Fire Mountain : How One Man Survived the World's Worst Volcanic Disaster

On May 8, 1902, the citizens of Saint-Pierre, Martinique, in the Caribbean, scrambled frantically for shelter as the sky turned black & a rain of ash fell on the city. Mont Pelee, the island volcano that had remained dormant for so long, had suddenly awoken. Its rumblings became a savage roar, & within minutes the entire city had been destroyed along with its 30,000 inhabitants. The only apparent survivor was Ludger Sylbaris, a laborer who had spent the previous night in jail & who went on to tour in a human freak show as the Most Marvelous Man on Earth. The thrilling story of this modern-day Pompeii & of its politics, its miracles & its dead. ¿A miniature study in colonialism & as a lesson in what happens to enlightened values under duress.¿ Ill.Morgan, Peter is the author of 'Fire Mountain : How One Man Survived the World's Worst Volcanic Disaster', published 2007 under ISBN 9781422368305 and ISBN 1422368300.