The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-18
MANY VISITORS
UNDER THE RUINS
Churches Are All Destroyed and
Wharves Burned-Shore Line
Sinking.

LONDON, January 1.-THE Evening
Standard publishes a telegram from
correspondent dated Holland Bay. thirty
miles from Kingston. January 18th. He
says that when he left Kingston it had
been destroyed by earthquake and fire.
The scene was pitiful. He says: There
Were three shocks in succession within
three minutes, their direction being from
east TO west. The first shock was the
most severe and did the greatest damage.
The whole city seemed to shrivel up.
Buildings crashed together and fell into
a crushed mass, like egg shells. The bus
mess streets in the lower parts OF the
city were well filed at the time with
tourists who were shopping in the curio
depots in Harbour and King Streets. or
preparing to start on long excursions into
the country. There can be no doubt that
many of these were caught by the falling
brlckwork and buried in the debris
The shocks dlsorganiZed the electric
and gas supplies, and Immediately after
the crash fires broke out in three separ-
ate spots, where the wharves and ware
houses were situated. A brisk wind TINT
had sprung up from the southwest
famed the flames which were soon
raging along the entire harbor front and
portion of the city.
Business Quarter Wiped Out.
"'rhe fire brigade station, in Sutton
Street, had been wrecked by the earth
| quake, and the fire apparatus In 1t de-
| stroyed and this made resistance to the
| fire impossible. 1t therefore continued Its
course unchecked until this morning. AT
! that time the whole business quarter OF
the city had been wiped out OF existence.
an area of about one square mile, ex-
4 ton inp NO T1,I,, n Enr hn,t
Street, and including King, Harbour,
Tower, Orange and West Streets.
Many OF the big public buildings wers
wrecked, but the treasury building. in
Harbour Street, was intact. The post
office and courthouse, which were COM
hined In one large structure, and the
headquarters house, containing the gov
eminent offices, the Colonial Bank and
the Nova Scotia Bank, were all destroyed
/ The government house was badly dam
| aged. The churches disappeared includ-
| ing the Parish Church and the Roman
| Catholic Cathedral, which latter had been
4 recently built, The Scotch Kirk the
/ Wesleyan and Baptist Chapes and the
theatre were also destroyed.
Ships as Hospitals.
THE ships in the harbor, Including the
! Premier. Arno and Porkington. were
transformed into hospitals. The deck OF
the Porkington resembled a Hhamble, and
her cabins We're full of the dying and
the dead. The only surgeon on board
was the ships doctor, Evans, who waa
busy With amputations from 5 o'clock
in the afternoon until O'Clock in the
morning using the main compenIonway
OF the ship as an 'operatng-room.
The entire city must he rebuilt. The
losses are enormous. One unofficial esti-
mate places the loss At s25.e0o.00O A
Iafge number OF assures In the earth
appeared. The rails of the electric tram
way tracks are twisted. the water piper
are damaged and there are no lights al
nighttime, owing to the damage To the
electric and gas plants
Many curious circumstances are re.
ported. One Of the stransest freaks Of tbs
earthquake was played with the statue OF
Queen Victoria. which stands In the cen
tire Of the town. The shock turned tft