New-York tribune., 1907-01-18
THE SITUATION IN JAMAICA

kingston's experience closely parallels that
of San Francisco and Valparaiso In all three
places there was a fine water supply, but the
rupture OF mains made it useless. and the fire
which followed the earthquake had things
pretty much its way. Most of the build
ings devoted to business the churches, hotels
and dwellings In Kingston have apparently been
destroyed rendered temporarily untenantabe
Relatively-though of course, not absolutely
the damage to property there is great as it
was last year on the Pacific Coast 1t begins
to look as if the number of killed would be
somewhere between five hundred and thou
sand, or several times large as it was In
San Francisco, though the latter city had a
population of nearly quite four hundred
thousand while that of Jamaica's capital was
somewhere between fifty thousand and sixty
thousand.
Just how many are homeless in Kingston it Is
not easy to determine, for the reports are con-
fusng and more or less contradictory, but it is
safe to say that most of the inhabitants are
without a roof to cover their heads. In region
where the mercury never falls below 20 degrees
able bodied men and women would probably not
suffer much from the necessity for sleeping In
the open. especially if there should be no rain,
but on the more delicate and those who have
been injured the effect of exposure might easily
be unfortunate.
be for something to eat Jamaica produces
enormous quantities Of bananas. which are more
nutritious than most other fruits and II suf-
fcient supply could be promptly obtained star
vaton might he averted until other kinds of
food were procurable. 1t is to be hoped that the
facilities for transportation between the plan
tations I'm the interior and Kingston have not
been seriously impaired as to render this
resource unavailable until relief measures, now
hoV1 1v 1,r16or ha of
England. permanently put end TO the threat
ened famine Outside assistance will undoubt-
edy he needed for weeks If not months. and
promising as are the evidences of universal sym
pathy the practical manifestation OF 1t will not
he out OF place for q long time. 1t should not
he forgotten that money, even in small amounts,
Is quickly convertible into food clothing tents.
medicines and other things which the afflicted
Jamaicans may require
Additional sOlicitude was excited yesterday by
the report that the ground on which Kingston
stands had subsidized enough TO submerge all OF
the wharves which had not been burned. The
announcement needs confirmation. hut is not
incredible. An alteration in the level Of n
coast is NOT infrequent accompaniment Of
earthquakes that are not associated with vol
canc demonstrations. though the change OF
level is seldom more than six eight feet.
Indeed the shock which in 1892 destroyed Port
Royal the former capital Of Jamaica-Sit
uated only few miles from the present one
attended by Just such subSidenCe. How
ever even # there has been recurrence OF the
phenomenon in the same neighborhood II seems
probable that the worst has already happened
The rise or fall of the earth's surface along
geological fault usually occurs with abrupt
ness. and with the type of earthquake from
which Jamaica has evidently suffered the
damage is almost invariably done by the first
shock The tremors which follow may cause
alarm. but are practically harmless