Artist's impression of the Roddam escaping the eruption - from a cigarette card.
The Mont Pelee eruption of May 1902
The recent volcanic eruption near Tonga in the South Pacific has reminded me of a gruelling tale of another eruption, 120 years ago, at Martinique in the Eastern Carribean. About 30,000 people died in perhaps the deadliest volcanic eruption in human history. Wikipedia has a comprehensive entry on the topic. This account comes from the book Ships, by Frank C. Bowen. Captain Edward William Freeman, a board of trade examiner, went through a terrible experience . . . with his steamer the Roddam when the disastrous eruption of Mont Pelee destroyed the town of Saint Pierre…