Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-07-17

announced to the residents of Kingston that they
were experiencing one of the worst earthquakes
which befell the western hemisphere
The streets of Kingston are still strewn with
broken brick stone and mortar Only where abso-
lute necessity demanded has the debris of a year
and a half ago been cleared away and to-day one
may walk the streets of this historic city and be
compelled to take the middle of the road in order
TO avoid the great piles of shattered buildings
which blockade the sidewalks and most of the
1horoughfares
This condition to the minds of Americans is per-
maps enjoyable contrast to that which took place
IN San Francisco shortly after the Golden Gate city
was desolated by the quake of few years ago.
The Pacific coast metropolis awoke the morning
following the earthquake and literally went to work
then and there to place city the site of
the one destroyed Workmen were paid wages
which drew laborers, mechanics, engineers from
every section of the world take advantage of the
high price put upon services. To-day the tourist
would scarcely know there had been disturbance
OF seismic conditions
But in Kingston some of the residents made
homeless by the earthquake are still nhabiting
tents. others have departed, while still others have
moved away from the stricken city Little has been
done. And what is the reason? tourists ask Is it
the traditional tired feeling, attributed to south
peoples is 1t lack of activity on the part of the
government or lack of facilities? Those are the
questions which experts in building and organizing
are trying to solve to-day, many months after this
condition was brought about.
One reason is that the English insurance
companies have evaded payment of losses
I'm the fire which followed the earth
quake The are in the courts for
adjustment but the progress is slow. In many
cases where the property destroyed the owners
are unable to rebuild without assistance and that
is hard to obtain while the insurance cases are
vending Others are disheartened and would rath-
1ar sell their land than to rebuild and improve it,
The scene is almost desolate it was the week
Following the earthquake. In some sections not
ably on Harbor and Orange streets, the rubbish
has been cleared away and small one-story frame
buildings have Been erected in which stores and
business places quickly opened; at another
point the government is clearing entire city
square for the erection of new federal buildings
Aside from these minor matters the city has made
little progress toward rebuilding and business is
generally carried on In temporary structures or in
old buildings which were unaffected by the earth
quake and which likewise escaped the flames
And yet, Kingston still shows much evidence of
its former beauty. The stately palm trees are to
be seen along many highways and in private
grounds; the cocoanut palm fourishes in almost
every door yard; the rank grSwth of tropical foli
age is quickly covering much of the unsightly ruins
and giving air of life in which the hand of man
does not cooperate
Before the earthquake the city had many magnih
cent churches representing most of the prominent
Every one of them was either de-
stroyed or put out of commission and services
have not been held In single church OF the city
since the earthquake. All public worship is either
-condwcaed in small buildings near the parent
churches or In the streets The street meetings
lpredoIninate. and many OF these fervid almost
to the point OF fanatcism. The horrors of the
earthquake. which resulted In several hundred
deaths. made such an impression upon the minds
of the native Jamaicans to leave many of them
hysterically religious
sight that impresses one In Il Kingston
streets Is the prevalence of women laborers Much
0f tho neavy work is done by the native black wom-