Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-17
DAVIS GOES TO KINGSTON.
Battleships Missouri and Indiana
Have Accompanied Him.

Advices from the naval station at Key
West to the Navy Department this morn
ing state that it Rear Admiral c. Ii.
Davis, division commander of the Atlantic
fleet, and not Rear Admiral r. d. Evans.
commanding the fleet, as at first supposed.
who went from Guantanamo to Kingston
on the torpedo boat destroyer nipple,
which swift vessel undoubtedly has already
reached the Jamaican capital. The infor-
nation was contained in the following dis
patch from the commandant of the Key
West naval station:
Wireless from Guantanamo signed Evans
states news of disaster received. Missouri,
Indiana and Whpple sailed at noon today
with division commander Rear Admiral c.
H. Davis for Kingston in response with
medical aid and stores
The American National Red Cross has
made arrangements, through the New
York branch, to ship by the Ham
burg-Amercan line, which has given free
transportation, $1,000 worth of food sup
plies to Kingston, consigned to the Ameri-
can consul. The Red Cross branches will
receive contributions for the purchase of
these supplies. which the society considers
should be sent immediately as the need is
urgent.
The supply ships Celtic and Glacier, which
are now attached to the Atlantic fleet and
which are fully proysioned have been or
dered to proceed with all haste to Kings
ton where their cargoes of food will be
distributed among the needy.
Official news of the disaster at Kings
ton, Jamaica, reached Washington slowly
yesterday. in fact. the first report did not
come to hand until well along in the after
noon, when dispatch was received at the
State Department dated Jamaica. 3:31
pm, January 49,. and signed American
consul" stating that Kingston had been
destroyed and hundreds of lives lost, and
stating that food was badly wanted AS
a matter of fact the signature of this dis
patch misleading, for the consul is
absent on leave from his post. 1t was as
sumed al the department that the vice and
deputy consul William II. Orrett, at Kings
ton had sent the dispatch. A reference
in the cabiegram to the tireproof safe is
understood TO convey the assurance of the
safety of the consular records and papers.
1t was also regarded as possible that the
message might have come from Nicholas
r. Synder, the American consul at Port
Antonio on the island of Jamaica.
However, the dispatch was regarded as
warranting the taking of instant measures
of relief. Indeed. the Navy Department
had been in advance in this matter, for
through Capt Beehler, the officer in charge
of the naval station at Key West, wireless
communication was early established be-
tween the Navy Department and Admiral
Evans, commanding the Atlantic fleet at
Guantanamo, Cuba, and when Secretary
Root later indicated the desirability of
sending warships at once to the distressed
island he was informed that Admiral Evans
had anticipated the direction and had
started on a torpedo boat destroyer, the
swiftest vessel in the American fleet, for
Kingston, ordering two of the slower bat
tleships to follow as soon as they could.
The appeal for food supplies directed at
tention to the fact that under ordinary con-
ditiOns none of the government supplies
could be used for outside relief save by
special authority of Congress. That fact,
however. did not prevent Secretary Met
calf from ordering two supply ships with
full cargoes of food at once to Jamaica.
There stores of food at San Juan,
Porto Rico and at Havana that might be
used for emergencies, leaving the depart
ment to draw later on upon the large
stocks at New York.