THE KINGSTON DISASTER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8338, 22 January 1907, Page 5

THE KINGSTON DISASTER.

VESSELS ASHORE. Received January 21, 8.30 a.m. LONDON, January 20. •» Many Americans who were in Kingston at the time of the earthquake are seeking refuge in the United States. The men-of-war and the Hamburg- ] American liner Prinz Waldemar are hard ashore at Plum Point, owing to the alteration to the harbour. The destruction of the lighthouse is reported. The Prinz Eitel Frederic is also ashore. RELIEF FUND. i Received January 21, 8.50 a.m. LONDON, January 20. The Mansion House Fund amounts to £IO,OOO. HOMELESS AND DESTITUTE SENT INTO THE COUNTRY. 1,747 BODIES FOUND. SHOCKS CONTINUING. Received January 21, 10.4 p.m. , KINGSTON, January 21. The Guards did not fire a single shot, and perfect order is maintained throughout the city. Three or four train-loads of homeless and destitute-people are sent daily into the country, where food and shelter is abundant. Received, January J2l, 10.4 p.m. LONDON, January 21. The Pr'ess Association's Kingston representative cables that 1,747 bodies were found up till Friday Reuter states that up to Saturday 700 were burled. Still upwards of a thousand are unidentified. The shocks continue, averaging six daily. All buildings that threatened to collapse have been dynamited. It is stated that Port Royal has subsided seven feet.

CONDUCT OF THE POPULACE ADMIRABLE. FEW ATTEMPTS, AT LOOTING. Received January 21, 10.4 p.m. KINGSTON, January 21. ! The conduct of the populace of Kingston, on the whole, is admirable. The few attempts at looting have been confined to rum shops and provision stores. GOVERNOR AND ADMIRAL. A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. Received January 21, 9.55 p.m. KINGSTON, January 21. On Admiral Davies' arrival, Sir J. A. Swettenham requested the American warships not to fire a salute lest the inhabitants should be further alarmed. He also intimated, that assistance was not required. ' A salute, however, was fired. The bluejackets landed and assisted in removing the debris and maintaining order. ' Admiral Davies in a letter informed Sir J. A. Swettenham that the salute was fired owing to a mistake in the transmission of the orders. He thought that, judging by the quiet work done by the blue--1 jackets that day, it was possible to do a great deal to supplement the authorities' efforts without interfering with them. Therefore he proposed, in the interests of common humanity, to land working parties next day unless Sir J. A. Swettenham objected. He added that a land patrol of six men would protect the archives at the Consulate. Ten of his men cleared the wreckage from the Consulate, and then assisted a working party catching thieves and recovering a safe stolen from a jewellery store. This showed that the police surveillance was inadequate for the 'protection of property. Received January 21, llt9 p.m. KINGSTON, January 21. Sir J. A. Sweetenham replied to Admiral Davies, on Friday, thanking him for all the assistance he had rendered, and offered, but he felt it his duty to ask the re-embarkation of the working party and all the parties which kindness prompted the Admiral to land. The Governor adds: "I find your working party to-day was helping Cresswell to clear his store. Cresswell Was delighed at having the work done free of cost, and if you remain long enough I am sure alls, private owners will be glad of the services of the Navy to save them expense. It is*no longer a question of humanity, as all those who are dead died days ago. The work of burial is merely one of convenience. I would be glad to accept delivery of the safe the alleged thieves stole, of which the American Vice Consul has no knowledge. The store was near the sentry post, and the officer in charge of the post professes ignorance of the incident. I believe the police surveillance adequate. Not long ago thieves pillaged the house of a New York millionaire during his absence at his summer residence, but this would not have justified the British landing an armed party to assist the New York Police." Received January 21, 11.32 p.m. KINGSTON, January 21. Admiral Davies, considerably shocked at the Governor's reply, called at the headquarters, and waited fifteen minutes. ( Then he asked the Governor's Aide-de-Camp to tell the Governor that'owing to his not desiring American aid he had countermanded President Roosevelt's order to send the Celtic laden with beef for the relief of Kingston, Sir J. A. Swettenham, arriving in the meantime, a private meeting .took .place and farewells were exchanged.

CABLE NEWS.

By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright,

Received January 21, 11.45 p.m. KINGSTON, January 21. Admiral Davies, interviewed, said the American field hospital at Winchester Park, under the Missouri's Fleet Surgeon Norton, had tended upwards of fifty sufferers from fractured bones and skulls and blood j poisoning. Sir J. A. Swettenham and the local doctors' had greatly opposed the American hospital. They declared that they were ready to accept American supplies, but did not desire interference with the wounded. Finally the sailors engaged in repairing the hospital building returned aboard the Yankton, which sailed on Saturday afternoon, the battleships follOWing. _ mmmlmmmmmm^mmmm . A GREAT SENSATION CAUSED. Received January 21, 11.45 p.m. NEW YORK, January 21. . The incident caused a great sensation in America, ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS DEPLORE THE INCIDENT. Received January 21, 11.45 p.m. LONDON, January 21. English newspapers deplore the incident, and pay the highest tribute to America's prompt and generous assistance. They deprecate criticism until full official light is thrown on the matter. Lord Elgin has acknowledged and thanked the American committees for their proffers of help. All cablegrams to Sir J. A. Swettenham are unanswered. It is suggested in many quarters in America and London that Sir J. A. Swettenham is overwrought and unstrung.