p. 16 | The Colon Fire by H. H. Cobban

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 27, 1911

The Colon Fire

By H. H. Cobban

It is with sadness and regret that we report the loss by fire, on the afternoon of March 23, of our printing-office and mission headquarters located at Cristobal (a suburb of Colon), Canal Zone, Panama, when an area equal to seven city blocks was burned. The fire started about one block from our building; and because of the inflammable character of the buildings around us, and the fact that a strong breeze was blowing in our direction, we had only about twenty minutes in which to get things out of our building.

This building served as our printing-office, union conference headquarters, church, and a home for the workers connected with the printing-office and conference work. Thus the effects of the fire are far-reaching,—our printing plant has been destroyed; our office furniture, files, and papers (except such as were in the safe) are gone; our brethren in Colon and Cristobal are without a meeting-place; and our workers are without homes. Those living in the building all suffered heavy personal losses, as it was impossible, in the time at our disposal, to save our household goods.

The printing-office was engaged in the publication of the Caribbean Watchman, our West Indian missionary paper; the Centinela de la Verdad (Sentinel of Truth), our missionary paper for the Spanish islands and countries about the Caribbean Sea; and the West Indian Messenger, our local church paper. Besides the publication of these periodicals, we were working on small books and pamphlets.

The necessity of such an office was felt by the brethren in the West Indies some years ago; and through personal sacrifice and the offerings of friends in America, the work has been built up. In a field like the West Indies, where the laborers are few, there is a distinct need for a missionary paper that can be circulated freely among the people. Such a paper must be sold at a price which the people can pay. The Caribbean Watchman has met this need, and has had the largest circulation of any religious journal in the West Indies. It has proved a real help to our work.

Our fire has brought all this work to a standstill. Our brethren do not feel that it should stop. It is possible for us to use other Spanish papers in the place of the one which we have been publishing, but there is no paper in the English language that will meet the needs of our field. There is, therefore, great need for our resuming our work at the earliest possible date. While we wait, thousands of people who have been reading our truth-filled papers each month will be without our literature.

The great problem now is where the money is to come from with which to equip an office. We shall not be able to rebuild in Panama because of lack of money, and the General Conference Committee has counseled us to move our office to Riversdale, Jamaica, where we can use one of the buildings on the school farm. We need immediate financial help. Are there not brethren in the United States or elsewhere who can help us at this time? The progress of the message in our island field depends largely upon the printed matter that our Sabbath-keepers circulate from month to month, and we do not wish to have their supply of literature cut off longer than is absolutely necessary. We appeal to our brethren who read the REVIEW to help us in this our time of need. Any help thus rendered will be greatly appreciated. All money should be sent through your local conference office, or to W. T. Knox, treasurer of the General Conference. Be sure to state that it is for the Watchman Office Fund.

H. H. COBBAN.

Jamaica, W. I.