Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-11
CABLES NOT WORKING
Lines to West Indian Islands
Rendered imperative.
OFFICIALS ARE PUZZLED
Earthquake Indicated, But No Re.
port of It Has Come.
ELECTRIC DISORDERS LIKELY
Heavy Rain, High Winds and Enor-
nous Sea Reported to Be Pre-
vailing in Jamaica.
OFFICIALS ARE PUZZLED
ELECTRIC DISORDERS LIKELY

NEW YORK, November lit is ap-
by the cable companies with connections
I'm the West Indies that all the submarine
lines throughout the islands, from Kings
ton on the west to Trinidad on the east,
have been rendered imperative by some
agency which up to the present time II
has been impossible to determine.
The circumstances indicate an earth
quake on the floor of the ocean, hut to
affect the cable lines throughout the
breadth of the Indies such a disturbance
would have to be remarkable for it's ex-
tent and severity. No serious earthquake
has been reported from any seismograph
station, nor have the meager reports from
the points on the island of jamaica
where the cables touch indicated an
earthquake on that island.
Electrical Disturbance Possible.
1t is possible. however, that some cleo
trical disturbance similar to that Of the
aurora borealis will finally account for
the trouble.
Jamaica has been visited by a severe
storm. with accompanying floods, and this
is all that can be learned Of the situation
on that island.
The only islands with which telegraphic
communication can be had today are
Cuba and Haiti and the shore station
at Jamaica. Holland bay
1t Is equally impossible to reach the
eastern islands Of the Indies by way of
Europe and Pernambuco. Brazil
Rain and High Winds.
A meager cablegram from Holland bay,
Jamaica. today reports that a heavy rain.
high winds and enormous sea still pre-
vail there The telegraph lines from Hol-
land bay to Kingston and other interior
points are still down, it Is reported. and
floods prevent communication by any
means with Kingston from any Of the
points where the cables land. No men,
ton was made Of any earthquake on the
island In any OF the reports from there.
Ohicials Of the westeYn Union Teie-
graph Company here said today that
PROBABLY sunicient repairs would be made
saees giving the nature and extent of the
disturbance at Kingston.
the Royal Mail steamer Atrato, which
left Kingston Saturday morning. arrived
mere today and reports that no unusual
weather conditions prevailed when she
left Kingston. The Atrato. however. en-
countered very rough weather soon after
leaving Jamaica.
Early Communication Expected.
HALIFAX. N. g.. November 11.-Com-
munication with Jamaica by the cables
coming to this port is still cut OF. ON
cials of the cable companies said TODAY
that they hoped to be able to get
some word through from the island be-
fore night.
Earthquake, Ohacials Here Think.
Weather reports from Kingston, ia
maica, which the weather bureau here
usually receive daily. have failed to come
from the West Indian island since last
Saturday, and the officials Of the service
have been without information regarding
what has occurred there since that time
The only indication Of the reason for the
failure OF their reports to arrive has
come through the press reports, which
show that cable communication with
Jamaica had utterly failed except through
one circuitOus route, for q short time
only.
There has been no general tropical dis
turbance indicated In the reports to the
weather bureau from points in the other
West Indian islands, and the officials
here are OF opinion that whatever atmos-
pheric disturbance occurred in jamaica
must have been entirely local in charac-
ter. While severe storm similar to
local thunder storms here might have de-
strOyed overland telegraphic communica-
tion and wrought great damage to prop
erty on the island, II Is believed that ii
hardly could have had such effect on the
submarine telegraphs unless at points
where IL connected with the overhead
The weather bureau off1cals are inclined
to believe that some submarine earth
quake has caused the interruption to
cables. No earthquake of any magnitude,
however, has been recorded on the seis-
mographs of the weather bureau or the
coast and geodetic survey here.