THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1882. THE BURNING OF KINGSTON.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2710, 14 December 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1882. THE BURNING OF KINGSTON.

The appaling disaster which has just occurred in the capital of Jamaica must call very prominent attention to the general question of fire prevention in cities. We learn by a telegram that the whole of the business portion of that city has been destroyed by fire, involving a lose, so it is affirmed, of no less than £6,000,000. Kingston is a town of much the same 6ize as Christchureh, if the suburbs of the latter are taken into consideration. It contains between 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants. As might be expected it is more closely built than Christchureh, although the buildings are, as a rule, mean, if the standing of the town is taken into consideration. Kingston is in fact more a city of the past than the present. It stands on the north side of one of the best harbors in the world, and was founded in 1693, after the neighboring town of Port Royal had been destroyed by an earthquake. But negro emancipation, which played havoc with the commerce of the island, affected the capital equally with the country, and the streets present somewhat of a Rip Van Winkle appearance. Although there are many brick buildings, the larger part of the town is of wood, and many of the edifices still preserve the architectural features given to them by their builders in the reign of William and Mary. The town is built in blocks, the streets running down to the harbour on a gentle incline. Kingston has had some experience in the matter of fires. In 1863 a fire broke out in a baker's shop bakers' shops, by the way, have played a considerable part in the origin of groat fires—and the devou.iug element, catching hold of a large rum warehouse, the result was a conflagration that lasted three or four days and did an enormous amount of harm. The damage caused by the fire just telegraphed is no doubt greatly exaggerated, as such matters generally are at first, but still enough harm must have been done to render the calamity a national one, from a Jamaica point of view. As the trade of the island almost entirely passes through Kingston, the business part of it is relatively larger than is the case in Christchureh. Moreover, the means of fire extinction are still of a primitive nature. There oertainly exists there a fair water

supply, with a good pressure; and moreover the sea ia always available close at hand, and, as the rise and fall of the tide is almost imperceptible— being only about 12 inches— want of water cannot be complained of. Bat on the other hand the fire engines are not such as can cope with great emergencies. There are two or three baud engines in the town, or rather at the arsenal, and, for the rest, the town depends on the exertions of the soldiers quartered not far off, and on the aid of the crews of the ships at Port Royal. So that it may wall be imagined that, when once the fire had got firm hold, it would have very much its own way. Besides, the well-known liability of aU negro populations to panics renders it probable that the bulk of the townspeople will not have taken a very active part in fighting against the conflagration.

But none the leas does the news just received teach ns in Christchurch a vory wholesome lesson. We have steam fire engines, a very efficient brigade, and a population which might be relied upon in a great crisis. But how about our water Bupply ? It would be absurd to compare ic for an instant with the supply that Kingston enjoys. The tank experiment has utterly broken down, as every, body who has thought on the subject, knew it would. Should a fire break out in the bueinesß part of our city under unfavorable circumstances, such as a strong gale favoring the flames, where would be the end of it? The tables might be turned, and the good people of Jamaica might well receive a telegram that the business portion of Christchurch had been utterly destroyed. "What the value of the business premises in thia city may happen to be it would bo difficult to calculate. The rateable property in the city at last assessment was placed at £236,852, and by the next assessment it will of course be shown to be greatly increased, so that the largo capital value of the buildings may bo guesßed at as something very high. Probably the telegram would place it at several millions and the Kingstonites would then interest themselves in enquiring as to what means of fire prevention we possessed. They would be, no daubt, astonished to hear that our main dependence, previous to the fire, was on certain tanks, and that, although there was every facility for obtaining a supply of water for fire prevention purposes at a high pressure, nothing had been done in the matter. Outsiders proverbially see the best of the game, and oar present attitude in the matter of onr water supply to meet fire emergencies must strike people outside of Christchurch as fatuous and ridiculous.