EARTHQUAKE SENSATIONS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 118, 20 May 1907, Page 3

EARTHQUAKE SENSATIONS.

Mr. Peter Maguire, in ths Pall Mali ' Mag2;inc for April, describes his sensation.-, during the earthquake at Kingston, Jamaica: — "I was," he sr.yi?, "idly lounging mar the piazza of one of Kingston's finest hotels, after ono of those peculiarly ratisfying .md eoothing lunches arranged by thoae familiar v/ith what is best for the climate. I v.ss musin* end endeavouring to reconcile Biy impressiciw — tho one crowding out the othir— of this picturcrque and strangely intersstinß tropical country city, with Us quaintly-formed dustcovered shunt us eido by side with modern and imposing buildings, and its more interesting and motley crowd of propk-, passing along thj etrcets of Kingston. '•ijazily gazing across tho surface of ths still, glinting waters of thj ment convenient, natuial harbour of the Wcsi Indict to tho land-intercepted horizon boyonti, I had arisen from a c>cat which assuredly, if retained but tin seconds later, wo-jld havo meant a torlurcGOinc if not instant doith for me. Thinking of this for the thousandth tune since tho unforgettabo events of that tragical afternoo::, I ulter, as I did th?u, a cilent but fervent prayer that 1 was providentially sparccl tho ngonics which v/ere meted out to only tcxTmajiy of my friendf. ' A CHAOTIC MIXTURE OF EMOTIONS. "I had not sauntered moio than twenty paces from the spot when, without a moment's warning of any kind, tho earth chaok to and fro, upwards and downwards, with a treacendous, awe-inspiring violence. "Amidst the rapid succession of fodinga of surpriro find consternation, my first coherent thsught cosms now to havo been ono of consideration for maintaining an upright position during tho strangs tusaillt. This I did with great clifriculty, performing in tho air all florts^ of convolutions with my arras and body. Then ihcre scorns to hevo hurried through .my mind with startling rapidity a chaotio mixtura of emotions — fear, annoyance, disccmtort, drrad, hopelessness — ?jl rawlvcd fimlly into one predominating feeling cf ree'khssn^s, ns f swiftly glanced around ue and realised th 3 sad hsvoc being wrought, and on euch r, wholecals scale. "As near as I can define the censations of thoio awTul r<-conds, they seem to have hscn not unliko rs though the eaith v/oro Glrctching and writhing ia tho fashion of ;omi monstrous snake. "I saw myl frhnds, some standing thru- in me.-t unnatural positionf, with a similar misture of f-soling plainly written on thiir bl'iii-'hed f.*.< es, olhsri lying prostrate ex the gruund Trhere thcyh::d boen thrown. AN AWTUL T2J{ SECONDS. " Although the nnct aV.ofk «-r.d Its rovcrberatwns, were sjeat v.ilhin ten Ejconcl; of tirst, t!*.» period was nut'fieicntly n-rrful ted prolonged for rll these thoughts n*d estelioßs tn imisrc3S themselves indelibly on my mind. "Even during thr.t time tho tv. i'tin" r.:id v/rithinj appeared to ir.crir.se, the ataaosphor-j suddenly becßMs oppressive, tho jky darkened ominously "Th-* [crunch and crash *cf falling brickwork md masonry through woodwork and glrs3 distorted, with magical abruptn;i3, tho stately botch <F «a niomont i>rc\ icusly into "a imsi a duUcnveloped dobns : and imparted to ths structure tho grotrcquo appearanco of a lnDiittrou- incoxigrons, badly urcd dolls' hoiiK', v.ith tho Eido rpuWvcd, icver.ling at a glarro th; sectional arrangement of tin hotel into its various rcoin:!. With a previdsrti'i! Jitnitivenr.^c, p/ompting, or |n«tinrl — call it v.hai you will — I stepped tsltlo as a lelegi'iph-polo, snapped at its ba^e, and hold by tho v.ires above, huitled over ths spot whera 1 had stand, swinging with the momentum of a gigantic pendulum, which, striking mo, would havo felled mo insensible to the. ground. ' "Mingled w\lh the crcsh, crash of the toppling bu.'lcHn<T3 cusie tho agonised yolk, of men, and tho ihricks cf women r,nd children, higher, shriller than tho sound of the creaking timbers and thud thud of harder materials, cutting through, the fitill air, and telling wilh fearful certainty cf the panic, and sadno;s, md horror bcyonti. DEEDS OF BOTH SOPvTS. "I witnessed many unselfish, noble, and heroic deeds, and, sad, to say, 'many damnable once. I saw willing, spontaneous acts of mercy and daring accomplished with nn titter disregard of tho thousand and onfc risks of dangers threatening from above and on all sicks. Pitooue appeals for holp echoed with urgent reiteration from all quarters. "Whites were tho first to risa to the occasion. Succour, exciting as the timo was, was rendorod manfully and strenuously, with a heroism which needs no telling, but will ever live in the niindc of tho participators, and conjurc3 for the rest of thair lifs those heavenly feel-ing-j of joy to tho deer and thankfiilncas to tho recipient. It was a fearful time. Constant, heart-breaking, highpitched appeals and unavailing prayers for help camo from all side?. What horror ! Here was a man beyond help, his head battered to a shapeless bleeding mass, discovered by his frenzy-stricken wife, who wildly caressed his body, frantically shrieking, "Oh — oh — oh, my husband !" os cho fell upon him with a haavy thud in a deathly swoon. \ lrft them both dead. STItEETS LEVELLED. Wholo streets of buildings had been levelled within thirty seconds, bruising, maiming, and killing their occupants. Crowds of shrieking pcoplo streamed with maniacal frenzy towards tho open spaces of the city, hundreds of them with heado and bodies cut and bruised and streaming with blood. For a time- the blacks wore panicstricken, overwhelmingly demoralised, boheving as they ditj that Doomsday was nigh upon them. Thoy ran, who could, with their arms outstretched above their heads, calling upon God to 'Havo mercy upon us," and to 'Save my soul, OLord.' They rushed along, urged on by the general feeling of panic, paying no hoed to, nnd passing tho injured with indiiTercnco, and ignoring, if they hoard, their appealing cries. Let it be said in fairness that they were panic-fctricken, and knew not what they' did. It was a panic that held romo for days, otho's, porhaps, to tho end of their fife. Strong mindn and loud voices quickly restored somo of tho men, if not to their censes, to a framo cf mind which rendered them' capable, under suitable leadership, of doing 'something in this world to justify their cxistfnee. Noble deeds were done. It TTa.i a horribla tiwie — n time when even tho strongest nerves felt the high tension ; for all this destruction to property, this marring and 103.i of life won rc-aify only ths beginning of the ordeal.

Tho Rood service p*" 8 ' 011 °f £300 per annum rendered availablo by tho doalli of Admiral Sir ft. B. Traooy lisb born nwnrded lr> Admiral Lord Chnrlon Scott. Ho wan captain of tho Bacchante in .1079, during tho world lour of tho Prince nf Wales, and tho lato l'rinco Albert Victor, wlion rnidehipinon. Ho lioacme a 0.8 and A.D.C. to Queen Victoria, nnd comrnnndod on tho Australian station from 1889 to 1592. 110 was rnndo a X.C B. in 1808, and a (1.C.8. in 1002. He has commanded at Plymouth nnd Dovonport. He retired in Ootobsr, 1001, after Attaining h'« lubiloo of lorviee.