Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-16
JAMAICA FIRE SWEPT
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
miles long. At the tip of this sandpit was
what was left Of Port Royal, and at the
other end it joined the mainland at a
point called Rockfort.
Nestled in Seeming Safety.
Pounded on one side by the breakers Of
the Caribbean sea, the sandpit was Tapped
on the inside by a shimmering lagoon the
entrance to which was only separated from
the mainland by a narrow passage. This
passage, which can be navgated only by
a skillful pilot, admits to great almond
shaped lagoon, in which few years ago
it was found that the whole British fleet
could anchor in safety. 1t was within this
smiling lagoon that the city Of Kingston
nestled in seeming safety.
Kingston built on the inward shore,
stood upon land which shelved into the
water at about the rate of one foot in
fifty, and had the same half-submerged ap-
pearance that Port Royal has had since
the great earthquake. The continued sink
ing OF piers and the shifty gravelly nature
of the soil which slid into the sea with
every heavy rainfall formed foundation
for the dismal croaking of earthquake
prophets
The city itself was a beautiful one to
look at from the sea, but, like most tDop-
zeal towns, little disappointing after the
first glamour of new vegetation, strange
buildings, strange tongues and faces, and
new flowers, fruits and Odors had passed
But it was a city of great color. The we'll
paved streets, laid out as neatly as Har-
LENS, were thronged all day with all races
although the African predominated. There
were the negroes with their wide hats,
ragged, washed-out cotton clothes and
great bare feet, always idling and begging
or smoking handmade cheroots on the
piazzas and chattcring with the women.
TT 1toI min
ture, with the bright bandannas over black
faces that were daubed with white powder
in imitation of the white sisters toilet art.
A string of Chinese would pass, and the
negroes would jeer at them. The Chinese
would patter on unperturbed. A big.
bronZed white man in boots and spurs, and
wearing hat he bought by the yard. would
stride by, and the negroes would be silent,
three cents). Then would come stole
Hindu. in turban and cummerbund, walking
stolidly, with his pretty bangled wife de-
murely following, carrying a basket Of
yams and cocoas and breadfruit on her
head.
Busy Streets Of the City.
Harbour street was the main business
thoroughfare of the city. although King
street claimed the honor of being King
stons Broadway. Harbour ran parallel
with the harbor, while King street. be-
ginning under the statue of Queen Vic
toria in the Plaza in the center of the
city, sloped right down and ended ac-
cording to where the tide was
The latter street in the daytime was a
busy mart of trade. There were dry goods
stores. where planters ladies mopped their
faces in the heat while they purchased
pretty things for the tennis meets and
gymkhanas that the young overseers held
in the hills. There were ironmongers
stores. where the booted planters and over
Ipy,
mules while they bought guns and am
munition, plows and cocoa primers.
At night Kingston was dark. Not even
the most Economically inclined could find
joy in it EXCEPT at the hotels and in the
Theater Royal when 1t was open. After
hours the great land crabs came out of the
drains and scurried away before the late
pedestrian. The only sounds would be the
shrieking of an unhappy whisting toad,
the nocturne of crickets. and from some
place where "marengo' native dance
was in progress there would come the
notes of a guitar and. perhaps, a doggerel
verse of native poesy:
Stan pom hill an look at da moon
Oh, dehs moon so sweet!
1t took a lot to disturb the soul of a real
Kingstonian. The sun was wont to shine
there, and there was always lots to COM
plain about. If everything else failed, the
home government could be cursed. 1t was
in recent years a poor city, although
American tourists had been enriching 1t
considerably. But it was city full Of
philosophers. and although 1t had been
British for nearly $50 years. 1t had never
forgotten the Spanish word for tomor-
row.
The Record of Disaster.
And this in spite of the hard knocks that
1t had For instance. in 1882 it was burned
to the ground. 1t was rebuilt gradually
only to be wiped out again in 1913. This
last fire was disastrous one, costing the
city about s15,OOoO0o. Hurricanes. too,
came between times to discourage the citi-
zens. In 1875 not only Kingston, but the
whole island, suffered terribly from a
storm
The greatest hurricane was perhaps in
1880 Kingston the edge of it, but
got its share of trouble. remarka BILE fea-
ture of this storm was that in the eastern
part of the island. where it tore up things
most, no rain fell. and a complacent moon
shone upon ruin throughout the whole af-
fair.
The last great storm occurred in August,
1903 A cyclone swept the island and dam
aged banana plantations, houses. wharves
and steamships to the extent of $4,000.
Port Antonio, the American colony. on the
north side of the island, was nearly wiped
out. But 1t arose again, a model of Amer
lean swiftneSS and utility, and is today one
of the prettiest towns in the West Indies.
1t is the headquarters of the frui. trade
with this country.
Risen Undiscouraged From Ruins.
Kingston, like Port Antonio has arisen
from its ruins time and again. In the last
rebuilding it improved in appearance as
Port Antonio did Before this last disas-
ter 1t boosted at least three first-ciass ho-
tells. all run on the American and European
plans. They were the Constant Spring Ho-
TEL the Myrtle Bank Hotel and the Park
Lodge. The first named was situated be-
yond the aristocratic section, known as
Half Way Tree, but as ii was still on the
Liguanea Plain it is probable that it was
equally affected by the earthquake.
A little behind the site of this hotel the
plain abruptly ends and the mountains
tower upward with a suddenness that is
astonishing to the stranger.
There were some fine clubs, the existence
of which was made necessary by the pres
ence at the Newcastle garrison, the Port
Royal dockyards and the Up Park Camp
garrison of scores of naval and military
officers. Besides that Kingston, like New
York, was the Mecca of every man in the
country who wanted to enjoy himself The
Theater Royal, facing the Plaza produced
drama and opera, grand and comic.
There was also splendid botanical
reservation called Hope Gardens. This was
situated in the outskirts of the city, be-