Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-21
A YEAR OF HORRORS.
A Review Of the calamltlss Of the
Past Fsw Months.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION DEAlToUr
The Fearful Havoc in Human Life Wrought
by Pestilence. Cyclones, Floods,
Fires, Panies and
Earthquakes.

CHICAGO, August S.-The Times review.
ing the long list of catastrophes which
have resulted in great loss OF life in this
and other countries during the present
season, says: The disasters OF the current
year have been most extraordinary. Their
frequency, and the appalling character OF
most Of them, are q constant source OF re-
mark. Leaving out pestilence, which In
Egypt is working irigh:ful havoc, having
already destroyed $1,000 lives, probably,
the record Of catastrophes is most gloomy.
About 400 lives have been
Lost In this Country
by cyclones. BY the falling OF the pier at
Tivoli, near Baltimore, 100 souls perished.
In the flood. invading the mine at Braid.
wood, - persons were destroyed. By the
burning Of the N.whall house and other
hotels, 100 human beings have been done
to death IN the flames. BY the upsetting
Of a North Carolina boat Is persons we're
drowned. by the railway collision at
Callyon 80 persons we're crushed 10 death.
The New York bridge panic caused the
death Of Il persons. These are Only the
more conspicuous OF the catastrophes
which in this land have
ThroWa . shadow
on so many homes. On the other side OF
the water the same law OF casualty, only, II
anything. more terrific, has prevailed. A
panic in factory at Bombay resulted in
a loss Of Is lives. An avalanche on Mount
Ararat buried $50 souls. A boiler eNpio.
sion in France swept away -, mine ex-
plosion ~, and an explosion in Sicily u.
4 fire in Hungary burned up IS persons,
another in Italy &, an explosion at Scuta.
RI l5o The circus disaster in Poland killed
26s persons. In the Hoods in Germany and
Austria li0 were drowned. The Cimbria
carried down with her i3l human beings.
In the Sunderland panic ~ children were
swept into eternity. More destructive than
all was the terrible loss of life through tho
Earthquake In lschta,
where 1900 persons are believed to have
pcrished How for are these calamities to
be attributed TO natural causes, which man
is powerless TO control, and how far 10 the
|, norance or carelrssness OF men IL seems
0uitc certain that the Sewhall tragedy, the
Sunderland hecatomb, the appalling dcs.
tIuCtion OF the Cimbria, are, 10 large eK-
tent, referable TO human responsibilities
that is TO say, that the foresight and know
edge OF which men are capable might have
avoided these disasters. Like the great
Chicago fire, they teach the lesson oil the
reign Of natural law and the memorable
utitsslty tnht Inhu ~
ANYTHING could move
The stony Heart OF Natare
il would seem TO be a gathering Of fond
mothers and innocent children at the
North Point pier, or that assembly OF
swee tntss and love that was slaughtered at
Sunderland, or those poor girls tinging
their arms through the flames aud crying
for help at Milwaukee. Hut nature hears
no PRAYER. A fre.trap Is fire trap all the
ssme though a hundred homes be desc
late. a hole with no exit Is a cage In which
fright does irsappalling work precisely as
though q thousand hearts did not ache.
Is the saying now so common that "hum,n
life is the cheapest thing in the market
true? II 50, all the worse for human
nature. II 10 much feared that this saying,
| at least,
Il Not quite n Lie.
and cannot be regarded as q slander until
psrsimOny and avarice shall be eliminated
ifOm the causes or the occasions oi dis.
asier.
The disasters by cyclone and extraordin-
ary Hoods are beyond criticism. Science
has not yet discovered what cyclone IL;
some say wind storm. q conccn trated
hurricane, Others say an electric storm. the
very reservoir Of lightning dropping down
10 the level OF the earth, n performance OF
nature on o lower stratum, such as IL all
the time going on in the clouds. The cy-
clone-all the prophets TO the contrary
cannot be fore'old rs yet, and there 10 no
defense against IL but
Cave Ia the Earth.
The belt OF cyclones even Is uncertain
within wide limits, 60 that they can only
be infallibly avoided by the abandonment
Of any country where the cyclone 10
known. TIL science, therefore, shall catch
Up. at least, men must call the desola'ion
Csused by these terrific whrls Of wind and
wafer aud electricity az being duo TO nat.
ural tauses, and in no sense refer tn"m 10
the responsibilities Of men. Tho fact that
casmities come not tingly, that railway
disasters. fires. and all the trnin 0f woe
come IN groups and that other forms OF
disaster take the same occasiOn % work
ruin, il one Of the strange things which
neither philosophy nor religion 10 compe-
ten, 10 s~ive The fact IL none the less
glsrirc. snd the current year Is sufficient.
Iv c,u, riruou. illu.tfatiyn