The Washington herald., 1907-01-16

not seem to De trying TO send an InteIH-
gent statement, and are all evidently uer-
vous wrecks.
One message reported q number dead.
and this evening another message badly
jumbled. confirmed the list of fatalities
as great, but no estimate was given. The
words FIRE and burning flashed over the
cable several times. and this is inter
preted as meaning fire is claiming the
wrecked city. Several distinct shocks
were felt. and the cable twice told that
Kingston has been cut off and doomed.
but the purport of this statement is not
understood. as cable connection is suu
maintained 70 az least some extent.
After the first warning over the cable
into Colon which said severe quakes."
communication was interrupted for three
hours, and the line is evidently badly
twisted. An operator who was in the
Valparaiso catastrophe. and is now at
Kingston. cabied Valparaiso repeated"
Late tonight a message from Colon says.
Nothing coming through; can't confirm
anything.
Great Britain Anxious
London, Jan. i5.-There is u.1ch anxiety
here regarding the British visitors 10 the
island their number being exceptionally
large. owing to the session Of the con
ference of the Imperial Department Of
Agriculture. which opened at Kingston
Monday.
Sir Alfred Jones. Of Elder. Dempster &
Co. is president of the Liverpool Cham
Der Of Commerce. He organized in De-
cember a special party of British trade
magnates and friends to visit the West
Indian Islands. and 10 attend a confer
ence of eotton spnners and cotton pIanE
ers at Kingston. They arrived AT King
ston four days ago. The party consisted
Of about 70. who are more or less
prominent in Great Britain including the
Earl and Countess of Dudley. Lord
Mount Norris, Sir Ralph Moor and wife.
and Arnold Forster, Jesse Ceilings. vii
liam Howell Davies. John Henniker
Heaton. the last four being members of
the House of Commons; A. A. Pearson,
Of the colonial office. Mr. Hutton. chair
man of the British Cotton Growing AS
sociation and Hall Gaines son.
Steamboats, Are in Danger.
New York, Jan. 15.-Inquiry al the
various steamship offices brought the re-
sponse that very few. if any. ships were
in Kingston Harbor al the time the earth
quake occurred The Atrato of the Royal
Steam Packet Company, Heft Kingston Tor
New York on Monday afternoon. with a
large number of passengers. The Vir-
ginia, Of the Atlas service Of the Ham
burg-American Line. left here January S.
and was due in Kingston this morning.
with about fifty passengers. The Prinz
Eitel Friederich, of the same lire. is now
on her way from Colon with but few pas
sengers, and is scheduled to arrive Thurs
day. The Sarnia. of that line. which
sailed with a full list Of passengers Satur-
day. does not arrive at the Island City
until Friday.
Besides the Royal Mail, the Hamburg
American. and the United Fruit Company.
the following transportation companies
run boats 10 Kingston OF to some other
port in the island The Elder Dempster.
Lcyland. Halifax. and West Indian. the
Canada and Jamaica. the Atlantic Fruit
Company. the MHson Line, and the Cuba
Eastern Railway Line
Not a little anxiety was expressed at sev-
eral of the offices. and none of the steam
ship men in the West Indian trade feels
absolutely safe until reassuring particu-
lars are received The Hamburg-Ame-i-
can Line is about the only one which
keeps tab on the arrival and departure OF
its ships 10y cable. the others hearing only
when the captain has something extraor-
dinary or disastrous to report None of
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