The Washington herald., 1907-01-19

New York, Jan. 1S.-The only bad news
the Hamburg-American Line has received
from Jamaica came to-day in the form OF
q cablegram telling of the stranding OF
their new 6,0O0-ton tourist steamer, Prinz
Waldemar. The cable was sent from
Kingston b5 Capt Forwood, the COM
pany's general Jamaican agent. with
headquarters at Kingston. 1t reads:
Steamer Prinz Waldemar stranded al
a. N. to-day, One-half mile east OF
Plum Point. The Merritt-Chapman wreck
ing steamer Premier has gone to her
rescue. Stranding due 10 destruction OF
lighthouses and inability to warn ships
Off"
There is no doubt entertained by the
local officials of the Hamburg American
Line. Atlas service, of the safety of the
passengers on the Waldemar. as any dan
ger to them would have been mentioned
in Capt Forwood's dispatch. 1t Is i'm
possible 10 tell who was on the ship as
the passengers she took for Kingston
when she left here on December g were
landed at that place on January l. Pro-
ceeding on her way through the islands,
she picked up an entirely new shipful of
passengers. whose names il has been inn
possible to obtain. 1t is reported as un-
likely that more than one or two Ameri-
cans were on the ship. She usually
brought many islanders to Kingston. fill
ing up there with tourists for New York
After touching at SavsniIla, Colombia,
and Cartagena, she proceeded to Port
Limon. Costa Rica. leaving there for
Kingston on the 18th, the day Of the
earthquake. She was due there on Thurs
day, the 18th, and Capt. Winter is
judged TO have been somewhat delayed
by heavy weather. so that he approached
Kingston port after midnight instead of
in the day. This disaster is attributed 10
all lights and guides having been de-
stroyed by the quake.
Could See No Lights,
Feeling his way along the shore on the
eastward he looked for the lights, and
not seeing them. and being without any
information as to the earthquake, he
lost his bearings and ran the boat
aground about half mile to the east
ward of the harbor entrance formed by
the projection Of land known as Plum
Point. Exactly half way between him
and the harbor inlet when the dawn
broke. Capt Winter must have seen
the wreck of the yacht-like Prinzessin
Victoria Luise Of his own line. whose
captain ran her aground and then shot
himself "a few days before Christmas.
From all the circumstances of the
wreck. the Hamburg-American people
here believe that although the bottom
where the ship ran aground is of coral
formation and extremely treacherous, she
Will he pulled off in good condition. The
Waldemar is only three years old, and
has been in the Jamaica West Indian
business only since last summer. She
was then put on with four other new
steamers, named after some Of the Ger
man princes. and called the Prinz boats.
All these are especially equipped for the
tourist business in the tropics. Capt.
Winter has been in service "a number of
years. and is an officer in the Imperial
German Naval Reserves.
Tourists TO Arrive Monday.
The only other advice the line has
from Jamaica is cable from Capt
Forwood saying that when the Priuz
Eitel Friedrich arrives from Santa Marta
Colombia. to-day he would send 161 tour
lists to New York on her. She was due
to-day. and should arrive here Monday.
That Kingston harbor is safe enough
in the day is shown by cable message
received by the Atlantic Fruit Company
to-day via its Baltimore Office from its
agent in Kingston. The cable is dated
the 18th. and is marked delayed in trans
mission" IL reads:
Business section destroyed Port An
tonic safe. Continue shipments of cargo
TO Kingston. The stuff urgently required
Dock facilities ample
The STUFF means the general mer-
chandise usually shipped, and is not taken
as a request for relief supplies.
a. +. Lascelles q Co. of Bridge street
general importers, with a large business
from Jamaica. received this cable from
their resident partner at Kingston, T. E.
de Mercado, a former member of the leg
islative council on the island, and one
OF the most prominent men Of Jamaica:
Kingston. Jan. H.
Previous cable Port au Prince stated
quake on 18th. instead of 14th. Occasional
slight tremors 18th and 10Th. gradually de
creaSing. Railway working News from
other parts Of the island shows no serious
damage. Sugar estates were unhurt Pro-
ceeding with crops. Order lumber flour,
Office fixtures. &c"
Medical Supplies Ordered.
The railway referred to Is the Jamaica
government railway. which runs into
Kingston. The plantation in We're is
about twenty-five miles from Kingston
on the coast. From the dispatch it ap-
pears that the railway has not been dam
aged materially and is working from
Kingston out into the rest of the island.
and that industry goes on much as 1t did
before the earthquake
The big importing firm OF Gillespie
Brothers & Co, of Stone street. bought
large quantity of surgical supplies on "A
cable request from Sir Alexander SWEET
tenham received the day before. and nut
them on board the Hamburg-Americaa
steamer Allegheny for Kingston The lot
comprises several thousand yards Of lint
many bandagcs. and a great quantity Of
disinfectauts and other medical supplies.
The Allegheny, which was to have sailed
this afternoon. was ordered to wait and
}eave tomorrow morning on account of
the delay in receiving the answer from
Gov. Swettenham as 10 the needs Of the
island. The PTinz Joachim is scheduled
TO leave later in the day A meeting of
the relief committee viii be held as soon
sss= l-..y -r.--gr~ Sr-