Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-17
Stricken City Pursued BY
Fate Destroyed BY
Storm Fire and
Quake
But Progress Has Been Made Despite
ALA Favorite Resort for
American Tourists.

~~oSA3 ~ SASJ VI OO,Ouu luhoOAIu1So
and the heart and commercial and poll
tical capital of the beautiful island Of
Jamaica, owed It's birth to cataclysm
similar to that which has now over
Whelmsd and laid the city in ruins. 1t
was founded in 1898 after the neighbor-
ing town of Port Royal had been de-
stroyed by an earthquake. The sur
vtving inhabitants of the ill-fated place,
situated on a peninsula which pro-
tects the harbor of Kingston, fed to
the mainland from the plague which
followed and settled down on the spot
then marked by a few thatched huts.
The only volcanic formation in the
island Is that on the Lowlayton and
Retreat estates in the parish of Port
land, mile from the sea, in the coun-
ty OF Surrey, In which Kingston is sit
uated. There is, however, no defined
crater, and the volcanic materials are
the only evidences remaining. The
coast formation of Surrey county is of
white and yellow limestone and the
greater part of the country is very
mountainous.
City Of Many Disasters.
In August, 1903, Jamaica was swept
by hurricane, which almost totally
destroyed Port Antonio and inflicted
damage in various parts Of the island
amounting to about $10,000,000. Thous-
ands Of houses in Kingston were dam.
aged, the wharves were battered and
several coasting vessels were sunk.
On November 13 last a sharp earth.
shock was felt in the south and north
of the island Of Jamaica. 1t was fol.
lowed Immediately by a second shock
which was the heaviest experienced in
Jamaica in many years.
In 1882 a severe confiagration visited
Kingston, destroying property to the
value of $2,500,000, and in 1S43 another
fire caused damage to the amount OF
about $15,00O,OO0
Victim of Freak Storm.
In August, 1880, cyclone passed
over the eastern half of Jamaica, de
stroyed nearly all the wharves in the
harbor of Kingston, and also caused
much damage to the shipping in the
harbor. The storm lasted about five
hours, but little rain fell in Kingston
and there was moonlight throughout
There was double shock of earth
quake at Kingston, each consisting of q
large number of tremors, lasting sever
or eight seconds, on December Z, 1880
| The shocks were felt throughout the
island.
A tremendous hurricane visited ia
maica in 1915. The whole island was
deluged, hundreds of houses were
washed away, vessels were wrecked
and about 1000 persons were drowned
A Cosmopolitan City.
Kingston has a botanical garden Ii
brary, hospital and various other pub
lie buildings, and is the seat of ar
Anglican bishopric.
The harbor of Kingston is considered
is protected by forts. There is a Dava
arsenal at Port Royal
The city's population Is probably as
cosmopolitan as that of any city in the
world. During the last decade while
| 1t retained the picturesqueness which
had made it famous for century, il
emerged from the filth and disorder
for which it was noted into a splendie
modern city with clean streets, a fine
water system, electric lights and elec
trio railways and imposing public build
ings and fortifications. It's suburbs
naturally remarkably beautiful, became
thickly dotted with the magnificent
residences of it's wealthier citizens.
Chief City Of Island.
The city is located on the side of the
great land-locked harbor 1t spreads
from the waters edge upward to the
vast fertile plain of Liguanea, which
separates Kingston from Spanish Towr
and is irrigated by canal completed
a score of years ago at enormous ex
pense. Practically the entire import
and export trade OF the island was
handled through this port Close tc
the bay the temperature at Kingston
is oppressive, but in the higher quar-
ters of the town and suburbs the sea
breezes make the air delightful an6
the place has long been resorted te
by invalids and convalescents, espe
cially from the United States. The
white residents of Kingston comprise
less than one-third and elsewhere II
the island the blacks make up practf