The Washington herald., 1907-01-21
SURVIVORS TELL OF
KINGSTON'S HORRORS
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turned in with the Others. We reached
one man in time to save his life That
was all
The fire was on us before we could get
farther, and we had 10 retreat for our
lives. II there were others alive under the
debris they were roasted TO death.
at was curious how the disaster seemed
to at once cement the survivors into
common brotherhood There were go Of
us working together, rich, poor, black,
and white, and We worked like old-time
comrades. The quiet that prevailed, the
good order. and the desire Of the men TO
pitch in and help were strongly impress
sive.
After the fire reached US the firemen
called for volunteers and we all turned in
and helped The iremen were mostly
without uniforms. and their apparatus
had been destroyed No one could tell
from looking al as who was a regular
fireman and who Was a volunteer. You
might say we had to fight the flames with
our hands.
We finally concentrated our efforts u
save the treasury building, at the corner
tlrely a wooden building. All the build
ings TO the east OF Il were wood and we
knew that If the treasury building went.
all the rest OF the city 10 the east was
doomed. Across the street from the
treasury. directly IN the path OF the
flames, was "a small wooden building.
"Funously We set upon it 200 strong,
and literally tore il 10 pieces with our
hands. The open space made barrier
that checked the fire at that point.
Il remained in the city until about ]
o'clock In the morning, when ! returned
20 our new home az the race track The
pleasure ground Of a few hours before
was crowded with distracted refugees
Most Of them were singing hymns and
praying. ] found my friends and lay
down. I was SO tired from my work that
/ was soon sound asleep.
Robbed of His VnIuabIes.
"On awakening at about a. m, I
found / had been robbed Of my money
and my watch 1 was so dead tired
that the visit Of the human vultures had
not feazed me. Ny loaded revolver.
which had rolled up with my valuables
under an improvised pillow. was not dis
turbed. There / was, penniless in a
I
/ deposited the rest Of my money was a
ruin.
/ Going back 10 look over the town
/ by daylight 1 found the soldiers who
/ had been in camp on the plains had been
/ brought in and were policing the city
} The military had taken possession Of all
/ the rum shops. and refused to sell liquor
| except by the glass BY daylight the
! horror was more apparent. The streets
We're piled with dead horses, mules, and
human beings at every corner Frequently
! ones feet would stumble over a Charred
I mass Of flesh scarcely recognizable as a
/ human body. Hundreds of others were
! in town prowlng the streets.
II took a pretty good survey Of the
situation, and from what l can gather.
I I found the facts concerning the story Of
/ the earthquake 20 Be about as follows.
/ "rhe first and big. shock started at eX-
actly 3.3l on the afternoon of January H.
II lasted with fun yig0r for fully sixty
/ one seconds. Then there was an interval
/ OF thirty minutes when there was an
other and Jess violent shock The fire
began 10 spread after the second shock
/ During the night. and the following day
there were fifteen other distinct shocks
and rumblings. The last Of these, at 1913
p. M, on Tuesday, was very heavy.
stores Full OF shoppers.
The great damage was done 10y FIRE.
The disaster came just when the stores
and streets were fun of people. Shoppers
and clerks We're carried down by the
ruins.
/ only one woman is known 10 have
been saved from the collapse Of Nathan
/ Sherlock q Co.'S store. the biggest store
in Jamaica Only few men escaped
. from this place alive. Both Mr.. Nathan
I and Mr.. Sherlock Were killed. Mr.. Sher-
! lock had only few days before come
/ hack from England. The cables have
( told Of the destruction Of Machauda's
; cigar factory. This was located one
block away from Nathan, Sherlock &
/ Co.'S store Three hundred workmeu
I were In the building al the time. and only
two are known TO have escaped.
/ THE next day after the flames had
swept the ruins another man was taken
out alive He had been pinned down
under a heavy timber which sheltered
him from the heat. The bodies of the
4 manager and one of the five partners
We're found I'm the ruins.
/ After making a second tour Of The
city the next day my only thought was
how 70 get away. 7 learned the Admiral
Sampson was TO sail from Port Auloni
also heard a train was 20 leave Kings
ton at @.3o, and We got "a dray 10 take
what was left Of our baggage 10 the sta.
ton
There are twcuty-eight tunnels on the
railroad from Kingston 20 Port Aulino
but the road was intact. I'm fact al10a
tho line the people had been little dis
turbed and hardly knew there had beer
an earthquake We missed the Sampson
but caught the Farr3gut. and here We
are-Nrs. Turner, Miss Turner. md my
self-tO find we have the distinction of
heing the FIRST Americans TO reach home
from the stricken and CHASTITY ruins OF
Kingston.
Miss Grace Barton Turner. who is a
Red Cross nurse, never faltered. ever
when "a frantic husband and father. hi.
heart wrung beyond all earthly surceasC
at the sight of the bodies of his wife
/ and children. turned away and sent q
bullet through his head"
Miss Turner Describes Scene.
/ There was an instance that was espe.
cially pathetic" said Miss Turner TO-DAY
on board the Admiral FarTagu-. BE
meath the ruins Of a little cottage We
stumbled upon the bodies Of mother anc
her six children. All had been wiped GU
at the same time. While We were exam
lining each body in the hope of discovering
some spark Of life, we We're aroused by q
frantic masculine voice.
( A soldier thrust his way among US
took one awful look at the bodies and
then staggered back. his hands pressed
over his eyes. Not a sound did he utter
but his great strong body shook convui-
siyely, and never have I seen such evi-
dences Of silent suffering upon a human
face. He turned slowly away. seemed tC
hesitate a moment, and then, before any
of us could intervene. deliberately killed
himsnLf hN shnntinr- himself thrn..o-h I'll.