The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-02-09
THE DISASTERS OF A MONTH.
OVER A THOUSAND LIVES LOST IN JAN
UARY ON LAND AND AT SEA.

Its fatal and terrific collisions, fires,
and explosions, and the alarming death. !
rate, the list of business failures, and
the overwhelming series of shocking
casualties that marked it will make it
memorable for years.
The month had just begun when the
news of Gambetta's death was flashed
over the wires to all parts of the world.
The mystery that hung over it, togeth.
er with the perturbation and excite
ment it caused in France, made the
event the sensation of the world for
several days.
On the day that the news of Frances
loss arrived the President of the
United States stood in the White
House, surrounded by the wives
of the Cabinet officers, receiving
congratulations from throng of call
ers. The decorations were strikingly
bright, the uniforms of the diplomas
and soldiers were brilliant, the cos
tunes Of the ladies were rich. The
band was playing, and the whole scene
was one of life and animation. Sud-
denly Elisha Allen, the Hawaiian Min
lister, dropped dead near the threshold
of the reception room. The White
House was closed at once, and the
brilliant throng was dismissed.
Three days later came the news of
the spread of disaster and death over
a large part of Europe. The Rhine
and the Danube rose, inundated vii
lagos and towns, washed away bridges,
undermined houses, and spread distress
over many miles of territory. The
Rhine dam at Ludwigshafen gave way
and many people were drowned. The
list of dead along the Rhine number
| ed more than seventy persons. France,
iSwitzerland, and Austria also suffered
great distress.
On the following day Gen. Chanzy
died. After Gambetta he could worst
be spared in France. Gambetta was
called the soul, and Chanzy the sword
of resistance to German invasion. 1t
was said that the Germans feared Gen.
Chanzy as they had dreaded Skobeleff.
On the following day, the 9Th of the
month, the 1nman line steamer City of
Brussels, as she was nearing Liverpool
in dense fog, was run down by the
, steamer Kirby Hall. She sank almost
|, Immediately. The Captain of the
City of Brussels said that the fog was
so heavy that he stopped the engines
and allowed the vessel to drift with
the tide. After she had drifted thus
= for forty one minutes, the Captain
heard the whistles of steamers on both
port and starboard sides. He thought
that the two steamers were passing him
in parallel lines. A moment later a
8 white light loomed up Oh the starboard
, bow, and before anything could be
done the Kirby Hall struck the City of
D Brussels with terrific force. The Cap.
, tain of the City of Brussels stuck by
! his ship till she went down, and clung
1 to a spar until rescued. Ten mer
| were drowned.
l Four days later occurred the appall.
8 ing loss of life in the Milwaukee hote
fire. The hotel was veritable death
J, trap. The fire started in the basement
at a. Man hour when all inmates
It were asleep-and shot up the shaft
e like meteor. In minute suction O.
e the air from the shaft into the corri
l. dors had carried the flames into every
y story, and before any one had time t,
d give an alarm the whole north end O
re the structure was sea of fierce ant
k roaring flame. The stairway aroun(
3 the elevator shaft was burned away
Or and the sleepers were caught in al
awful trap. Another stairway was a
I'd the extreme north end of the building
but almost inaccessible. The flame
I'd and smoke swept through the corridors
ie and the affrighted guests were arouse
le by the suffocating smoke pourin
,r through the apertures of the door
I'D followed by the glare of the fire. Som
ed rushed forth almost into the heart {
the flames and struggled toward til
further stairway. A few of them .
NJ capped; the others were overcome b
It the smoke and roasted in the fire. B,
On most of the people were awakened tt
o. late. When they jumped in affrigl
no from their beds and threw open the
ia doors they were met by surging flame
ne They flew to the windows Five or 8
," or seven stories below was the stol
.rs pavement. Many jumped, and we
he picked up mangled and dead. Othe
no shrank back from the fearful jun
,as until the flames swept into their ROOF
he and shrivelled them into unrecogni2
,at BILE shapes. Many women hung frc
90. the window sills and rent the air wi
lly screams until the fire licked their han
nd and they went spinning down to h
,all rible death AT one time there We
ore five women hanging at the same til
hat from sixth story windows Below W,
he thousands of men looking on horri6
IAN and powerless as the women dropp
a one by one to the street and were pi
in ed up dead The servant girls had
ro- chance of escape, for the fire rushed
Drk the stairway, consuming it as it pass
me and swept into the servants rool
azy One after another they jumped fr
ere the windows in the top story of
out burning building to the street belc
,en Thousands looked on and saw tn
18th meet their death. The proprietor
w. the hotel became insane The be
we'd was general that somebody had set
nan to the building, as no less than four
in tempts to burn it down had been m
If a within two years. The number of Ii
ger lost was IA.
he While they were still digging boz
the out of the Milwaukee ruins the Pl
rry, ers' House, big hotel in st. Lc
old caught fire. 1t started at the s,
Mr. hour in the morning as the Milwar
do fire, but most of the guests escar
and three, however, were killed.
'ild On the 18th day of the month TO-
and people were driven from their home
Door Hungary by the floods. Many
edi' drowned. The dykes around i
gave way, and the deluge compl,
inundated the town. Great dis
ueer still prevails there,
If On the l4th occurred frightfuI
eel il in q circus i'm Russia IT, was in 6