The Portland daily press., 1875-01-01
ures for better and cheaper mail communica-

prospect of improvement.
CASUALTIES.
Jan. 22d, near Port Townsend, Washington
Territory, the ship Panther was lost with twen-
ty-three persons
Feb. Is, eleven men killed and as many more
injured by the falling of q brewery in Philadel-
phia.
Feb. 13, Taylors Pantechnicon in London
burned. It was repository for the most val
liable furniture and other articles of value, loss
SIS, 100000.
March a. boiler explosion in steamer Cres-
cent City on the Mississippi, sixteen lives
lest
April l, the greater portion of Millerstown
Pa, burned and seven persons lost their
lives.
April II, by an unprecedented rise of the
Mississippi and violent local storms, six or
seven of the largest and most fertile parishes
of Louisiana were oyerfiowed, leaving thou
sands of people without food or shelter. The
federal government rendered large assistance
and all the larger cities contributed generous
ly. Other states along the Mississippi were
more or less damaged
March 81, the loss of the French steamship
Nile between Hong-Kong and Yokohama
reported, by which 80 Persons were drowned.
April g. twenty-five persons were killed By an
explosion on board the Tigress at st. job, n.
f.
April 2,the French Transatlantic Co. steam
ship Europe from Liverpool to New York was
lost and on the 9th, the ship Il Amerique of the
same line was abandoned at sea but towed into
al English harbor in good condition.
April 10, fifty persons we-e killed by coal
mine explosion in England.
May 16, the Mill Run reservoir covering a
tract of 100 acres at Williamsburg, Mass, gave
way quite early IN the morning and the vast
mass of water was precipitated down steep
narrow valley through the villages of Hayden
Will, Leeds, Florence, and the town OF North
amptop. A million dollars worth of property
was destroyed and one hundred and fifty lives
lost by drowning In December the top of the
newly constructed dam at Haydenville gave
way owing to bad engineering and mate
rial.
June % the second floor of the Central Bap-
tst Church of Syracuse, N. Y, gave way dur
ing strawberry festival precipitatiug hun
dreds of people into the lower story. Thirteen
May 81, seventy-three lives were lost by tn
stranding of the ship British Admiral on
Kings Island. ...
June 20, by collision in the Sea Of Marmora
800 lives were lost.
July 4, one hundred houses were burned in
Allegheny City, Pa.
July IA. a fire in Chicago destroyed SAG
buildings Loss $4,000, 900 with an insurance of
50, 500, 900.
July 26, destructive deluge or "burst of a
water cloud resulted in q loss of over 100 lives
in the suburbs of Pittsburg, Pa.
August 8, over so lives were lost by the burn
ing of the steamer Port Rogers on the Ohio
river.
the death of 200 persons.
September Z, nearly 200 families were made
homeless by destructive fire in Merningen
Germany. Loss $3.000000.
September 10, the Granite Mill at Fall River
was partially burned and in the consequent
panic over twenty operators were killed.
An earthquake in Guatemala. Sept 3, nearly
destroyed several towns and more than 200 per-
sons lost their lives.
Sept. % very destructive gale occurred on
the coast near Charleston, causing an extensive
loss of property. Great loss was occasioned
by an extensive tornado in southwestern Tex
as a little earlier.
The grasshoppers destroyed quite an exten
sive breadth of crops in the newly settled por-
ton of Minnesota, and in the southwestern
part of Nebraska and new counties of Kansa
so completely devastated the country as to
make about 25, 900 people objects of charity.
The terrible famine which threatened India,
has been averted By the interposition of the
British government. At one time it was
feared that thousands in population of eight
millions would die of starvation. 1t is estimat-
ed that all were saved except two thousand.
November 18th, the emigrant ship Cospatrick
bound from Liverpool to Australia, was burned
at sea. and 474 lives were lost.
Oct 9, a large load of gunpowder, weighing
four tons, exploded in acanal in London, kill
| ing twelve persons and inficting great injury
on property in the vicinity.
Sept. % and %, typhoon of great extent
and violence swept over the vicinity of Hong
Kong by which $4,000 persons lost their lives
and $50, 900, 900 of property destroyed
Dec. =, the Pacific Mail steamer Japan
was burned soon after leaving the Chinese port
and 400 Chinese passengers lost.
GENERAL MATTERS.
January 14th at Springfield, Mass, the se-
| cret organization known as Sovereigns of In
dustry was instituted independent Of, but sym
pathetic with, the Patrons of Husbandry or
| ''Grangers," Its purpose is to bring the con.
sumer and producer into closer communca-
tion.
February 4th the seventh annual convention
| of the Patrons of Husbandry was held at st.
| Louis. At that time the order had extended
| to thirty-four states and territories, and its
| membership was estimated at one million
The headquarters of the army were removed
from Washington to st. Louis, October 9Th.
Although there has been an oppressive lull'
| ness in business not only in this country, but
| throughout the world, it is not on account Of
| light haryests, for throughout the world, with
here and there an exception, the earth has been
unusually productive. The bread and cotton
crops are unusually abundant.
Early in the summer there were reasons TO
| believe that there would be general outbreak
among the Indians. The calamity was averted
by the resolute and prompt punishment of such
bands as took the war path.
| OBITUARY.
| The following are among the most conspicu-
| GUS of those who have died during the year
1874. Charles Sumner, United States Senator
| and anti-slavery leader; Gail Borden inventor
of the process of making condensed milk;
| Charles Astor Bristed known to magazine
readers as Carl Benson; the Samese twins; N.
| S. Dodge, Boston, author; Capt. David Richie,
| U. S. Revenue marine; ex-senator Wigfall of
| Texas; Madame Parepa-Rosa in London, aged
| So: Adam Black, Scotch publisher and reform
er; Field Marshal Baron Won Gablenz of Aus
| tria; Prof. John III. Anderson, London, "wiz-
ard of the north;'' Baron Rothschild; David
| Frederick Strauss, Berlin; Jules Michelet, his
| torian, Paris Elder Jacob Knapp the famous
reyivalist; ex-President Fillmore; Gov. Hart OF
Florida; Prof. Maedler a celebrated German
| astronomer; Kaulbach a distinguished German
painte-; Rev. DR.. Kirk of Boston; Rev. DIR.
| Stark of Philadelphia; Judge j. w. Edmonds
of New York; Prof. Alpheus Crosby of Will
liams college; Rev. DR.. Slicer of the M. e.
| church; Beriah Green a pioneer OF the anti