The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-09-18

~ g heights DgEeF be;cTe astAsneS
grce TIE land vac IS ;Esd. Il 9lil y
remembered tia. FOX weeks tbs raIl-
roads Of the northwest ware snow
bo1ud, some train icing he'd for
days &c drifts or a. iiiils tO8os woscs
loo1 was scarce ami aceommOtatiOD,
ioE travellers unknown. Village are
isolated, many ps5pie we're hungry,
there vas genuine and widespread
coal famine, aud some persons, after
long eaGsrinZ rom cold and hunger
perisbes before relief could reach
them Tne section IGs,s suffering
AID pnVatisu were most severe "a,
IL :be yAst area comprising Iowa,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and DAKOTA.
Win toe departure Of winter came
another national calamity 10 the
sasps of foods. TIE large SLOW
banks melted, MAILING riyers Of ri7-
uleGs, AID swelling rivers into mighty
floods, deluging millions 81 acres
sweeping their banks OF villages
carrying Of towns and iColatec
houses, tearing out bridges, fOaiins
railway tracks, and causing iO=s O.
life and de-tfUction Of property fear
fol II contemplate. Again there va.
almost a suspension Of traffic il
large sections CT the country, unti
the damage to roads could be re
paired, bridges rebuilt, and go on
Following this throughout the east
ern and middle states came q
cold, rainy. frosty, dreary spring and
early summer, which in q measure
parsiyzsd business, and in grea'
degree ruined crops. Then bursI
forth with audiences that startled
as it Frustrated people. one Of the
hottest summers ever experienced 10
toe United States. Everywhere the
Thermometers have registered such
heat as was before unknown. SICK
ness and death kept company witt
the heat, tbs mOrtuary reports from
all the cities teliIsg such terrible
stories as the local sexton has monthly
detailed to the sorro1ing people Of
Salt Lake. During the past month
the telegraph wires have been bur.
dened with the doIefnl details OF a dis
aster that causes us to most forget
the previous great casualties OF the
year. We refer TO the forest fires
New jersey and Pennsylvania have
uttered millions oil dollars Of damage
rom these fires. a portion of New
York has been burnt over, and other
tates have been more or less acofched
Dee OF life occurring in numerous
'laces- But the disaster that
WARTS them all, filing every
leart with terror and sympathy,
nd causing all ID feel that
erribls Calamity has fallen upon
he nation, is ths one that has oc-
urred in Michigan. County after
ounty has been laid waste, towns
ednced to ashes, farmhouses by the
undre1 swept away. and worse than
II not less than one thousand human
eings burned to death. Not quite
0 bad, yet painful to contemplate is
be fact that many thousands of peo
lie have been rendered houseless,
homeless, and destitute of everything
ave life itself, shivering with cold
hungry and heartbroken. On the
order of fast approaching winter,
be future presents to these stricken
a!hers, mothers and children any,
hing but a pleasant picture. For
for them the American peo
lie are big hearted. generous, full OF
ympathy, and timely with their
harity. Were it not for these noble
ualities we might expsst to hear 90
p from the afflicted districts of
fichigan vail OF suffering and sor- |
ow that would pierce the soul of the |
umanity to which it appealed for
uccor.
We have not mentioned the cy-
ZONES and the hurricanes which have
Trecked towns and dashed to pieces
D the sea scores of vessels. |
nth their precious crews. Only the |
Their day one of taese hurricanes did |
amsge to property estimated at TWO
1illien dollars, and was the cause OF
be death of something like one hum
red persons. We bave said nothing
{ the terrible drought which extends
'om the Mississippi to the Atlantic
'oast, the cost OF which to the coun.
y cannot be estimated in dollars. az