Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-07-25

morning the terrible rumbngs of the earth
announced to the residents of Kingston that they
were experiencing of the earthquakes
which befell the western hemisphere.
The streets of Kingston still strewn with
broken brick stone and mortar Only where abso
lutte necessity demanded has the debris of a year
and a 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 the minds of Americans is per-
haps enjoyable contrast to that which took place
in San Francisco shortly after the Golden Gate city
was desoated 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 place a city the site of
the one destroyed Workmen were paid wages
which drew laborers, mechanics, engineers from
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 it
the traditional tired feeling, attributed to south
peoples is it lack of activity the part of the
government lack of facilities? Those the
questions which experts in building and organizing
trying solve to-day, many months after this
condition brought about.
! One reason that the English insurance
companies have evaded payment of losses
| in the fire which followed the earth
quake The in the courts for
cases where the property was destroyed the owners
unable to rebuild without assistance and that
| is hard obtain wnile the insurance
| pending Others disheartened and would rath-
sell their land than to rebuild and improve it,
The is almost desolate it the week
| following the earthquake. In sections, not
ably Harhor and Orange streets, the rubbish
has been cleared away and small onestory frame
buildings have been erected in which stores and
business places were quickly opened; at another
point the government is clearing an entire city
square for the erection of new federal buildings
/ Aside from these minor matters the city has made
little progress toward rebuilding, business is
generally carried on in temporary structures in
| old buildings which unaffected by the earth
quake and which likewise escaped tn e flames
yet Kingston still shows much evidence of
| its former beauty. The stately palm to
be along highways and in private
every door yard; the rank growth of tropical foil
is quickly covering much of the unsightly ruins
| and giving air of life n which the hand of
| does cooperate.
Before the earthquake the city had many magnih-
| churches, representing of the prominent
denominations Every of them either de-
| stroyed c. put out of commission, and services
| have not been held in single church of the city
since the earthquake. All public worship is either
| churches in the The street meetings
/ predo,nnate. and many of these fervid almost
| to the point of fanaticism The horrors of the
| earthquake. which resulted in several hundred
deaths, made such impression the minds
of the native Jamaicans to leave many of them
| Historically religious.
A sight that impresses in the Kingston
the prevalence of women laborers- Much
q ne heavy work 10 done by the native black wom-