The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-03
MANY SEVERE QUAKES
LEEWARD ISLANDS SHAKEN FOR
THE MAJOR PART or a WEEK.
Loss of Life Large and Much Property
Observation-Disclosures Seismic
Disturbances in Peru.

NEW YORK, May "A copyrighted
cable dispatch from Kingston. Jamaica, to
the Herald, says: Details of the great earth
quake which shook all the Leeward islands
and lasted for nearly an entire week ara
still incomplete, but the news received here
to-day confirms the first reports of large
loss of life and property. Advices from
Montserrat, which reached Antigua Thurs
day, say that the seismic disturbances be-
gan there = week ago Friday evening and
continued almost without interruption until
Monday morning. The most severe trem-
blings of the earth's surface were expert
enced on Sunday, when great damage was
done. The entire population of the island
became panic-stricken and all business was
brought to Il standstill. Special services
were held in all the churches, and upon
the cessation Of the shocks thanksgiving
was publicly offered to the Almighty.
Reports from Antigua, Gaudeloupe, St.
Kits and Dominica have reached here.
They say that the islands suffered a series
of protracted shocks on Thursday morning
between 1915 and 1880 o'clock. The accounts
are very meager, and give no satisfactory
estimates OF the number of deaths or the
property damages.
The latest information comes from the
town of La Pointe-a-Pitre, in the Island
OF Gaudeloupe, which was nearly destroyed
by the earthquake in 1s4S. Many buildings
there, the reports state, collapsed during
the shocks, and the loss of life was large.
In addition a large number of persons
were seriously injured.
The Leeward islands, so named by the
Spaniards in contradistinction of the Wind
WARD islands, which are part of the same
chain, lie north of the fifteenth degree north
latitude, in the Caribbean sea, off the north
ern coast of South America. Usually the
term "Leeward islands is accepted as a
designation of the British holdings in the
group which embraces Antigua, st. Kits,
Dominica, Montserrat and the British por-
tons Of the Virgin islands, with their de-
Tendencies, including many islets. The Brit
ish possessions have a total area Of more
than 200 square miles and a population of
about 100, 900.
Antigua, the most important of the group.
was discovered in 1893 by Columbus, who is
said to have named it after a church in Sc
vile, santa Maria la Antigua. 1t was first
settled by the English in 1852 and is to-day
the seat of an Anglican bishop and the
gOVernOr1n-chief OF the islands. Montser-
rat, which suffered most severely from the
earthquake shocks, is regarded as the most
healthy of the West Indian islands. 1t has
an area of forty-seven square miles and a
population of about 5000 persons. 1t is
mountainous and much broken, with a vol
canlc soil, and is well adapted to the culti-
Vatlon OF sugar and coffee. 1t has a crater
the Soufrtere-which though emitting
fumes of sulphur, has recently been quies-
cent. The Leeward islands include, besides
the British possessions named above, the
Danish portions of the Virgin islands,, which
are so closely connected with the legend
Of st. Ursula; the Island of st. Martin,
French and Dutch; the ST, Croix, Danish:
the Saba, Dutch, and the st. Bartholomew,
Descada, Gaudeloupe and Marie Galante,
French.
The several hundred islands composing
the Leeward group are supposed to have
been broken into the present chain by a
series of violent earthquakes. Certain ii is
that since their discovery by Columbus they
have suffered severely from the trembling
of the earth'S surface. Violent shocks, ac-
companied by loss of life and property,
are recorded in 1859, 1S49 and 1874, and from
time to time there have been minor earth
quakes. In addition to the more terrify-
ing manifestations of nature the Leeward
islands nave been subject to awful hurri-
their path.