Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-01-18
KINGSTON RAZED
BY EARTHQUAKE.
COMMUNICATION WITH ISLAND OF
JAMAICA is PRACTICALLY CUT
OFF BY DISTURBANCE.
Only Meager Facts Concerning Catas'
trophe Given Out by Telegraph
Company.

NEW YORK, Jan. 15.-Kingston, ia
maica, has been completely devastated
by an earthquake and there has been
great loss of life. This report is given
out by the Western Union Telegraph
company in this city.
Only the most meager details of the
catastrophe have been learned. Commu-
nication to Jamaica and also to the
isthmus has been interrupted by seismic
disturbances, the extent of which cannot
be determined.
DEVASTATED AREA FIVE MILES.
The formal announcement of the West
ern Union follows:
THE Western Union Telegraph com
pany has received advices that com
munication with Kingston, Jamaica, is
interrupted, also to isthmus via Jamaica,
caused apparently by an earthquake,
and that the later advices say, Land
line communication restored to within
five miles of Kingston. Traffic may be
accepted at senders' risk subject to
heavy delay. Reported that Kingston
destroyed by earthquake with much loss
of life"
is CITY OF $4,000.
Kingston is the capital of the Island
of Jamaica, and the principal seaport
is situated on the south coast and on the
north side Of fine harbor. The latter
is a land-locked basin, available for the
largest ships and is enclosed on the south
by a long tongue of land at the extrem-
ity of which is Port Royal. The popula-
| ton of Kingston is about $4,000.
The only volcanic formation in the is
land is that at the Low Layton and Re
treat estates in the Parish of Portland:
mile from the sea, in the. county OF
| Surrey, in which Kingston is situated.
| There is, however, no defined crater ana
| the volcanic materials are the only evil
dences remaining. The coast formation
of Surrey county is of white and yellow
| limestone and the greater part OF the
| country is mountainous.
In August, 1903, Jamaica was swept
! by a hurricane which almost totally de-
stroyed Port Antonio and inflicted dam
| ages in various parts of the island
amounting to about $1O,O00,OOO. Thou
sands of houses in Kingston were dam
| aged, the wharves were battered and
several coating vessels were sunk.
Earthquake in November.
On November 13 last, a sharp earth
shock was felt in the south and the
north of the island of Jamaica. 1t was
| followed Immediately by second shock
which was the heaviest experienced IN
| Jamaica in many years.
In 1892 a great earthquake destroyed
| Port Royal, of whose 5000 houses only
200 We're left standing. 1t was this ca,
tastrophe which led to the founding of
Kingston, many of the survivors remov-
| ing to the plain of Liguanea and settling
on land belonging to Col. Beeston. where
| Kingston now stands. In 17S2 severe
conha grafton visited Kingston.
Quake Recorded at Washington.
ALBANY, n. Y, Jan. 15.-State Ge-
| ologist Clark this afternoon said that the
| seismograph at the state museum re-
corded an earthquake shock here yester-
| day. The vibration here was slight, the
| main movement being from east to west.
The duration of the movement was about
thirty minutes, beginning at 12:47 p. II.