The Roraima's Explosion in St. Pierre

The eruption of St. Pierre took less than two minutes to reach the city, but it was long enough for many people in the streets to watch and realize what had happened. The sheer concussive force of the blast was enough to level most structures in the city, and anyone caught by it received a concrete punch 30 feet high. A couple dozen people in the harbor that morning managed to survive. Most of them aboard the steamship Roraim, which was barely in port when the eruption occurred. All passengers aboard died, aside from one young girl and her nurse.