National Republican., 1882-12-22
A RARE ROAST.
Details Of the Recent Great Blaze at Kingston,
Jamaica.
Millions Of Property Destroyed and Hum
dreds DIade Homeless.

New YORK, Dec. 21.--Thc Jamaica Creole
of December 10 has the following details Of
the late great fire at Kingston: The Feurtados
fire that began in Port Royal street at 2o'clock
on the 11th instant and spread furiously in
every direction, burning places of worship,
stores, public buildings, wharvcs, banks, prl-
vate residences, groceries, shops, and print
ing Offices, not even sparing human life, will
be long remembered in Jamaica, for it has
gutted the business part of the city, and dis
figured the residence of rich and poor alike
to such an extent that it will take years of
hard toll to remedy or repair the evil. In
deed, IL is the opinion that Kingston will
never recover herself, such is the devastation,
the ruin, and the loss. We know that had
there been means near at hand when the con-
1agration began to put out the fire it could
not have spread further than few yards,
for for some time after the alarm was given
but %
FEW BUNDLES OF SHINGLES WERE IN FLAMES.
Had Mr. Feurtado the smallest appliances on
his premises for arresting the flames they
would have been subdued at once and the dis
trcss which has fallen on us averted. The
brigade arrived on the scene ten minutes after
the report was given, but there was some diff
fculty in attaching the hose to the hydrant !;
meanwhile the flames ascendcd and caught n
tall building to the north-thc savings bank.
L
play, but the sparks from this high house blew
wildly about, and in few minutes time eight
distinct houses in various parts of the town
were ablaze and sending sparks to other
houses, by which means the destroying cle-
ment soon surrounded several districts, liter
ally defying the efforts Of the fire brigade to
get it under control.
riedly placed their valuables in a great fire
proof building recently built and cleared out.
The audit Office adopted different mode the
books and papers were pitched into Duke
street and some of them placed in fire-proOf
store opposite In n half hour there were
several centers of attraction, for fire was in
everyone's neighborhood 80 that every man
had to stand by his own house, or store, or
office to protect it, No fire brigade, unless it
were ubiquitous could cope with what was
in an hours time the greatest conflagration
ever witnessed in this city, not excluding,
we are told, the great fire of 1862, nor the
greater one of lSl3 But the brigade did its
best, and when it could not work cffectually
in one direction it tried in another. Most OF
the properties destroyed were partly insured.
Charles Levy & Co., who are said to have had
a stock worth 10000, were insured for fl5,OOO.
BUSINESS is SUSPENDED.
There is very little to sell and less money
to buy with. The breadstutlS are nearly all
burned up; not less than 1000 bags rice were
turned to ashes at Charles Levy d Co.'s
wharf. The people are mad with their losses.
great many removed their best goods to
places that were not as safe as their own. Mr..
MACPHERSON, of the Beehive store, lost hun
drcds of pounds in silk in this way Mt the
street car company's office. The people are
homeless hundreds of them have taken up
lodgings in the open air at the Central park
and race course, where the governor is en-
deavoriug to get the tents belonging to the
military erected for their covering.
FIVE LIVES ARE REPORTED LOST.
Four dead bodies are said to have been
picked up yesterday in Orange street, and a
corpse of five years old boy in one of the
lanes. Our opinion is that in the aggregate
E2,9O0,000 in property have gone. Among
THE PRINCIPAL LOSERS
are the following:
Port Royal slreet-Mr. Feurtndo's lumber yard
and house attached, Office of the diocesan fnan
cial board. The postal telegraph once, the govern
ment savings bauk, the West India and Panama
telegraph office, the London hotel, the admins
offices and wharf premises, the Jamaica associa
tion office, the Colonial bank premises. Arnold
Alalabre IL Co.'S wharf. the ordnance stores
the above street.
Little Port Royal street George solomon's
counting house, a range of buildings used us store
rooms by Emanuel Lyons Sons, the commercial
Mark lune-About thirty houses belonging I'd
Orange street.-The English and German syna-
gogue, about forty nouses belonging to both rich
and poor, office OF the German consul.
Matthews lane--About seventy houses the prop
erty belonging to the poorer classes.
Harbor strcGt-Jahn Milholland's watch making
establishment, the Jamaica tobacco plantation
company, L, y. MackenZie's watch making estab-
lishment, the Budget pr ntiug office, the Giednei
printing and book binding establishment, Jonas
lIarl's 'sCounting house and about twenty Yelling
houses and small stores
King street-McDowell & Hankeys counting
house and wharf, Isaac Leyy's counting house
the street car compunys Office, the Commercial
hotel, Charles X Crangs ale and porter brewery
Burton's watch making establishment, the Colo
nal Standard oihce, wenly.siX business establish
ments.
Church street.-The gas and water works Offices
the Womuns Sell Help society's offices and u
dozen other pub ic buildings.
Princess street.-The ordnance stores, the Span
ish and Pnrtu csc synagogue and about forty
dwelling houses belonging TO the poor.
West street-About sixty dwelling houses be-
Temple lanerAbout thirty dwellings inhabited
by the poor.
PetSo iane-About sixty houses inhabited by the
poor.
Luke lane5About fifty habitalions of the poor.
A PUBLIC MEETING
was held on Tuesday, fire relief fund in.
stitutcd, and over $500 subscribed on the spot
The governor has subscribed ESQ, and ordered
the payment of $500 from the general revenue
The relief fund has been regularly organized
apd has appointed its committee. Appeals foi
aid have been made to all parts of the island
and to England and America. The island
alone is unable TO cope with the distress
which, indeed, through its principal seaport
affects all the inhabitants. Nor is the colony
wealthy. 1T Is now but recovering from the
effects OF the great floods OF October, 1879, and
the hurricane of August, 1880. Its govern
mcnt expenditure exceeds S2,5O0O00, and its
imports and exports amount only to, on a
rough average, 81 100000 and $6,5O0,00O. The
subsistence Of u large percentage of over 3S,00C
citizens is taken away, and dire want and
misery to very many is inevitable. We arc
unable by ourselves to copo with all this. Will
not great America give helping hand Ia
little jamaica in her hour of trial?"
ANOTHER ACCOUNT SAYS:
The origin of the fire is supposed to have
been in the revenge of an inCendinry AN
cmploye of Mr.. Fuortado on whose wharf The
fire started. Fucrtado had charged the man
with theft, and was then threatened The
man was seen running from the premises just
before the fire broke out, A stiff sea breeze
baliicd the fremen's efforts, blowing brands
into the business part of the city. The gov
ernmcnt savings bank was the second building
TO ignite and, despite heroic efforts, was soon
beyond saving. In few hours the fire had
possession of all the business streets. The
intense heat melted the metal roofs of fire.
proof stores, and those in which rum was
kept gave such force to the conilagratiOn that
a dragght was created like powerful blast
furnace. Iron safes were twisted into every
shape and their contents reduced to ashes,
and powerful iron doors and shutters Of stores
in Port Royal street warped and yielded to
the heat, the valuable stocks being reduced to
c.ndprs. The mob took possession of the
auditors Office and threw the papers and
TIT, - ..1t