Back to Home Page
(From our correspondent.)
A terrible earthquake occurred in Jamaica on Monday afternoon.
Kingston was destroyed, and there was much loss of life.
The shocks continue. Everybody is camping out and there is much distress.
A fire started immediately after the earthquake.
The cable station at Holland Bay, Jamaica reports that a very severe earthquake shock was felt there at half past three on Monday afternoon.
The Western Union Telegraph company has received advices according to which Kingston, Jamaica, has been destroyed by an earthquake and there has been much loss of life.
The report reached the Western Union company through their cable manager at St Thomas. No further particulars have been received.
Later advices received by the Western Union state that the landline communication has been restored to within 5 miles of Kingston.
It has been ascertained that cable communication with the Bermudas has been interrupted since last night. The commercial cable companies lines to the West Indies are also interrupted. The Western Union's message from St Thomas was received the New York at noon, but the report did not become known until some are as later.
The seismograph instrument at the offices of the weather bureau recorded vibrations beginning at 3 hours 38 minutes 23 seconds yesterday afternoon.
The report of the destruction of Kingston by earthquake has caused consternation here owing to the fact that, apart from the Canadians permanently resident there, a number of Canadians are known to be on a winter excursion to Jamaica. The bank of Nova Scotia has a branch of Kingston, and of late years into that business relations have grown up between the two colonies.
Sir Alfred Jones at the large party arrived at Kingston, Reuters agency says, on board the steamship Port Kingston on Friday morning to attend an important agricultural conference which opened on Monday. The party, which was to have left the again tomorrow, included Lord and Lady Dudley, Mr Arnold-Forster, MP, Mr A. A. Pearson, of the Colonial Office, Sir Thomas Hughes, of Liverpool, Sir Thomas Shann, of Manchester, Mr Hall Caine, Mr Jesse Collings, MP, Mr Henniker Heaton, MP, and Lord Mountmorres. Sir Daniel Morris, Imperial Commissioner of the West Indian agricultural department, is president of the conference, and Sir Ralph More is also taking part in the proceedings.
For the second time in the history of Jamaica the capital of the island has been ruined by earthquake. Until 1692 the principal town was Port Royal, but in that year it was destroyed by a great earthquake in which 3000 persons lost their lives, and most of the survivors left the place and founded Kingston. The growth of the new settlement lingered until a disastrous fire in 1703 completed the destruction of Port Royal as a commercial rival, after which Kingston increased rapidly in size and wealth.
It had long been the most important town in the British West Indies. It had a population of nearly 50,000, and covered altogether an area of over 1000 acres sloping to the sea on the northern side of a landlocked harbour capable of accommodating the largest ships. Built on a bed of gravel and well-drained, it had enjoyed an enviable reputation for freedom from malaria and for general healthiness. The streets ran either North and South or East and West at right angles to one another; the principal among them were reconstructed in recent years and paved with brick, macadam, or ashphalt; the water supply was improved and increased, and electric cars traversed the principal thoroughfares. The city in general was lighted with gas, but many of the principal buildings were lighted with electric light. At the junction of King and Queens Street was a garden, formerly a parade ground, of 10 acres, and immediately opposite the principal entrance stood a statue of her late Majesty Queen Victoria, erected in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of her accession. The town possessed many considerable buildings among them being the parish church, containing the tomb of "Old Benbow."
It was not until 1872 that Kingston was finally made the seat of government, for a law passed to that effect in the 18th-century proved to be so unpopular that it was disallowed on petition to the Crown, and the archives were returned to Spanish Town. Kingston frequently suffered from the scourge of fire. In 1780 there was a great conflagration which lasted two days and a night and did great damage; in 1843 fire laid waste the great part of the city; in 1862 another fire devastated the commercial centre, and 20 years later 577 houses were wiped out by a fire which destroyed property estimated at over £150,000 and rendered 6000 persons homeless. In 1903 the island was visited by a terrific hurricane which caused a serious loss to trade and revenue.