Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-17

Yesterdays List OF casualties included collision
at sea which was attended with great loss of life
and another on land in which no lives were lost
and only one was put in mortal danger. The
steamship collision Is the old story OF meeting In
fog, between two vessels plying in the same
track There is q familiar flavor, also, about the
account OF the rapidity with which the worse-in-
Jured ship went down, In spite OF her water-tight
bulkheads and other provisions for safety. In one
respect, however, the disaster was unique. Ac-
cording TO the accounts which have thus
far been made public, the disproportion be-
tween the number OF the Geiser's crew and
OF her passengers rescued, In favor OF the crew,
was not due TO the disgraceful conduct OF the
sailors and stewards on the contrary, the reck-
less haste with which the passengers threw them
selves into the sea and got aboard the e-raft was
unQuestionably the cause OF the drowning OF so
many OF them The raft was sucked into the
vortex caused by the sinking OF the Geiser, and,
when IL rose to the surface again, had no one on
II The only morals TO be drawn from the story
OF the wreck, at the present stage OF our know-
edge Of its incidents, are the wisdom OF choos-
ing q more southerly route for transatlan-
tic steamers, regardless OF the additional
time required for passage, and the absolute
necessity for laying out the paths or east-bound
and west bound vessels so far apart that the dan
ger u collision Will be reduced 10 minimum If
not altogether abolished The sea Is wide enough
for al the craft that now sail upon It. and for all
that Will be launched for generations to come.
Ocean travellers want speed and comfort, but they
want fair assurance OF safety, TOO; and the
steamship line which sets the last-named requisite
nrst in the order OF virtues to be cultivated will
never suffer for lack OF the best paying patronage
The collision OF trains on the Illinois Central
Railroad yesterday was unattended by any results
more serious than some bad wounds and bruises,
but the escape was almost miracle. In this case,
according 70 the press dispatches, an accident 10
the machinery OF one locomotive, which prevented
her engineer from controlling her movements well,
and the logged insistance on his right OF way by
the engineer OF the other train, combined to bring
aoout the crash The perils OF travel which these
two accidents emphasize are not enough to deter
anyone from going to sea or taking tram to-mor-
row II business or pleasure outing calls him. The
wonder Is not tnat so many fatal casualties occur
In this age OF steam and iron, but that they so
Few Ii proportion 70 the amount OF travelling done
Believers In astrology will be interested TO know
that August this year is particularly interesting
month In the schemes OF both Raphael and
Zadklel Heavy storms are to occur In England
and Scotland on the 22d. At the end OF the month
there Will be public troubles In England. The
New York money market is to be upset, producing
panic, and the French and Italians are to be
sufferers somewhere or somehow. Epidemic dis
cases are 10 scourSe Russia and Turkey. The
special motto for to-day Is "Court and ask
favors In afternoon ana evening" and for
Tomorrow, Doubtful, be careful" The only
drawback to implicit faith in these oracles
lies IN the fact that the countries bordering on the
Mediterranean were to have been badly shaken by
earthquake last sunday, and the rest OF Europe
would have trembled on several days before this
Earthquakes are things which cannot escape
notice easily and IL Is safe to say that II this part
OF the horoscope had been fairly cast, we should
have heard from It.