

The report of Leon Compere says it different. Also Captain Freeman who survived the cloud aboard with heavy burns and one of his sailors from Sweden. Also some passengeers of the Roraima. The Academie framcaise questioned all eyewitnesses.

[@hopegallows1392]

I’d like to think that I would leave after the literal plague of snakes

[@MoultrieGeek]

It's like the old phrase 'rats deserting a sinking ship'. If the animals (who generally have better senses than humans) are fleeing then it's time to ghost.

[@GlamRockCowboy]

There were more than 2 survivors! Alwyn Scarth's book, "La Catastrophe," goes into great detail on this point. He determined that there were some 120 survivors in all. Also, the current St. Pierre is a small town of only 5,000 souls--a far cry from the 28,000 in the original St. Pierre!

[@toughbutsweet1]

I wonder what they did that saved them? Hopefully they did not endure the suffering of the surviving prisoner.

[@danielkaiser3309]

Those 120 survivors were from the surrounding areas (if indeed there actually were any.) So what? It can still be thriving

[@kimmccarthy7747]

@@danielkaiser3309 The flow spread out over a wide area, and wiped out plantations as well as St. Pierre. The survivors were all just outside the flow or the burned sailors from the ships.

[@jtp2007]

Only 2 popele survived of the people that were in the direct path of the flow. That has been said many times by many channels.

[@jebise1126]

@@jtp2007 and people on ships? did they left before?

[@EvilRandomguy666]

I remember reading about this in my junior volcano books, wondering about why this disaster was so dragged out. Now I get to see why.

[@tommargarites2811]

You'd think after the stories of Pompei so long ago, that people would have learned by now, to leave a dangerous volcano when it's telling you in no uncertian terms to get out.

[@melodiefrances3898]

But who even knows how well known that eruption was in those days. Or even understood. The fault really lies with the government imposing their will. And the power of group think. Imho ...

[@alexandrag337]

Although the modern reports say 1500 were killed from Soufrière in St. Vincent, my grandmother and the original reports claimed 5000 were killed. Not everyone left Martinique, only in that area, the island was never abandoned everyone in the south and other towns remained!!!

[@dookiefingers8436]

The fact that one of the *only two* survivors was actually being held in prison for execution, is pretty poetic. Its almost like he didnt deserve it, maybe he had a guardian angel, or maybe it was just right place right time. Who knows

[@johnscanlon2598]

The town was punished for his unjust incarceration and upsizing penalty , sounds like a movie to me ! I’d watch it

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

@@nette9836 Unless YHWH was behind it. That's just the kind of trick He would get up to!

[@scottessery100]

Politicians really are the scum of the earth

[@JeffKopis]

Truer words were never spoken. From Nero to Caligula to Henri VIII to Hitler to modern day.

[@ladyweasellou3367]

I read that a very small eruption in Martinique just about killed Josephine Bonaparte (Napoleon's first wife and Empress) when she was young, apparently it was a immediately followed by a revolt against the French and British overlords by both locals and a lot of the slaves and paid help as well. Josephine was supposedly Creole, though I'm not sure that the modem definition of the word works here. It was the same for a girl she was friends with a girl named Ameé who also became an Empress (Sultana of the Ottoman Sultan and then the Valide Sultana - which is roughly the "Queen Mother". She held incredible power and was an amazing woman, she did a great deal for the failing empire that wasn't really seen again until Ataturk come in) It's easy to find information on Josephine but not so much with Ameé (aka: Naksidil; Valide Sultana) so I will therefore recommend anybody that's interested there's a two-part book that has a lot of information regarding her life, it's a two part series: 1. The Stolen Girl & 2. The French Sultana. Or watch the movie: "Intimate Power" (I'll put the link for the movie at end of this post). (it's a bit messy as they historically destroyed and westernized the way an Ottoman Harem actually worked and the actual dress of the time, also Harem women were given excellent educations and held a lot of tasks that ran the government but it does well at showing how well she helped the country). Okay.... I'll stop.... lol.... I love Ottoman, Mogul, Mamluk & Seljuk History.... and pretty much any War History.... lol "Intimate Power" movie link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4rNhnqFpcqKask .

[@garfieldsmith332]

Excellent video sir. Thanks for all the details. I had heard about this event and heard that the prisoner was the only survivor. I never heard about how incompetent the government was and they really were responsible for all those deaths.

[@richardcranium3417]

Nothing much changes down through history does it?

[@calebsmith2362]

The images used in this video, as old and degraded as they may be, are pretty compelling. The image at 6:14 deserves special mention. It would make a really cool album cover.

[@barrydysert2974]

Kudos good Sir! i first learned the story of Mt Pele when i was 14 years old in Earth Science class. i have seen a half dozen or more programs on the subject in the intervening 46 years. All of them were longer than Yours. Some were an hour long. Yours is by far the best photo documentation i've ever seen. Thank you younger man than i !:-) 💜🙏⚡️

[@theravenseye9443]

This week's video - a real tragedy in every sense... So many died needlessly. If you would like to support this channel - buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEye

[@IntrepidHomoludens]

“The Paris of the Caribbean”? No. “The Pompeii of the Caribbean”? YES. ABSOLUTELY YES.

[@madgary5827]

This has quickly become one of my favorite channels. Thank you and always like 🙂

[@galaxysurfer1122]

Another great video, it's seems you have a knack for finding little-known disasters and telling us the details in an entertaining, and somewhat terrifying, way.

[@johnjephcote7636]

Up in the hills, just before the eruption, thousands of ants - 'formis foux' careered out of woods and into a farm, attacking the terrified, tethered horses and making the staff run for their lives. A little girl, on an errand, high above on a ridge, saw the pyroclastic flow roll along the valley beneath her. An Italian captain of a ship that was leaving afore the disaster said to a local, " I have a volcano in my home port and if it looked like yours, I would not stay". During the nuée ardente, a little girl, playing in a boat with her brother, was blown out from the harbour in the boat, alone, senseless, and was later rescued by the crew of a French destroyer.

[@jaybee6701]

6:52 “‘there was no warning’” LMAO. Except the months of ash and pre-eruptive activity.

[@marykrueger6039]

A recent subscriber to your channel. Loving the content. Keep them coming. Thank you for your hard work. 👍👍

[@jakubjandourek2822]

Lessons learned form all those disasters: "If officials and/or news paper reminds you to stay calm, run away immediately as fast as possible."

[@Truckngirl]

Stick with this. You're a wonderful storyteller. Already watched two videos on major disasters that I'd never even heard of. Looks like an afternoon of binging for me!

[@blakena4907]

The pit vipers are where I'd have tapped out. No way you'd be able to make me stay around a bunch of spooked venomous snakes.

[@phillipaspinall8745]

I'm overdosing on your videos the last day or so, really good discovery for me, they are to the point and very well narrated, so thanks 👍

[@rositawest4279]

Me too! Well done videos.

[@roselane8152]

I came from the short of Fascinating Horror where you commented about this disaster. Very frightening event btw, there's some things that are better dealt with by our instincts than by our rationality.

[@theravenseye9443]

True - just like how dogs and cats sense an earthquake before it happens - instincts can save lives.

[@spencerific93]

Man, people do not learn. At least the inhabitants of the second incarnation of Saint-Pierre were smart enough to leave before they, too, became victims of the volcano. You'd hope, though, that at some point someone would realize that building a town in that spot is only inviting more disaster.

[@melodiefrances3898]

Guards and police preventing people from leaving ... wow ... that is terrible.

[@6210195221089]

Your videos are fascinating and compelling - good job on another one. Keep up the good work.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thank you very much Luke!

[@neighborhoodcatlady6094]

Interesting that it erupted on the side, just like Mt St Helen’s.

[@ashishjoshi8148]

Another superb video by The Raven's Eye. The Mt Pelee eruption must have been something to see! Volcanic eruptions can be terrifying with Krakatoa being the prime example.

[@ThePizzaman74]

I love your videos. They are so well done and enthralling.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks Mike !

[@fredlandry6170]

Just imagine what the Yellowstone Super Volcano could be like.

[@gogorreal]

These are all very well made and researched videos, wish you all the success for your work! :) amazing

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks Bruno

[@zogreid]

New sub, absolutely fascinating channel, well done 👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏

[@jackieholmes8098]

I really like your channel! Great information.

[@Smokr]

Another excellent video!

[@CarlosAlejandro.-ke6gr]

I just found your channel and watched like half of them. Really good videos. One question: did you make some journalism or related? I find your way to narrate excellent.

[@druidriley3163]

Lot of mistakes. The governor was an appointee. Martinique was a colony of France. The elections were for the council, not the governorship. There was only one road out of St. Pierre that led to the far side of the island and the island's capital Fort de France. It was not a paved road, it was a dirt road and went up and down along the coast and it had recently rained. There would be no evacuation except by walking on that road because any wheeled vehicles would get bogged down in the mud. There were ferries coming and going hourly from St. Pierre to Fort de France, and no one was stopped from leaving if they wanted to. The troops brought in were to stop any looting or breakins as people from the countryside were moving into St. Pierre for 'safety' and there was no shelter for them. People were thus breaking into empty houses. Locals didn't want to leave because local authorities could not guarantee their houses and businesses' wouldn't be robbed. The stories of horses falling down dead and birds falling from the sky due to the fumes were just unsubstantiated rumors. No one ever confirmed this actually happened. The governor did convene a science council to review the danger, but what experience did people of that time have with volcanoes? No one had heard of a nuee ardente before in association with volcanoes. All people knew of volcanoes at the time was that they spewed lava. And there were 3 valleys between St. Pierre and Mt. Pelee. They assumed the volcano would spew lava and it would be channeled through these valleys to the sea, leaving the city safe. My favorite quote was an Italian sea captain who had arrived in St. Pierre that morning to take on a cargo. He did not like the look of Mt. Pelee and abruptly decided to leave His island business partners tried to prevent him but he refused and in casting off to safety was reported to have told them, "I don't know anything about your Mt. Pelee. But if Vesuvius was looking as your mountain does I'd get out of Naples and I'm getting out of here." He sailed away saving himself, his ship and his sailors.

[@68Boca]

An interesting story. Liked it. A lot of unconfirmed points, though. I'm intrigued by the "3 valleys" part? There isn't! Where does that come from? The same source as the animals dying, I'm guessing? But neither here nor there, as St. Pierre is again a thriving (beautiful) township. For how long? A year, A century? who knows?

[@druidriley3163]

@@68Boca - there aren't 3 valleys NOW. Before the multiple eruptions?

[@sifridbassoon]

@@68Boca there were three valleys that ran to the sea. One of them held the Blanche river. I'm not sure about the other two. If you look on Google Maps, you can see how the southern flanks of Pelee are deeply grooved. The inhabitants were only worried about lava, and they thought that any lava that erupted toward them use the valleys to flow to the sea.

[@flagmichael]

@@68Boca The book, "The End of the World" has many of these details, including the day to day recorded activities before the blast.

[@Volcano-Man]

@@flagmichael A better book is 'Le Catastrophe,' by Alwyn Scarth. It contains a lot of scientific information in simple terms.

[@George-xb5ey]

when a super volcano goes off one day it's gonna be chaotic.

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

and that's why you don't play chicken with volcanoes. I really like how that huge tall lava rock growth resembled a grave marker. very appropriate.

[@flagmichael]

There is a good book about this event: The Day the World Ended. It has a lot of good information, including the horrors in the port. At lest one ship would have had a chance to flee afterward but the stacks had been sheared off by the blast. That disabled the boilers by eliminating the draft they needed to make steam. At the time there was no awareness of the form of eruption they would see, with the side of the peak blowing out like a bomb. Everybody thought they would have time to escape to the protected side of the mountain.

[@Whatt787]

Great Book!

[@WhiteStone21475]

Odd thing is I have just begun rereading this book you mention. It is a very good work.

[@scotthayes4135]

The story that the movie "Dante's Peak" is based on.

[@10AntsTapDancing]

Yet people still listen to 'experts' and politicians when it comes to disasters and pandemics with equally catastrophic results.

[@basbleupeaunoire]

That's an odd conclusion. If scientists had a better understanding of what was happening here, more people would have been saved.

[@smoocher]

Politicians prioritizing their jobs over everything else? No way!

[@mariekatherine5238]

Tsunami: So, what’d you think of that, dude? Volcano: Hold my beer.

[@tedsmith6137]

Interesting story. I'm pleased that you have turned the annoying background sound track so low that it is almost undetectable. Thank you.

[@zetectic7968]

The thick, viscous magma lead to the explosive eruption and produced the pyroclastic flow. Amazing that 2 survived. A good video of this sorry tale.

[@Kariakas]

Very well done

[@remotecontrol1082]

When the animals started leaving, people should have taken the hint!

[@Shogun459]

Pain is a wonderful teacher.

[@Liviahel]

I discovered this was a fact when I was reading a Mexican novel called Corazon Salvaje, the story happens in 1902, at that very moment. I got surprised because I had no idea, and the story describes really well what happened

[@funkyprepper]

Wow fascinating story, thank you for sharing it. Lots of bizarre things happened around the world in 1902

[@thomasfrontera3696]

Like this channel keeps me occupied in my hotel while I’m out of town for work .

[@died4us590]

This channel came up in my feed, just subbed, the quality is very good. God bless.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks and welcome

[@sifridbassoon]

In addition to the heat, a pyroclastic flow is also proceeded by a strong pressure wave. A large percentage (maybe the majority) were crushed as buildings collapsed on them, and since it was early on a holiday morning (Ascension Day) there were probably lots of people still in bed.

[@bailey2913]

I’d not heard of that one, thanks 👍🏼

[@sideshowboob]

I did the Roraima dive in the late 90's, technical dive: deco stops, extra bottles, the works. Impressive wreck

[@Sibyle79]

The hubris of the officials in charge is breathtaking.

[@shannonp3400]

So sad that a politicians ambitions killed so many people 😢

[@marchellochiovelli7259]

A daily occurence, even today.

[@takohamoolsen2432]

Fer-de-lance snakes evacuated the mountain well before the eruption and bit a lot of the townsfolk before the town feral cats killed them. FDL usually keep away from humans, but in this case they knew the volcano was about to erupt.

[@karekon]

"It came without warning" Snake plague, dying animals and general bad vibes seems like warning enough.

[@obfuscated3090]

Mt. Pelee remains dangerous. Don't live near active volcanoes or in storm surge zones, for neither is defensible.

[@josephastier7421]

There was a third survivor, a girl named Havivra Da Ifrile who literally saw lava boiling up inside an otherwise empty side vent and was able to somehow escape by running to a boat and sailing away. She saw the lava rise and then flood from the vent, killing everybody behind her as she ran.

[@mrblock1318]

Imagine being up for execution and everybody else gets executed. And the only reason you lived was because you were going to be executed.

[@tamisullivan8548]

When you look back in history...you see how we never learn or we'd not repeat stupidity.

[@nattananj3193]

Very good

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks

[@manuelmontiel5418]

@ The Raven's Eye Channel • I have a video suggestion for you, . The 1970 Peru earthquake and how it triggered an avalanche , turned into a lahar which buried three towns in mud. Death toll estimate around 60 thousand.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks - I will look into that (It's the Chimbote quake, right?)

[@manuelmontiel5418]

@@theravenseye9443 Yes Chimbote earthquake, Yungay and Ranrahirca towns decimated by Lahars.

[@MikeBarbarossa]

The one guy who was supposed to die lived, and all that were supposed to live died

[@LS-ys8nr]

We should all know by now: when the government says everything’s fine, that’s when you run!

[@mattclark6246]

Don’t forget about the 1991 eruption 🌋 of mt peylee in the Philippines 🇵🇭

[@greendragon4058]

I love geology but I have never heard of a lava Spike. The Earth and mother nature are so fascinating. But the people who lost their lives it's just awful

[@globalwarmhugs7741]

The only experts in this disaster were the animals. Always listen to animals.

[@Scrapper.]

'There's no shark! Enjoy the beach!' They should have learned from the massive Krakatoa eruption/explosion in Indonesia 19 years previously. Cheers for this video, y'all.

[@bryantprak7129]

"There was no warning" beside the week of build up and crazed animal behavior, no warning

[@WindTurbineSyndrome]

I've visited that island, beautiful.

[@heinmadsen-leipoldt2341]

What I've learned from this video, if the French tells you to remain calm and remain on the island with an active volcano, that means pack your bags and get out,

[@scottwyatt2614]

I read a book about this, and wish I could remember the name of it. It's in the library at Green River Community College in Auburn Washington. Anyways... On board that last surviving ship in the harbor, people were severely burned, and the crew was trying to figure out how to save the survivors. One woman, not exactly height-weight-proportionate, was so badly burned that she was unrecognizable, and everybody thought she was dead. Everybody was surprised when she croaked out a request for water. They gave her water, and she started singing church songs. Then she'd stop and ask for water, they'd give it to her, and the cycle would continue. The few survivors in the harbor could all hear her, as she was really belting it out. The survivors of the disaster were silent while she sang. The last song she sang was "Nearer My God to Thee", then she asked for water one last time, fell over and died. In the time before the eruption, the Governor had kept saying over and over again that "It's over, it's over, this time it's really over." No, sir. It's NOT over. It's not over until the fat lady sings. THAT is where that saying comes from, wikipedia and internet "sleuths" be damned. It originated from a real-life event. It is also why the newspapers erroneously reported that on the Titanic, 10 years later, the last song played before the ship sank was "Nearer My God to Thee". The Fat Lady was still fresh in people's memory, and that was the last song that the fat lady sang. Of course, the band on the Titanic would do it too. That's what they thought.

[@lorblauh]

That's absolutely not where the phrase originated.

[@scottwyatt2614]

@@lorblauh there is a simple null hypothesis. Find evidence of that phrase existing prior to 1902. If it exists prior to 1902, then I am wrong.

[@melodiefrances3898]

And 2000 more people died a couple days later? Yikes!

[@OfflineDisconnects]

Fun fact: In the year 1902 atleast 2 VEI 6 eruptions happened making it the worst year for volcanic eruptions.

[@chicosticks]

Pretty places always seem to come with these hidden dangers

[@j_mack1996]

Sounds a lot like Pompeii.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

"the last thing he needed was his base not being home on election day" Nature: "hold my beer"

[@CrowSpirit1977]

That was some outstanding leadership

[@SuperTonyony]

“There’s no need to panic! Just enjoy the beach! You know, ‘Amity’ means ‘friendship’!”