The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-11-04
JAMAICA'S MYSTERY.
THE FINGER OF FATE IN THE FALL
OF HER CAPITALS.
Tragedies That Are written In the
HIsf0ry of bier Huined Cities-TwO
of Them Vanished Utterly From on
the Face of the Earth.

There exists in Jamaica, In the West
Indies, universal superstition that II
curse rests upon any town chosen to be
Its capital Since 1909, when the first
chief city was founded, no fewer than
three capitals have been ruined in mys-
FERROUS and tragic ways. Two have
vanished utterly from the face of the
earth. Some of the more superstltlouS
of the colonists, brooding over the
strange history of their country fear
that Kingston, the present capital, a
city of 10000 inhabitants, will share
the fate of its predecessors.
The first capital was Seyilla Nueva
(New SeyillcJ, otherwise called Seville
dOro dhc Golden Seyille), on account
of its marvellous wealth. Ii was found
ed by Don Juan d'Esquiyel and Diego,
son Of Christopher Columbus. In n
few years 1t became the greatest Span
ish city in the new world. Ihither
nockcd the blue bIooded but impecuni-
Gus mobiles of CASTLE, eager to rebuild
their family fortunes at the expense of
the poor Arawak
Cathedrals, palaces and monasterlcs,
rivaling those of Spain In splendor,
were erected. The marble streets were
crowded with gayly clad courtiers and
Indian slaves, who toilcd for them and
brought them tribute from mine and
jungle.
Then in Il night, the city vanished,
and no one can tell today what hap
to, 4 No
ords were left behind to tell the tale.
Today one can see, buried In tropical
jungle, Il mile of marble pavement and
II few broken columns and arches.
Nothing else remains of the Golden
Seville. once 50 prosperous and splen-
did except n few contradictory ma
tive traditions These traditions va
riously aseribe the destruction of the
city and its inhabitants 10 n mutiny of
the oppressed Indians, an earthquake,
IL sudden visitation of millions of red
ants and an attack by French buc-
cancers. The very memory of what
was once the greatest city OF the new
world has almost persisted Even in
jamaica few people know anything
about the Golden SrNllle.
The Spaniards made Saint Jago de Ia
Vega, now called Spanish Town, their
second capital Time and again it was
devastated by hurricane and plague,
hurassed by Indian revolts or ransack-
Ell 10y adventurous picaroons. Gradu-
ally 1t sank from It's high estate until
now II Is merely squalld village.
When the English conquered the is
land they made Port Royal their real
capital, though Spanish Town remain
ed for some time the official seat of
government The emporium of the In
dies aud the Spanish main. the market
for the i'll gotten gains of 10000 buc
cancers. Port Royal soon became the
richest ana WickedrSi city of the new
world Al Tire height of its sPlendor
aud its vice It was destroyed within
tie space Of two minutes by an earth
quake.
The ground opening in Several
Places at once" wrote in eyewitness
in lGg2 "A few days after the catastro-
phe, Swallowed up Multitudcs of Peo-
pie together. Whole Streets sinking un |
der water with Men. Women and Chill |
dren in them; and those Houses which |
but Just NOW appeared the Faircst and |
Lottiest in these Parts and might vie
with the Finest buildings in the World |
We're IN a moment Sunk In the Earth, |
and nothing to be seen of them; such |
Crying, such Shrieking and Mourning |
never heard. nor could anything in
my Opinion appear more Terrible to
the Eye of Man Here II Company of |
People Swallowed up ut once; there II |
whole Street tumbling down, and in |
Another Place the Trembling Earth |
opening her RaNenous Jaws. let in the |
MercileSs Sea, So that this Town is be |
come Heap of Ruins. Several PEG.
pie We're Swallowed up of the Earth, |
when, the Sea breaking in before the
Earth could Close, they were washed
up again and NliraculouSly saved from
pcriShinS Others the Earth received
up to their NeckS, and then Closed
upon them and squeezed them TO
Death with their Heads above Ground,
many of which the Dogs Eat; Multi
tubes of People Floating up and down.
having no Burial. The Burying Place
Mt the FaliSadoes is quite destroyed.
the Dead Bodies being washed out of
their Graves, their Tombs beat to
Pieces and they floating up and down;
1t is sad 10 think how we have Suf
fcrCd
The Earth hath still fits of Shaking,
t,,l
ming, and dreadful Weather; yet this
had 81 little effect upon some People
here that the very same Night they
We're mt their Old Trade Of Drinking
and Sweariug breaking up Ware
houses; Hillaging and Stealing from
their Ncighbors, even while the Earth
quake lasted, and several of them We're
destroyed in the very Act. and indeed
this Place has been one of the l.udest
In the Christian World sink of ali
tilthineSs, and mere Sodam."
Old Port Royal lies buried beneath
the sea, The present town of Port
Royal, place of no Importance except
rs coaling station, was built after
the earthquake, a fire and landslide
having destroyed the few houses left
kingston was not founded until the
early part of the eighteenth century.
but it has already been thrice destroy
ed by fire and several times uvaged
by hurricanes. The inhabitants nat
urally wonder what catastrophe vii,
happen next