The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-07-30
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morning after the terrible rumblngs of the earth
announced to the residents of Kingston that they
experiencing one of the worst earthquakes
which befell the western hemisphere.
1.-The streets of Kingston still strewn with
Token brick, stone and mortar Only where abso-
lutte necessity demanded has the debris Of year
and half ago been cleared away and to-day
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
thoroughfares.
This condition to the minds of Americans is per-
haps an enjoyable contrast to that which took place
in San Francisco shortly after the Golden Gate city
desoated by the quake Of a few years ago.
The Pacific coast metropolis awoke the morning
following the earthquake and literally went to work
then and there to place new city on the site Of
the one destroyed. Workmen paid wages
which drew laborers mechanics, engineers from
every section of the world to 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 of the residents made
homeless by the earthquake still inhabiting
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 1t
the traditional tired feeling, attributed to south
peoples. is 1t lack of activity the part of the
government lack of facilities? Those the
questions which experts in building and organizing
trying to solve to-day, many months after this
condition brought about
One reason is that the English insurance
companies have evaded payment of losses
in the fire which followed the earth
quake. The cases in the courts for
adjustment. but the progress is slow In many
Uses where the property destroyed the owners
unable to rebuild without assistance and that
is hard to obtain while the insurance
pending. Others disheartened and would rath-
err sell their land than to rebuild and improve 1t.
The is almost desolate as it the week
following the earthquake. In 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 were quickly opened; at another
point the government is clearing entire city
square for the erection of federal buildings.
Aside from these minor matters the city has made
little progress toward rebuilding, and business is
generally carried on in temporary structures in
old buildings which were unaffected by the earth
quake and which likewise escaped the flames
And yet, Kingston still shows evidence of
its former beauty. The stately palm trees to
be seen along many highways and in private
grounds; the cocoanut palm iourishes in almost
every door yard; the rank growth of tropical foil
age is quickly covering much of the unsighty ruins
and giving air Of life in which the hand Of
does not cooperate.
Before the earthquake the city had many magnif-
cent churches, representing most of the prominent
denominations. Every one Of them either de-
stroyed put out of commission, and services
have not been held in single church of the city
since the earthquake. All public worship is either
conducted in small buildings the parent
churches in the streets. The street meetings
predominant, and many OF these fervid almost
to the point of fanaticsm The horrors of the
earthquake. which resulted in several hundred
deaths made such impression upon the minds
of the native Jamalcans as to leave many OF them
Historically religious
A sight that impresses in the Kingston
1nscets is the prevalence of women laborers Much
81 the heavy work 10 done by the native black wom-