Jamaica--Kingston

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Department of State

President Roosevelt directs the Department of State to refer to the concluding part of his letter of April 10 regarding documentation of the incident with Governor of Jamaica James Alexander Swettenham. Roosevelt instructs that the reports from those involved, including Admiral Robley D. Evans, Rear Admiral C. H. Davis, Father Mathew Carlin Gleeson, the ship surgeon, and all officers, be readied for publication. At some point, the affair “may see the light,” in Great Britain, and Roosevelt wants “immediately to produce our whole case in answer.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-24

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge writes to President Roosevelt about the career implications for Admiral C. H. Davis should Atlantic Fleet Commander Admiral Robley D. Evans retire. Lodge feels that Davis deserves the position more than Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich and that Evans’ actions in Jamaica after the 1907 earthquake should not be held against him. Lodge adds that his sister-in-law’s health continues to deteriorate and that according to the doctors she should have died several days before.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-09

Creator(s)

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Letter from John R. Carter to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Carter, Secretary of the American Embassy in London, thanks President Roosevelt for his letters, and for having his daughter Mildred stay at the White House. Carter discusses the response of the British public and press to the “Jamaica incident.” This likely refers to the inadequate relief provided by British Governor of Jamaica James Alexander Swettenham to Jamaican residents after the Kingston earthquake, and the subsequent intervention by American Rear Admiral C. H. Davis. The reaction in Britain is one of “amazement, indignation, and mortification.” However, Roosevelt’s answers to British Secretary of State for War R. B. Haldane’s and British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Edward Grey’s telegrams “had a most soothing effect.” Carter also references an earlier conversation he and Roosevelt had about Swettenham, in connection with the Panama Canal.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-25

Creator(s)

Carter, John R. (John Ridgely), 1862-1944

Report from Oliver D. Norton to Howard E. Ames

Oliver D. Norton reports on his work in Kingston, Jamaica, following an earthquake that had left many wounded. Norton remarks on the unsanitary conditions of the city and the state in which he found the overcrowded hospitals. He praises the actions of the Jesuit priests and sisters who tended to the sick and wounded.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-21

Creator(s)

Norton, Oliver Dwight, 1859-1920

Letter from Truman Handy Newberry to Theodore Roosevelt

Acting Secretary of the Navy Newberry sends information about a number of battleships to President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-21

Creator(s)

Newberry, Truman Handy, 1864-1945

Memorandum from Dennis H. Mahan to Robley D. Evans

Captain Mahan forwards lists of “Medical and Pay Department stores” sent to Kingston, Jamaica, which were not returned. The enclosed lists include sugar, butter, and other food stuffs, as well as muslin, chloroform, and boric acid.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-21

Creator(s)

Mahan, Dennis H. (Dennis Hart), 1848-1925

Report from C. H. Davis to Victor Howard Metcalf

Rear Admiral Davis submits a report to Secretary of the Navy Metcalf about his actions at Jamaica, providing relief following an earthquake there. In particular, Davis notes the actions taken by his sailors, and Jamaica Governor James Alexander Swettenham’s request for them to withdraw.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-21

Creator(s)

Davis, C. H. (Charles Henry), 1845-1921

Telegram from William Henry Beehler to Navy Department

Commander Beehler sends news to the Navy Department regarding the locations, needs, and plans of Admiral Charles Henry Davis and Admiral Robley D. Evans and their respective ships.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-21

Creator(s)

Beehler, William Henry, 1848-1915

Letter from Edwin C. Pendleton to C. H. Davis

Captain Pendleton sends a list of officers who engaged in work in Kingston, Jamaica, following the earthquake. Pendleton reports that the work of these officers and the men under their command merits the highest praise and their conduct was excellent. He notes that “practically the whole ship’s company volunteered for this duty” and at times there were more volunteers than could be employed. Pendleton also lists the names of Americans who left Kingston on the USS Missouri.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Pendleton, Edwin C., 1847-1919

Report from W. N. McDonell to Howard E. Ames

Assistant surgeon W. N. McDonell reports to Medical Inspector Ames on activities that he and other naval surgeons conducted during the relief efforts in Jamaica following the earthquake. Many Americans in Jamaica have expressed disapproval of the Governor’s handling of the disaster relief efforts, and McDonell agrees with this sentiment. The U.S. Navy eventually established a hospital ashore because of the many requests for assistance it received.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

McDonell, W. N. (William Neil), 1876-1941

Letter from George H. McConnon to Edwin C. Pendleton

Dr. McConnon reports on the medical relief he provided to Americans, Englishmen, and natives in Kingston, Jamaica, following the recent earthquake. He went to shore and found Americans who were not injured but fearful of mob violence. He dressed wounds and responded to medical needs as they arose, assisted in resupplying medical stores, and treated patients.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

McConnon, George H., 1880-1949

Letter from Douglas L. Howard to Edwin C. Pendleton

Midshipman Howard of the USS Missouri informs Captain Pendleton that he took a team of sixteen men ashore to Kingston, Jamaica, following the earthquake. First, they extracted the American Consulate archives. Howard then met up with Lieutenant William P. Scott where they began searching for and recovering bodies. Next they helped the owner of the company Milke Bros. recover a safe and return the contents to the owner, Mr. Milke. They also assisted a Mr. Newton in recovering and opening another safe for him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Howard, Douglas L. (Douglas Legate), 1885-1936

List of stores left behind from U.S.S. Missouri

A three page list of supplies left behind by the USS Missouri, USS Iowa, and USS Indiana for hospitals to assist those hurt in the earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from Matthew C. Gleeson to C. H. Davis

U.S. Navy Chaplain Gleeson reports to Rear Admiral Davis on the state of Kingston, Jamaica, following the earthquake. According to Gleeson, many of the dead were still lying in the streets and the hospital was overcrowded, with an insufficient number of doctors to attend to the wounded. Gleeson visited Winchester Park, which the Jesuit priests had opened up to the public, where a makeshift hospital had been built. Gleeson notes that there is not an immediate danger of famine, but many are concerned about the possibility of an epidemic resulting from the number of dead bodies still lying in the streets.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Gleeson, Matthew C. (Matthew Carlin), 1870-1927

Letter from Howson W. Cole to Howard E. Ames

Howson W. Cole, Assistant Surgeon for the Navy, reports to Navy Medical Inspector Ames his observations and work concerning the relief effort after the earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica. Cole reports that their offers to help care for the wounded were refused by Dr. Karr at the Central Hospital, although Karr did request some medical supplies. This refusal was despite the clear lack of appropriate medical services for all the injured, and Cole provides case-specific examples. Because of the clear need for more aid, Admiral C. H. Davis set up an American Hospital, where Cole and others saw as many patients as possible. Cole provides details for a number of patient cases, and concludes that no matter what Governor James Alexander Swettenham believes, medical aid is “certainly needed and asked for, by the poor wretches who are even yet without treatment.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Cole, Howson W. (Howson White), 1878-1925

Letter from Louis W. Bishop to Howard E. Ames

U. S. Navy Surgeon Bishop reports to Medical Inspector Ames on the relief work in Kingston, Jamaica, following the earthquake there. Bishop describes the number of casualties and the types of medical cases. Bishop also notes that the authorities were perhaps refusing the “preferred aid of the naval medical officers” because the “ignorant Jamaican negro was the subject” of the care.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Bishop, Louis W.

Letter from Howard E. Ames to C. H. Davis

Navy Medical Inspector Ames writes a narrative to Admiral Davis relating the events that unfolded when he arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, to provide medical relief after the earthquake. Ames found the city of Kingston to be absolutely demolished, and the populace to be in a “dazed, frightened, and nervous condition.” When Ames offers medical assistance and advice to Governor James Alexander Swettenham, the assistance is refused, and the suggestions denied, with the exception of some limited supplies for which the governor is thankful. Because both Ames and Davis, among others, found that the official city response was lacking, Davis informed Governor Swettenham that the naval medical officers would establish an independent hospital that would serve everyone “irrespective of age, sex, creed, or nationality.” The Jesuit fathers gave their cottage in Winchester Park as the site of the hospital, and they were able to treat many injured people with the help of the Sisters of Mercy. Ames offers comments on the casualties and destruction caused by the earthquake.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-20

Creator(s)

Ames, Howard E., 1851-1918

Letter from Charles Walter Tait to C. H. Davis

Charles Walter Tait, the mayor of Kingston, Jamaica, writes to Admiral Davis to express his “deep and sincere regret that any unpleasantness should have arisen” that would have prompted Davis to withdraw any aid to the city and island after the events of the January 14, 1907, earthquake. Tait asks Davis not to withdraw his assistance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-19

Creator(s)

Tait, Charles Walter, 1839-1907

Letter from W. Pitt Scott to Edwin C. Pendleton

Lieutenant Scott from the USS Missouri reports on his landing team’s work in disaster relief in Kingston, Jamaica. The men under his command assisted in tearing down walls that had been made unstable, removing dead bodies from the rubble, and disinfecting streets and areas where the dead were found. The people of the city were deeply appreciative of their help.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-19

Creator(s)

Scott, W. Pitt (William Pitt), 1873-1942

Memorandum from Charles F. Preston to Edwin C. Pendleton

Lieutenant Commander Preston informs Captain Pendleton that work has been stopped on the Hamburg-American Steamer Princessen Victoria Luise and the wreck abandoned. The Prinz Waldemar is being discharged and it is expected that she will be saved.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-19

Creator(s)

Preston, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1871-1931