Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-19
COAST LINE THREATENED.
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sion within three minutes" he con-
tinues, their direction being from
east to west. The first shock was
the most severe and did the greatest
damage. The whole city seemed 10
shrivel up. Buildings crashed together
and fell into a crushed mass like egg
Shells
"The business streets in the lower
parts of the city were we'll filled at
the time with tourists who were stop
ping in the curio depots in Harbor
and King streets, or preparing to start
on long excursions into the country.
There can be no doubt that many of
these were caught by the falling brick
work and buried in the debris.
Fires Famed by the Winds.
"The shocks disorganized the cleo
trio and gas supplies, and Immediately
after the crash fires broke out in three
separate spots where the wharves and
warehouses were situated. A brisk
wind that had sprung up from the
southwest famed the flames, which
were soon raging along the entire har-
Dor front and eating their way into
the residential portions OF the city.
"The fire brigade station in Sutton
street had been wrecked by the earth
quake and the fire apparatus in it de-
stroyed. This made resistance to the
fire impossible. 1t therefore, continued
it's course unchecked until this (Tues-
day. morning.
Business Quarter Wiped Out.
by that time the whole business
quarter of the city had been wiped
out of existence, an area of about one
square mile extending from the Par
ade and Harbor street., and including
King. Harbor, Tower, Orange and
West streets.
Many of the big public buildings
were wrecked, but the treasury build
ing in Harbor street was intact. The
postofflce and courthouse, which
were combined in one large structure,
and theheadquarters' house. contain
ing the government Offices, the Colon.
ial bank, and the Nova Scotia bank
were all destroyed. The government
house was badly damaged.
"The churches disappeared, includ
ing the parish church and the Roman
Catholic cathedral, which later had
been recently built The Scotch kirk,
the Wesleyan and Baptist chapels,
and the theater was also destroyed
Ships Turned Into Hospitals.
"The ships in the harbor, including
the Premier, Arno and Port Kings
ton, were transformed into hospitals.
The deck of the Port Kingston resem-
bled shambles. and the cabins were
full Of the dying and the dead. The
only surgeon was the ships doctor,
Evan who was busy with amputations
from o'clock in the afternoon until
4 O'Clock in the morning, using the
main companionway of the ship as an
operating room.
Puts Loss at $25 100000.
1'The entire city must be rebuilt.
The losses are enormous. One unof1i-
cial estimate places the loss at $685.
j 100000. A large number of assures
in the earth appeared The rails OF
/ the electric tramway tracks are twist
ed, the water pipes are damaged and
there are no lights at night time owing
to the damage to the electric and gas
plants
MANY curious circumstances might
be reported. One of the strangest
freaks Of the earthquake was played
with the statute of Queen Victoria
which stands in the center of the
town. The shock turned the statute
completely around. but otherwise it is
intac.
The area bounded by the fire is
bounded, roughly, by Fleet street on
the east and the custom house on the
west, and from the water front on the
south to the race course on the north
The whole water front from the Roya
Mail wharf to the railway wharves al
/ the west end of the harbor had been
burned over.
The majority of the ladies of Sil
Alfred Jones' party were at Constant
Spring hotel, in St. Andrew, which is
five miles from Kingston, when the
shock came. The central tower of the
hotel was cracked and threatened tc
topple over. There was no panic, the
guests eating their dinner with the
greatest equanimity Nobody was in
jured.
when the seriousness Of the disas
ter became apparent they could BIZ
seen removing their luggage to the
lawn in front of the hotel, where the
party encamped until the danger o
further shocks appeared to be over
Later Sir Ralph Moore conveyed al
who were DESTROYS of going to tn,
city and aboard the steamship Por
Kingston. But many preferred tt
wait at the hotel till next morning.
Sir Alfred Jones had marvellous es
cape. He, Jesse Ceilings, and othe
members of the English party, ha,
been standing on the Myrtle Bank he
tel pier tossin gpennies into the waite
for negro divers to recover. Sir Al