Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01
THE EASTERN COUNTRY, 1884 RE
PROSPECT.

Our foreign review and California re-
Prospect for 1884 will be found in distinct
articles in this issue
At the East in our own country fully
one-third of the year was occupied by the
Presidential campaign, very largely to the
exclusion of other matters. The year
opened with premonitory signs Of dull
times in the early future The tinkering
Of the tariff schedules had not tended to
encourage the business of the country
Over-production and over-stocking added
to the general distrust Undue
indulgence in the fascinating business Of
railroad construction, the failure Of a
prominent railroad manager, the decline
of securities, the vacillating course of the
Government relative to the silver and cur
rency questions, the exclusion of consid-
cradle body Of our exports from foreign
marllets-all combined to depress business
early. The failure of prominent firm Of
brokers in New York and the suspension
of numerous banking houses precipitated q
panic, which, however, was happily
checked before it became general. The
depression in business continued, neverthe-
less, and gradually spread over the entire
country. Failures were exceedingly nu-
merous and very disastrous, and by the
opening of the Presidential campaign the
country was in the midst of strikes and
riots, the closing of manufactures on all
sides, suspension of great industries, the
shutting down of mines and mills, and
general suffering in the labor ranks
With all this there was promise of album
dant harvests, which was realized but
markets were irresponsive and the surplus
products of the soil still largely remain in
store immigration was in excess of that
of 1888. During the year the public debt
was steadily and satisfactorily reduced.
Disastrous floods upon the Ohio and
Mississippi caused widespread suffering
and vast losses Congress came to the re-
lief Of the more immediate sufferers upon
both rivers, with large money and ration
appropriations and loan Of camp equipage
Forest fires in New York, New jersey and
Pennsylvania destroyed many square miles
of fine timber and burned several villages
A collision in mid-ocean between the
steamer State of Florida and the bark
Ponema resulted in the loss of both ships
and l35 lives. Fourteen dependents were
burned to death in a poor-house in Michi-
gan, the details shocking the country.
Owing to the unsatisfactory outcome OF
Court proceedings, a serious riot occurred
in Cincinnati, in which several lives were
lost and public buildings destroyed, COM
pelling the authorities to call out the State
troops and place the city under military
rule. Tornadoes in Georgia, Missouri,
North Carolina and Kentucky occasioned
great loss of life, and in thirteen States of the
Union sharp earthquake shocks were felt
The country was shocked by news of the
loss of 154 lives in Virginia colliery ex-
plosion. The United States steamer ITALIA
pdosa was sunk off Martha's Vineyard
foundations by the Claire and Chippewa
rivers occasioned 100000 of property
losses many vessel, and lives we're lost on
the fishing banks; twenty-six nuns and
pupils were burned to death in convent
fire in Illinois; the loss of the steamer
City of Columbus, in Vineyard Sound, re-
suited in the drowning of 100 human
beings; serious difficulties in Pennsylvania
and Ohio coal mining regions were promi-
nent for two months, owing to reduction OF
labor wages, and resulted in several riots
that were quelled with difficulty a singu-
lar fatality from a mysterious sickness in