Posts Tagged Louie Mouttet

You hear today how biased the media is and how politicians use the power of the media to push their agenda. This is scary, and unfortunately it happens. But one politician in 1902 took this to the extreme. In the Caribbean island of Martinique, Election Day was heating up, but so was the island’s volcano, Mount Pelee. It was spitting up smoke and fire as if to warn the inhabitants it was going to let out steam Election Day or no election day. The residents of the city of Saint-Pierre, which sat at the foot of the volcano took this warning quite seriously and became concerned.

The governor of Martinique was a lot more concerned with his party winning than saving people from the impending doom. Governor Louis Mouttet figured that if a warning was put out, it would create a panic which would hurt the candidates of the ruling Progressive Party. He went to the local paper and told the editor to down play the danger of the eruption! And to add insult to injury, he went to the city of Saint-Pierre three days before the election and told the people there was nothing to worry about. All was safe, go to the election booths and vote. It’s all good.

The next morning at 8:00 AM Pelee erupted on the city. An ominous cloud of hot gas and ash more than one thousand degrees centigrade moved through the city at 100 miles per hour. No one had a chance. It killed 30,000 people including the governor in less than 2 minutes. The volcano didn’t care what party you were, if you were in its path, it would swallow you whole.Only two people survived, one of which was a prisoner which was due to get executed that night! Later this prisoner’s sentence was commuted and he landed a gig with Barnum and Bailey Circus.

The governor didn’t think of the people for one second. It was about his agenda, and he used the media to push it and the media did it. And 30,000 people paid with their lives. Like an eye witness said, “This date should be written in blood.”