The Washington herald., 1907-01-22

/ greatly in need of medical attendance,
Of food, and of a strong force to maintain
order when I left It two days after the
/ earthquake. ! cannot understand why
/ Gov Swettenham should drive the Amer
lean fleet, bearing these necessities, away
/ from the stricken city"
Thus spoke Max Magnus Of Sc West
18Th street, who returned with a party
Of four refugees from Kingston on the
United Fruit Company's chartered
steamer Baker, from Port Antonio, ia
maica, this morning. With Magnus were
d. S. Curtis. assistant superintendent Of
the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. at
Plattsburg, y. Y; John D. Anvil, president
Of the Avil Publishing Company. 1880 Mar
ket street. Philadelphia. and G. A. In
gals Of Rouses Point. y. 7.
When l heard Of Gov. Swettenham-s
action in ordering Admiral Davis away
from Kingston could scarcely credit the
news, said Magnus Conditions in the
city Were too awful to De told in plain
English language. Fires were sill burn
ing IN some quarters Of the city. roasting
those who had been pinned under the
wreck and still lived. Everywhere were
bodies yet unburied and poIlutng the air
with fearful stencil Food was al a
premium. Medical supplies and physi-
clans alike were lacking
Whole Community ParaIyzed.
The whole community seemed 10 pe
suffering from paralysis. There seemed
nobody 10 direct, yet there were MANY
willing to work. We foreigners could see
little evidence Of the governments ac-
tvity beyond the forming Of the refugees.
camp at the race track and the policing
ei the city by black troops. The few
boats thut We're in the harbor yver.
pressed INTO service as hospitals. and as
Tar as l could see, a major share Of the
work Of tending the sick and wounded
was done by officers and crews of the
Fort Kingston and the Arno, Royal Mail
steam Packet Company's boats. Ivinz
near the Royal Mail docks.
There was little disorder hoard Of
.ooting. but ] did not see any myself Tn
aay that ! left Kingston for alorant Ra,-
! walked through the streets in the lower
part oi the city saw some of The
wounded sitting in the ruins. dazed he
yond all action. The dead bodies of
many could be seen IN the ruins"
AIR. A'll. the Philadelphi8 pub1{ebsr
"as 'ltSpoken IN his condemnation of ths
0CltoAs ol Gov SWettenham He said.
can assign no motive FOR the gov
SIH'I $ act other than modification over
FHe Iact that he had 10 accept aid from
an American feet when there was no
/ English fleet within 80 miles. There vas
/ considerable comment on the part Of rbe
white people Of Kingston AT the seeming
( inability Of the government 20 cone with
the situation Immediately following the
earthquake and fire, but / heard nobody
can Gov Swettenham fool
Work Needed a Director
There seemed a crying need Of some
BODY % direct the work Of clearing the
streets and caring for the injured
When I left Kingston tVyo d8vs after
the disaster the white people. English
Americans. and Germans alike wero
wondering whence would come the first
succor We Americans believed that some
ships might be sent from Cuba. and We
told the Engiishmeu that our feet would
probably bring with them food and med
ical supplies enough for everybody. /
can assure you HAT the Englishmen I
talked with did not raise any scruples
about receiving aid from American
sources"
5. D. Curtis. who was in the Hope Gar
dens, FIVE miles out Of Kingston. at the
time of the first earthquake. and who
drove hurTiedly into town as soon as he
could ind a conveyance. said to-.9ay that
the two days spent in the ruins made il
almost impossible 10 believe that Gov
SwetteEham had refused the assistance of
the American feet
Why l would as easily credit a drown
ing mans refusing to be thrown a rome. ."
said Curtis For the first day there was
no food at all for anybody The second
day after the disaster food began to drib-
bic in from the country around. but il
was neither in sufficient quantities nor
Of quality sufficiently nourishing. The
sick and wounded suffered severely for
lack of staple food"