The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-05-25
GREAT CALAMITlES.
The Record for the First -Four Months OF 1888
and 1ssa-AppaIIing saerifc" or Human

and 1ssA-Appailing Sacrifice" or Human
Life. ~.
TREY Times.l
Last year was remarkable for the num-
Der, frequency, and appalling results Of its
great calamities. These began with the
beginning OF the twelvemonth, and JAM
uary, 1889, Is memorable on account OF
the rapidity with which disasters, at
tended by terrible loss OF life and other
horrifying features, succeeded each
other. The record for the whse year,
including only such casualties as involved
d To-. oi twenty hiiinah lives aud up.
ward, presented a total OF t0S,605-a gfeat
many OF victims to natures malcfc power.
for. they persisted In every conceivable
%ny-by shipwrecks, flood; and cyclone.
| In the torment of flames, the agony OF rail-
road disasters, the unknown terrors OF
mine disasters, and the swllter and by
| comparison more merciful powder explo-
sions. Ii must be borne in mind, however,
that the total was swollen to its excep-
! tional dimensions by two uncommon catas-
trophies. The earthquakes at Casamicciola
carried of 5000 victims; while the Java
volcanic eruptions swept 100000 human
beings from the earth.
What the present year has In store Tor
Us cab be matter OF only irnitless cOnjec-
ture, but comparison OF the fatalities Of
| 1884 for the four months ended with April
will probably surprise great many per-
sons, by showing that the number OF lives
lost by disaster this year thus far exceeds
the total for the same period in 1888, which
was regarded as especially destructive TO
humanity. Up to May 1, 1888, the record
OF disasters, including only such as caused
a loss OF twenty lives and more, was as fol-
lows:
Ncwhall House, Milwaukee. IS; Berdit-
schef, Poland, circus fire. 800; steamer
Cimbria, 400; powder explosion. Minden,
Holland, 40; Tehichlpa (CaI.) railroad ac-
cident, 81; powder explosion, Oakland,
Cal, 40, wrecks off British coast, SO 4;
steamer Ansonia, 20 factory panic, Bonn
bay, %: steamer Kenmore Castle, "a ;
mine disaster, Bradwood, ILL.,, 20; steamer
| Navarro, G5; British fishing-smacks, 13j ;
Mount Ararat avalanche, $50; Holyhead
wreck, 30; st. Dizicr France) boiler ex-
plosion, &c powder explosion near Rome,
40; tornadOes in the South, 200; mine ex-
ploHon, Bessages. France, 100; ship Com.
merce, 70-total, 1,00S.
There were hundreds Of other fatalities
in which the loss Of life ranged downward
| from twenty, but it would be impracticable
| to keep an accurate list OF them. The
| Times has, however, kept 4 chronological
| record that includes all fatalities where the
loss OF life was ten and upward. Adding
| the number OF deaths caused by these ant
not included in the greater casualties above
cited. 1872, the total OF recorded iataltie:
for the four months, or one third OF 1888
was 800. This would no doubt be larger
by 10 or Is per cent, as would also De The
exhibit for 1884, were it possible to keel
track OF all the minor accidents by which
| individual lives are lost.
Turning to the record OF 1884, we have
Iotted down in the following table OF casual
ties showing the loss Of life for January
February. March, and April, all accidents
and disasters involving loss OF ten lives
and upward:
Grand Trunk collision. 81; Bellevilie, ILL.,.
convent, &c steamer Hwai- Yuem, China
2O7; Gamont colliery, Wales, IL; steamer
City Of Columbus, 10l; Crested Butte
mine disaster, co. steamer Simla, y
gales in England and France, %
Rhondda Valley colliery, Wales. IA
Gloucester fishing.vcssels, IA; steamer
Rhywabous, Cardiff. II; wreck off Co
runna, Spain, 10; mastered Christians
Tonquin, 800; drowned near DOmrad
Austria, 35; Caspian fishermen drowned
so: Ohio food victims, "a; southern
cyclones, 400; West Leisinring coliery
| Pennsylvania. 10; boiler explosion neal
Hong Kong, II; railroad collision. Paris
ILL.,, 10; mine disaster, Sonora, Mexico
so: PocahOntas mine, Virginia. l5i
Gloucester fishermen, u; steamer DAME
Steinmann wreck, 100; burning o
steamer Rebecca, 90; caying tunnel
Zacatecas, Mexico, 40; circus at Bucha
rest, 100; Ciudad Real disaster, Spain, 90
collision of Newfoundland. II; powde
explosion, Havana, 81; poor-house, Hart
ford. Michigan, Is; ship Atlantic wrecked
10: steamer State OF Florida, 1875. Total
3,154.
Here, then, il Is shown that the presen
year has witnessed considerably large
sacrifice Of human life through calamitle
Of various sorts than did 1888, which stand
q. an dnnuS hOrribiIiS III the history OF ca
lamities. II is not likely, in the nature o
things, that we shall have q repetition o
last years earthquake and volcanic expe
rience to add abnormal proportions to tn
list OF deaths by disaster, but from presen
appearances 1884, aside from these unusua
features, is likely TO be quite as terrible q
1 Lost ynor II NOT more so