The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-06-07
MIGHTY RAvAGES OF THE ELE-
MENTS.

The Johnstown calamity has prompt
ed many reviews of former disasters in
the history of the world which have car
ried off thousands of human lives. Floods
have been fruitful source of damage
in China where the mad river overleaps
its banks with comparative frequency,
and generally with frightful loss of life,
owing to the density of the population.
The Chicago Inter Ocean, however, in an
article on the subject, points out that
the greatest danger has not been from
rampages of water, except with people
dependent upon bikes for their security.
Though there have been innumerable
foundations in which inestimable prop
erty has been destroyed, the average
loss of life has been moderate compared
with the victims of earthquakes of mo-
dern times. A gloomy interest may be
felt in the record of the most conspicu-
Gus. In their chronological order they
we're as follows: Dec. 5, 1856, at Naples,
10 eco persons were destroyed; Dec. rs,
1881, at Lisbon, 1900; July 2, in Japan,
several cities and thousands of lives de-
stroyed; July so, 1926, at Naples, 10000;
April 6, 1867, at Ragusa, 5000; during
three months, 1867, at Schamaki, $4,000;
in September, 1893, in Sicily, 100000; in
1908, at Jeddo, 100000; May and June
l7l6, at Algiers, 1900; Nov. 80, 1871, al
Pekin, 100 600; Oct. 2S, l746, at Lima and
Callao, 1900: Sept. 1854, at Grand Cairo
10 900; June Z. 1855, at Kashan, Persia,
40 900; Nov. l, 1855, at Lisbon, $4,000
Feb. 4, 1897, in the country lying be-
tween Santa Fe and Panama, 10000
Aug. IA, 1851, at Melti, Italy, IA 600; Dec
l6, 1857, at Calabria, 10000; March 20
1860, at Mendoza, South America, 1000
Aug. Is and 10, 1868, in Peru and Ecua
dor, $4,000.
Among most destructive inundationi
are those in April IL, I42l, when the SEA
broke over bort, drowning l0O, 600 peo
pie; in 1880, when Holland was over
whelmed and 400, 900 persons drowned
and in 1917, when $4,000 were drowned
at Catalonia. There have been numer
GUS floods IN which as many as 900 per
sons were drowned, and those in which
the loss of life was less are beyond re
cord.
Fires have been fatal to large number
at times, but have been more hurtful II
working restitution upon masses than il
the actual destruction of life. Durin
the London fire of 1912 there were 800
lives lost, but that was through tn
drowning of the crowd driven into tn
water. The forest firest of October, 1871
, burning in Michigan and Wisconsin
were perhaps the most destructive o
life in history, 1000 lives being lost. Ii
the great Chicago fire of the same tim
there were but 200 lives reported lost
though il was impossible to ascertain
whether that WAS the maximum figure
Losses of from ten to 100 lives have beef
only too numerous, and the burning o
the famous Ring Theater was the mos
fatal among the many theater calamities
Floods and earthquakes are tn
principal material agents of destruction
against which man is unable surely t
fortify himself. They have been tn
chief evils Of all history except the Asia
tic epidemics which have swept owe
portions of the earth at very great intel
: walls. In this country, however, only tn
horrors of war have equaled the appall
ing force of the Johnstown event.