Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1899-08-31
A SUNKEN CITY.

A SUNkEN CITY.
In the beautiful harbor of Kingston.
Jamaica, few fathoms under water.
sleeps the sunken city OF Port Royal,
which was destroyed by an earthquake
IN 1882. On a cloudless, still day,
when the surface of the sea is perfect
ly smooth, the ruins of the phantom
city may be plainly seen in the depths
of the transparent water.
The spire of the old cathedral Is the
most prominent object In the clear
water you can see the fishes lazily
swimming in and out among the ruined
turrets, more suggestive Of owls and
bats than of the finny inhabitants of
the sea. Occasionally gllmpses can be
had of the ruins of other buildings
buildings which for more than two CEN
turtles have kept their CHASTITY secrets
and will keep them until the end OF
time.
Down there, in that peaceful depth,
lie the bones of three thousand men,
women and children, carried down into
the sea with their homes on that awful
June day in 1892. An earthquake, sud
denly and without warning, smote the
profigate city of Port Royal, which
sid into the sea. The waters opened
and swallowed It up, and there beneath
the silent waves, was hidden the wick
edness and debauchery of community
described by historians as being almost
without parallel
After the earthquake the town was
rebuilt, only to be completely DESTROY
ed by fire in 1903 On August %, 1922.
II was swept into the sea by hurri-
cane 1t was once more reconstructed
but again, in 1915, it was reduced to
ashes, and as recently as 1880 II was
visited by another hurricane Every
disaster was attended by great loss of
life
The city of Port Royal was original
ly built upon narrow strip of land
extending out into the sea, which ac-
counts for its strange disappearance
at the time of the earthquake. Like
the house of the foolshman of Biblical
lore, which was bnilded upon the sand,
1t literally slid into the water when
the earthquake shock came.
Previous to that fateful 7th day oi
June. 1862, Port Royal had been known
as "the finest town in the West Indies
and the richest spot in the world" II
was, as 1t now Is, British colony but
there was little either in its govern.
ment or its customs of British moral.
| ity. We are told that Ii was place
of luxurious debauchery. that in theii
excesses the colonists riyaled the prof.
| ligates of ancient Rome
Bnecaneering and piracy were rec
ognized industries. The treasure ships
/ of Spain we're legitimate prey Tht
riches of Mexico and Peru were Levied
upon. and the people of Jamaica were
literally rolling in wealth and splendor
Vice and debauchery held sway, Bac
chanalian reyels which might put K
shame the dWellers in the Orient wer,
of nightly occurrence. There was nj
virtue.
And like the crack of doom came tn,
earthquake The thunder of the ele
ments sounded in the ears of the heed
less reyelers. The earth opened Il
great assures, and closed again lik
the jaws of mighty trap. And II
closing it gripped many of Its yietim
in the middle, leaving their hand
above ground Then came the awfu
sliding. grinding noise of the city, bull
upon its foundations OF sand, sank in
to the caressing embrace of the sea
which forever closed upon its wicked
ness and will forever keep its drea
secrets.
The shock came close ON to midda.
The air was hot and sultry. The SIX
was without cloud A great still
ness seemed to hover over the city, an
then, without warning, the earth tren
bled. Men and women left the
houses and ran into the streets, onl
to meet death in the bowels of cart
or in the hidden reeesses of the sea.
In his Annals of Jamaica" publisl
ed in 1928. Rev George Wilson Bridg
quotes from a letter written by one
! the survivors, reetor-two or thr
/ days after the disaster, which is
/ part as follows
| After ! had been at church readiI