JAMAICA—THE EAKTHQUAKE 
269 
Hanover Street, in which the meetings of the Agricultural Conference 
were held. This was an old brick building, formerly a college, 
better built than most in Kingston. It was roofed with tiles, and 
approached from the street by over a dozen rough brick steps, un¬ 
usually steep, and not provided with a hand-rail. Within that 
building were sitting the Governor of Jamaica with his chief officers; 
representatives, official and other, from all the Antilles; the Arch¬ 
bishop of the West Indies, and other local celebrities; Sir Alfred 
Jones and representatives of the Colonial Office. It is not too much 
to say that a great part of the brains of the British West Indies 
was debating under that roof and was, I believe, in a fairly 
optimistic frame of mind as to the prospects of the colonies. 
Wishing to speak to an old friend, Mr. A. A. Pearson, C.M.G., 
who, as a representative of the Colonial Office, had arrived from 
England but a couple of days before, I went up the steps and stood 
in the lobby looking through the open door, and waiting until the 
gentleman then addressing the meeting should sit down. 
Suddenly, without one moment’s warning, the building shook, 
and there was a sound as of tiles falling from the roof, though I did not 
see any fall. At once I said to myself, “ The earthquake I have so 
often wished to experience! What a pity it is such a slight one! ” 
Calling to mind the proverbial advice to get out of a building as 
quickly as possible, and especially fearing that I might be hurt if a 
stampede took place, I made my way to the door. Hot relishing the 
look of the steep steps, I stood for a moment to one side, but quickly 
realizing that if anything came down it would probably be the 
portico under which I was, I thought the steep steps the lesser evil 
of the two, and rushed for them, expecting every moment to be 
pushed down by those behind. I was barely half-way down when 
the anticipated occurred, for I seemed to be pushed from behind in 
such a way as to be turned round in the air, going down the rest of 
the steps on my back and landing in the street on the top of my 
head! To my great surprise I was not seriously damaged, for a 
slight scalp wound was of trifling consequence. When I regained my 
feet the members of the Conference were leaving the building “ in 
good order,” and I did not see that the building itself was seriously 
affected. Up to that time I did not in the least realize that any¬ 
thing very terrible had happened. I said to a gentleman near me, 
“You have been down too ; I will dust your back and you can dust 
mine.” Mr. Pearson came up, and it was arranged that Mrs. Pearson 
should dine with us—barring more earthquakes,” he called out 
after me, as I was setting off to look after my wife. 
