Ludger Silbaris, survivor of Judgment Day (8 photos)

Nature is beautiful and omnipotent. She gives life and gives beauty. But the wrath of the elements is a terrible sight. And the forces of nature easily destroy in seconds what has been created over years and even centuries.





Natural disasters are one of the few things that remain beyond human ingenuity. The destructive power of the natural world and the ease with which man-made objects are destroyed make it clear that we must take nature very seriously and treat it with respect.



Pele eruption

Natural disasters have claimed many lives. But among the sad stories there are always stories of hope. Even after the most terrible disasters, there have been cases of miraculous survival.

Volcanic eruptions are a particularly clear example of the threats posed to the natural world. One of them was the eruption of Mount Pele on May 8, 1902. This eruption was one of the largest natural disasters of all time and destroyed the entire city of Saint-Pierre on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean.





Eruption of Mount Pele

Leaving behind 30,000 dead, the volcano spared one soul, who, against all odds, escaped the all-consuming flames. This man was Ludger Silbaris, who spent the evening of May 7, 1902 drunk and was arrested for inappropriate drunken behavior.

As punishment, he was placed in a dungeon-like cell with poor ventilation and poor lighting. However, this punishment turned out to be extraordinary luck. Thanks to the fact that he was in the cell that night, Ludger was saved. The next day, when Judgment Day arrived in the city, he survived.

Signs of an eruption of Mount Pele



Ruins of the city

Modern volcanologists would probably have seen the signs and evacuated the people, but at the beginning of the 20th century there was no such knowledge, and no attempt was made to warn the local residents.

According to modern historians, signs of an approaching eruption were obvious. Bald Mountain (Montagne Pelee) began showing signs of activity about a week before the eruption. Ash hung in the air, and people moved from the foot to where, in their opinion, it was safer - to the center of the city of Saint-Pierre.

However, the scale of the eruption turned out to be unpredictably huge, and even Saint-Pierre had no chance to withstand the deadly elements.



According to many sources, when the eruption began, ash and smoke from the volcanic peak clouded the sky within a radius of 80 km. Saint-Pierre was under this cloud, but when the inhabitants realized this, it was already too late. The stream of hot gases escaping from the volcano moved at speeds of up to 670 km/h.

The deadly and toxic mixture of gas and volcanic emissions reached temperatures of over 1,000°C and killed anyone who approached the flow within seconds. The 30-40 thousand residents of Saint-Pierre did not have a single chance: the poor people either burned alive or suffocated from the fumes.

Only a few residents of Saint-Pierre survived that terrible day, and Ludger Silbaris was one of them. The story of his survival sounds incredible, but it is true.

How did Silbaris survive?



Ludger Silbaris

Ludger was 27 years old at that time. He was not known for his good behavior and often got into trouble because of his love of alcohol.

Law enforcement officers once again placed him in a dungeon-like cell so that he would no longer create a nuisance in the city. But in doing so they saved his life.



Remains of the chamber in which Silbaris survived

The cell was built half underground, with no windows and very little interior space: an ideal place for solitary confinement.

It was in the cell, in serious condition, with numerous burns, that the rescuers found Ludger - dehydrated, wounded, but alive.

The cell in the dungeon did not remain untouched: the air inside instantly became hot. The prisoner did not know that the volcano was erupting, but he saw blinding light and very hot ash entering the small cell. Ludger even tried to urinate on his clothes in order to avoid the terrible heat due to the humidity. But this did not save me from burns.

However, Ludger survived. He was saved and treated, and even all his crimes were forgiven and all charges were dropped.



Pele in Martinique today

Moreover, thanks to his terrible experience in the city of Saint-Pierre, he became famous. He was hired by Barnum and Bailey's traveling circus to go on tour with them and tell the story of his terrible but miraculous escape from the apocalypse.

Ludger claimed to be the only survivor of that terrible day in Martinique. However, in reality there were others. However, most soon died from injuries and burns.

Many stories have been told about the terrible day in Saint-Pierre. However, Ludger's story became the most famous. He became something of a celebrity himself. The Judgment Day survivor died in 1929 at the age of 55 from natural causes.