The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-08-07
The Sacrifice of Human Life.

The Sacrifice of Human Life.
The sacrifice of human life during
the past six months has been simply ap-
palling, rs will be shown by the statis-
tics which we print below. In making
up this record we have made use only OF
the great disasters which have been re-
ported by telegraph. The minor casu.
alties it is impossible to estimate. Epi-
denies have been the most severe de-
stroycrs of life, although neither the
cholera nor the plague has ravaged any
part of the world. In the Fiji Islands
alone $4,000 people have perishcd by
mcascls and other diseases introduced
since the annexation Of those islands to
Great Britain. This unusual fatality
from Il comparatively innocuous disease
the London Times explains upon the
ground that the European nations have
become hardened to it, and that it was
destructive to these islanders because
they were having it for the first time
and wcrc not accustomed to this boon of
British civilization. Earthquakes come
second in tho list of destroying clements,
having killed over 10000 people. Wo
have no record of the loss Of life by the
recent earthquakes ana accompanying
volcanic disturbances i'll iceland, but
there have been four other earthquakes
from which tho loss of life has been
given approximately rs follows: In Now
Granadn, 10000; in Asia Minor, 1000 !;
in the Loyalty Islands where tho earth
quake was accompanied by terrible
tidal-wavc, 1000; and ut San Cristobal,
Mex;co, 70. A famine in Asia Minor dur
ing tue early part of the year swept of
10000 people before relief could reach
the afflicted region. Floods como next
IL the disastrous catalogue, their raw
| ages having been almost exclusively con-
fined to Europe. Tho overflow of the
Garonne i'll the southern part of Franco
| destroyed 5000 lives, and that of the
Danube in Pesth GOO. While orr own
country was severely ravaged by floods
| during the spring, especially i'll the
southwest and in Pennsylvania, their
destruction was confined to property.
We can find no evidence that more than
six lives were lost by them, although
many Of them were very sudden and
swept everything before them, being
accompanied. rs they were, with huge
masses OF ice. The marine disasters of
| the past six months have been pecu-
| liarly destructive Of life. Fifty-four
| vessels, nearly all of them steamers,
| have gone down, taking with them 1908
persons, the most prominent Of which
are the following The Schiller, Off
tho Scilly Islands, $40; tho Gotten
berg, oil the Australian coast, 1866; the
Cadi2, 60; the Fu Sing, Chinese
steamer, 80; the American ship Violetta,
70 the Vieksburg. collision with ice
| bcrgs, 40; the Thorrabia, %; the
Cortes, 2G; the George Batters, 81 tho
Bride, Bcrar, Berlin (Japanese), and
tho Alice, 90 each; and the Loch-
nager, 1G. There have been other
severe disasters on the South
American, Chineae, and English
coasts which involved serious
loss OF life, but it is impossible to esti-
mate them, rs the telegraph furnishes
| no record. The season has been IN
usually characterized by tornadoes and
hurricanes, and of these there have been
eighteen which bave been accompanied
by loss OF life, as follows: +: In Hong
Louisiana, 20; France, II; Missouri,
igan, 3; Wisconsin, 3; Illinois, 3;
South Carolina, 2, and Kansas, l total,
| Oh. Thirty-tive fires have been re.
ported, by which 304 lives have been
sacrificed. Only three of these have
been accompanied by heavy loss of
life, being the burning of match fac
tory ut Gutenberg, Sweden $50 y
steamers Il. New Orleans (75); and the
recent Holyoko (AIass.) cLurch disaster
| (92). Explosions, mainly i'll this coun-
try, have killed 207 people, as follows
| Fire damp, 1872 boilers, IS; gunpow-
der, 81 fire works, 8; nitro glycerinc,
4; chemicals, 3. Tho railroads, in this
| country Mt least, have not been go pro-
| life in the destruction of life rs usual.
Although AZ disasters have boen ro-
| ported, but 13 people have been killed,
the largest number in any single disas-
| ter being but 7. The list of injured,
| however, foots mp 2tS. Last in tho list
come snow-slides, which have buried 5G.
The total list foots up rs follows
| Epidcmics. cs............. .. 81, ,OGO
Earthquakes Observation-Disclosures. 2O.070
| Famine. ................. 20. ono
| Floods s................ ............ :,GGt;
| Maine disasters. ............... 1,}03
rOrnadocs Observation-Disclosures. Oh
Firos Observation-Disclosures. 9ll
Explosions. Observation-Disclosures. 107
SNOW slides Observation-Disclosures. 80. ST
Railroad accidents Observation-Disclosures. &;
Total ..... Observation-Disclosures. 37l73
Large as these figures scom it must be