The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-15
THE DEATH ROLL.
Disasters Of tho Year up 70 Date.
From the New York Tribune.


From the New York Tribune
It was generally remarked at the time
Of the earthquake In Ischia that the year
1883 had been full of horrors, casualties
and mortal visitatons Of all kinds follow
ing one another in quick succession, and
resulting In destruction OF human life
whose sum total is fairly startling Barely
a month has passed Since that time, and
the death-roll of the year, from pestilence,
earthquake, fire and accident, has more
than doubled in that brief time, bringing
the grim totals tar up above those OF pre-
vious years. A recapitulatlon of the more
important OF these events may not be the
plessantest OF tasks, but 1t may have its
lesson, after all.
in the opening month Of the year the
Cimbria sank, drowning 4S4 persons; 70Or
50 lost their lives IN the hotel fire at Mil
waukee; 26S by the burning OF circus IN
Poland; 70 were drowned by the flooding
of mine in Australia; 81 were killed by
a railroad accident at Tehlchlpa, IN CALI
tornia IL conviCts were drowned by the
upsetting of fiat boat In North Carolina,
and 10 persons by the sinking Of the City
OF Brussels; and 10 were killed by the ex
plOsion OF mine IN Illinois. In February
there was the Fourth Street School panic
in this city which cost IL children their
lives In the BraidwoOd nine disaster u
lives we're lost and by floods in various
parts of the country IS. In March II per-
sons were burned at Brownsville, Mimi.
In April 200 lives were lost by various
tornadoes, and IA persons were killed by
the fall of hotel in Texas. In May, the
Brooklyn Bridge panic cost IA lives and
tornadoes swallowed up 11S more. In
June there was the terrible panic OF chill
dren in Sunderland, Eng, in which zoe
we're killed; IN this country the total mum
Der of deaths reported from floods and tor
na9oes was IS. In July there was the
launch disaster at Glasgow, where the la
test estimate of the loss put it at $50; 70
persons were drowned by the falling OF the
rotten pier at Baltimore; II were killed by
arailroad accident at Carlyon in this state :;
II we're drowned by floods at London, Ont. ;
"a fire in Hungary burned 20. The month
closed with the earthquake IN Ischia. The
latest estimates seemed to put the number
OF lives lost at between 1000 and 5000, but
the Cologne Gazette, at the same time, de-
clared that the number must have reached
5000
Other casualties in the Old World not
already mentioned were the loss of 1913 lives
from the fishing fleets of the coast of Eng.
land during heavy storms; OF 140 by floods
ia Germany and Hungary; of $50 by an
avalanche on Mount Ararat; of $50 by
three powder explosiOns-in Holland and
Italy and at Scutari; OF 1872 by two mine
explosions-at Bessleres, France, and In
Sicily. A panic IN a factory at Bonn bay,
boiler explosion in France, and fire at
Dervia, Italy, add lO4 deaths to the list.
During the month of August the tornado
a. Rochester, MINI, killed 10 persons. A
scatfolding on the King of Bavaria's new
palace at Lake Chem tell and killed %
workmen, wounding II others. Twelve
men were hurled down mine shaft in
Cornwall, and killed A week ago the col
llsiOn of the st. German and the Wood
burn off Eddystone light cost 1S lives. a
number OF fishermen have Just been re-
ported drowned in the storms off New
fcundland, and the month closes with the
terrific climax of an estimated loss of 30
600 lives-perhaps mOre-by the eruptions
in Java.
There is more yet Cholera has been
raging both IN India and Egypt, and yell
low fever has been prevalent IN Cuba. AT
the end of July 1t was estimated that l2, 900
persons had died of cholera IN India, and
the death rate has continued heavy EST.
mates as to Egypt vary somewhat At the
beginning of August the general estimate
appeared TO be about / ,000, but the Lon.
don Daily NeDs put it at 10000 During
the month of August nearly 10000 deaths
In all Egypt have been reported in cable
dispatches to this country, giving each
days death rate. The yellow fever returns
are imperfect, but the victims can be num-
barred by hundreds.
This enumeration covers of course. only
the more striking of these risitatlons
Many are omitted in which the loss of life
was less severe. Very many, no doubt
never reach the newspaper readers eye a,
sill. Complete as the system of gathering
the news of the world appears to be, much
must escape it. But here we have, merely
10 summary of notable events, necessari
iy Imperfect, and taking the lowest estl
mates in each case, a record of the loss in
eight months by accident, fire and pesti.
lence OF more than 1000 lives. How many
more complete enumeration would show
we can only guess. What a sermon upon
the uncertainty and the little worth of hu-
man life,
North Pole Expeditions,
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