The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-10
The Grea, Woods Of History.

Historical research naturally follows the
Johnstown calamity, and SHOWS that while
il will rank as one OF the most terrible dis
asters in history, there arc others OF tho
same general character that exceed it in
the number Of lives destroyed by drown
ing. Upward Of 100 calamitics OF this
kind are recorded within the Christian
era. England, Holland, France, Ger
many, Austria and China have been tho
scene OF such as are fully authenticated,
while America has seldom been visited by
such calaniiies, owing probably to the
sparse population in its low lands.
Invasions by the sea have been the
cause OF the greatest losses OF life. by one
at Cheshire, England, the first recorded,
AID. 3j3, 5000 people persisted. April IL,
1921, the sea broke through the dikcs at
bort, Holland, and submerged seventy
| two towns aud cities and drowned 1909
people. 4 similar disaster occurred again
| In Holland in 1850, when the number OF
the drowned Is said 10 have reached lOO,-
600. In Ass the Severn, in Great Britain,
overlooked during ten days and carried
away men, women and children in their
| beds and covered the tops Of many hills
| The waters settled upon the lands and
were known for century thereafter us
| the Great Waters. In 1911 Catalonia. in
| Spain, was visited by an humiliation aud
| jU,OVO people were drowned.
There were great floods In Central Eu-
rope in the early part oil this century. In
1872, by the giving away OF reservoir at
l.arca. Spain, 1000 persons were drowned.
In Hungary twcniy.iour villages around
Peslh were swept away with their iuhubi.
tants by the overflow OF the Danube ia
! April, 1911. In 1918, 1900 lives were
destroyed In Central Europe by floods,
but one-hali OF the number were soldiers.
| By the bursting Of a reservoir above Brad.
ford, England, March II, 1864. over -.
persons lost their liycN In 1879 larg,
part OF Toulouse was destroyed boy the fis
ing OF the Girounc, aud nearly 1000 per
sons were drowned. Hungary, Northern
Italy and Spain were visited boy seven,
floods in March and October, 1879, and IL
spain over !, CJJ lives were lost.
The American record OF fatal inunda
ii6ns begins with the flooding Of Loot
houses IN New Orleans MAY ~, lSip, ans
great priyatiou and loss Of life. The me
morablo Mill River disaster near North
ampton, Mass, May 10. 1874, when sew
cral villages were destroyed and over 10
persons lost their lives through the burst
lpg Of a daui. was the first great calamity
OF is kind in this country aud resemble
very closely the Johustown calamity II
all save It's loss of liic-paling into insig
niiicancc In this respect la comparison
with the present horror GA july 20 q
the same year came the Butchers Rul
disaster, with a Death roll Of 30 pOr
sons. Probably tho most widesprca,
aud devastating inundaiion that ever oc
CURED ia America visited the Mississippi
! Valley In February, 1852, when tina
, mighty river burst all bounds aud sprea'
( over the country on both sides from -
Louis tlthc Gulf Of Mexico. making II
some places an inland sea over 100 mile
= wide. But the Loss Of lite was trivial 4
, comparison with a similar flood aud inun
{ dati0n OF the yellow River In China d
December, 1857. by that rising Of lh
: waters populous district Of 1000 squar
miles was overwhelmed, 3,00O,OOO person
were driven from their ruined homes, an
: 7jO,O 900 others persisted in the waters.