Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-28
PROUD OF !. s. TARS.
Priests Story of Horror Scenes
of Jamaica Earthquake.
GLAD TO SEE OLD GLORY
Father donovan Of Baltimore Tells
of American Sailors Rush to Aid.
CLOSE ESCAPES AT KINGSTON
GLAD TO SEE OLD GLORY
CLOSE ESCAPES AT KINGSTON
Destruction of Church Buildings and
Other Religious Property-collect-
ing Money for Relief Of Sufferers.

BALTIMORE. January 2s.-Rev. J. F.
ODonoyan of the Society of Jesus. who
was conducting a conference in building
adjoining the cathedral at Kingston when
the earthquake occurred, preached yester-
day at st. Ignatius' Church and appealed
to the Pensioners for aid for Catholics in
the stricken city.
There are about 900 Catholics in Kings
ton. and all their churches are under the
supervision Of the American Jesuits. There
Is only one Catholic church-St. AIMS
standing. and the capacity of 1t is about
800. In all the buildings OF the Catholics
which were destroyed a great loss was
would cost about 100000 to replace the
schools and churches.
Father O'Donovan was conducting a mis-
sion in Kingston at the time Of the disaster.
Very Rev. John ]. Collins. administrator
apostolic Of the island, commissioned
Father O'Donovan to return to America and
report to the head of the Society Of Jesus
In New York. He is seeking to procure aid
for Father Collins to help rebuild the
churches. chapels. schools and colleges.
After speaking here in the morning he went
to Washington. where he made addresses
during the afternoon and evening.
For several years Father ODonovan lived
and taught at Loyola College.
Narrow Escape From Death.
Il was in the Alpha cottage conducting a
conference with the English Sisters of
Mercy when the first shock was felt he
said. Had it not been for that fact prob
ably many Of the sisters and the children
of the orphanage might have been killed.
Alpha cottage has a laundry an orphanage,
an academy and house of mercy attached.
When all the sisters were called together
for the conference the children were al
lowed to go outdoors. Only one child was
a victim. 1t had been out, but went back
after a toy and was crushed under fall
ing wall.
while 1 was talking there was rum
bling noise like thunder. peculiar wav-
ing-like motion followed. Immediately there
came a rumbling which sounded like 1850
heavy wagons running over a rough pave
ment. The sisters called to me to run and
they ram too. A brick fell upon my head.
but it only confused my head slightly.
Four sisters were injured and one of them
was in a serious condition. but it Is said
she will recover.
Il went to the clergy house and found
that all the priests anu the two brothers
there had escaped injury. Fathers Stanton,
Goeding. Harpes and ROdock We're there to
greet me. Father Rodock is from Freder-
ic... Md. and Father Stanton was right
here at Loyola for some time. Father Fran
els Barnum. Baltimorean. whose father
conducted the famous hosiery here years
served at Loyola, were also on the island at
the time.
Human Bodies in Fragments.
Everything had collapsed and the brick
buildings hao crumbled into debris. When
Father Collins realized the terrible extent
of the earthquake he sent US to minister to
the dying and wounded On all sides men
begged for absolution and some even asked
that they be baptized 1t was horrible
enough to see the dead and dying, but
visit to the district swept by the flames
was even worse.
Here was an arm, there a leg, some
where else a head and then the human
trunk near by, to say nothing of the charred
remains Of the persons who were impris-
oned and burned TO death. 1t was CHASTITY
sight.
NEARLY all of the brick buildings are
down. There are the Parish Church of
England. the Mico Agriculture College, Cor
don. who was succeeded by Father Collins:
the Cathedral (Holy Trinity and many
others a mass of debris. The Franciscan
Sisters had four brick buildings and a
chapel opposite the cathedral. and they are
ruined. The sisters were away on their
Christmas vacation, which lasts from De-
cember 20 to January 20. They usually
have about 1000 children in school, but
they were not there. The sisters were at
Nuns Pen. on the outskirts of the city.
There the buildings were wrecked.~and the
sisters are living in the open air. Only one
sister was slightly injured.
Where 100 Little Ones Died.
THAT it was vacation time was particu-
larry fortunate, for many more children
might have been KILLED. The 100 who were
killed were at one of the Methodist schools
for the one day. They were there for the
distribution of some prizes.
"St Georges College. at Westminster
Park. which was used as an emergency hos
pital by the Ameri- ans, is a Catholic in
stitution. 1t Is ruined. but fortunately the
earthquake occurred after the classes had
been dismissed and most of the boys were
on the campus playing cricket. The shock
was felt for thirty miles outside the city of
Kingston. One Of the fathers, who had a
mission twenty-five miles of. and another.
who has one thirty miles away, reported
their chapels injured"
In closing Father O'Donovan praised the
American admiral and the men for the
manner in which they acted. but ne had
nothing TO say regarding the way in which
their sympathy was received In speak
Ing OF the night he passed on the dock
waiting for one of the liners to take him
back home. Father O'Donovan declared he
was never so proud OF the American flag In
his life as when he saw the two men-of-
war steaming in.