The 1907 Jamaica Earthquake

During 1906 and 1907 three catastrophic earthquakes and subsequent fires nearly destroyed three cities:

• 1906 April 18 -- San Francisco, California -- 7.8 magnitude
• 1906 August 16 -- Valparaiso, Chile -- 8.6 magnitude
• 1907 January 14 -- Kingston, Jamaica -- 6.5 magnitude

Just as the press of today compare the Haiti and Chile earthquakes, writers in 1907 compared Kingston with San Francisco and Valparaiso. Here are some examples. This illustration is from Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, January 31, 1907. The following eyewitness account is from Collier's Magazine, February 2, 1907:

"In the middle of the afternoon ... the city began to fall to pieces. ...

"The shock was not severe as compared to that at San Francisco or at Valparaiso. ... But the flimsy nature of Kingston's architecture led to a ruin from the quake more complete than on the Pacific Coast last April. Practically all the houses in the business district were shaken down. This district extended along the harbor front for more than twenty blocks, and back from the quays for two or three blocks. Kingston's two big tourist hotels, the Myrtle Bank and the Constant Springs, were wrecked; the Supreme Court, the Merchant's Exchange, the Customs House, and many churches went to ruin before the fire broke out. After the first quake a number of shocks less severe were felt. ...

"Refugees from the destroyed city described the terror of the inhabitants on the day of the earthquake as extreme. Women with children clasped in their arms prayed in the streets while the choking dust of the fallilng walls rose up and darkened the sky. Parties fleeing through the streets were pitched headlong by the quaking earth, and were separated in the darkness. When the ruins could be inspected, it was found that many persons had been buried under debris; at least one man was taken out practically unharmed after the fire had burnt over him and the ashes had cooled. Hospital camps were established on the docks and in the outskirts of the ruined city. Many of the injured were sent off to Spanish Town and Port Royal. ...

"After the shock of January 14, fire broke out and completed the destruction of the city. The camping scenes at San Francisco were reenacted; relief work was, in the beginning, prompt and effective; and ... the spirit of mutual help ... prevailed."

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials

Haitian and Jamaican Earthquakes

Port-au-Prince has the misfortune of being near a fault zone that seldom causes earthquakes, but when thy occur, they are monsters. Most people along this fault zone live out their lives, never knowing that danger lies beneath their feet. The last major earthquake near Port-au-Prince occurred in 1770.

The fault zone that caused this disaster runs east-and-west, through Hispaniola and Jamaica (map). In 1692, an earthquake along this fault zone nearly destroyed Port Royal, Jamaica. Read more.

Most of the survivors moved across the bay, to Kingston. In 1906, the Kingston residents heard of an earthquake and fire in San Francisco that nearly destroyed that city, never suspecting that they were about to endure the same catastrophe. Then on January 14, 1907, the earth moved, and Kingston was nearly destroyed.

This postcard shows the damage at the corner of King and Harbour Streets, Kingston, Jamaica. It was printed in Great Britain shortly after the earthquake.

Port Royal, San Francisco and Kingston recovered and rebuilt after their disasters. Now it is Port-au-Prince's turn, an endeavor made all the more difficult by its population density and poverty.

One aspect of this catastrophe is that Haiti's heritage is threatened, not only by the damage and/or destruction of its historic buildings, but also by the damage to its libraries and archives. To learn more about their destruction and recovery, visit the Digital Library of the Caribbean's web site.

The people of Chile and Haiti have reason to fear earthquakes. Let us hope they do not have to endure catastrophes again for a long, long time.

-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials