The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-01-31
In the Jamaica Earthquake.

The following account of the great
Jamaica disaster. by w. D. Justus,
who has many friends and relatives in
Henderson county, will be of interest.
Mr. Justus was down there selling bib
les.
Mr.. Editor:-We were in Kingston on
one OF the main streets when the awful
earthquake occurred; we came out safe
and alive, just why we were saved do
not know only gotione little skinned
place on my knee and brick cut one of
my shoe strings into and bruised my
foot, my friend Mr.. ". E. Ball only got
one little scratch. We were in drink
stand, I was drinking bottle of cream
soda, Mr. Ball was waiting for me at
the door, he said come on and stepped
out on the street, for one instant he
had disappeared on the out side when
suddenly found myself going towards
the door; for what reason left my drink
and ran to the door do not know unless
it was to pursue after him; as I was
about to put my foot on the street (for
they have no sidewalks in Kingston,) l
heard that most awful nuise and felt the
bricks begin sweeping by my head like
shells from cannon.I kept on going for
about ten feet until got between the
street car track. 1 then braced myself
there until it was all over. The brick
dust was 80 thick / could not see or
hardly breath for some time but my
next thought of course was to look for
Ball. He evidently had been twenty or
thirty feet down the street from me but
had had the same presence of mind and
got into the middle of the street; be-
tween him and was about three dead
people. besides the ones inside of the
buildings which were buried alive. 1
had turned around two or three times
looking for him, when suddenly he came
to me face to face and we shook hands
as If we had not met before in many
day. But to think we were there among
thousands of poor dying souls and both
we'll and sound. The bricks from the
buildings were all in one pile on top of
the people and soon the wounded ones
were cremated which was yet more dis
tressing than If they had been killed
outright. The fire was awful for one
night, but as providence would have it
the wind changed and stopped that part
of it just before day light. But back to
my story. Well, our boarding house
was about five blocks away and we pull
ed out to find our way as best we could.
We started up the usual way, which was
King street, and found it blocked and
all on fire, so we had to go around some
two or three blocks. Finally after
scrambling over bricks, wrecked street
cars, automobiles, wagons, dead people,
dead horses, and crazy people we found
our boarding house still standing be-
cause it was a frame building and fur
ther up on the hill. Every thing in
side the building however was turned
upside down. The lady of the house
was gone and only she young lady that
stayed with her was at home. The lady
of the house was shopping and soon
came in. We thought the fire was
coming, so Ball and 1 got our two suit
cases with our overcoats on our arms
and started for the hills, of course leav-
ing our trunk behind. Well we went
distance of two miles and assure you
that we were not alone for that street
being the only one leading direct to the
mountains of refuge, every person that
was able made a bee line for thatstreet.
To make long story short we slept on
the>ground that night. Our overcoats
served us we'll but one Of those good
natives added to our comfort by handing
US his own bed and pillows and he simp-
ly slept by our side On one quilt. Dur
ing the night we felt eight good heavy
shocks and think. we slept long enough
to miss feeling maybe one or two. We
had just been talking of going over to
Port Royal, in fact had started and
turned back when the shock came.
Port Royal was in sight of Kingston be-
fore she was sunk but now you have to
go over to her by row boat and look
straight down to see her, she was sunk
during an earthquake in 1894, and you
can see the steeples and tops of the
houses under the water yet. Do you
wonder at our being frightened when we
expected every minute to see her begin
falling banaath the sIlTfaca of tha wat
er or to be met with tidal wave and
hurled for miles out into the ocean.
Tuesday morning was fair and we were
in very good shape as our good comrade
had made US some cocoa and served us,
as it were, out of his own mouth, We
at once started for the wharf, hoping to
find some relief. which we did. One of