The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-08-01
A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS
Showing of the First Half of Year
of Disaster.


Judged by the record of its first six
months, the year 1889 bids fair to be re-
member as the year of disaster all over
the world, says the Philadelphia Press.
During the month of January there were
no serious railroad wrecks, except the col
lision on the New York, Pennsylvania and
Ohio railroad, in which eight
persons were killed and rs
many more seriously injured, but
there were fifteen marine disasters, in
volving a loss of 165 lives, included among
them being the steamer Paris @. Brown,
which went down in the Mississippi river,
causing the loss of eleven lives. During
the same month cyclone swept through
Pennsylvania, ling sixty persons, and
fifty -four lost their lives by mining disas-
tiers in the old world. February and
March also were singularly free from rail
road disasters, but tie marine losses in
February were 2S4, an increase OF
119 over January. During the same
month twenty persons lost their
lives by a railroad disaster in
Belgium, ten by wind storm in Ne
brasks, twenty-three by the terrible hotel
fire in Hartford, Conn, 200 by an earth
quake in Costa RIGA, thirteen by cyclone
in Georgia, and eleven by powder ex-
plosion in Wilkesbarre, Pa. In March
the marine losses further increased to 351,
the number being swelled by the LAG sail
ors of the German and American war YES
sels who were drowned during the hurri-
cane at the Samoan islands. The other
prominent disasters of this month were
confined to fifty lives lost by railroad &C.
cident in Russia, and twenty by mine
disaster at Wexham, England. In
April there wfs bat one serious
railroad disaster the collision on
the Santa Fe railroad at
Lorenzo, Ill.,--by which four persons
were killed and ten injured. The marine
losses were but fifty eight. Thirty more
lives were lost by hurricane in the south
Pacific, twenty five by a mine disaster in
New South Wslee, twelve by railroad
accident at Tolucca, Mex, and twenty by
a similar disaster near Hamilton, Canada
May was comparatively free from rail
road accidents, the worst being the deIail-
ment of a train on the ST. Louis and San
Francisco road by which one person was
killed and thirty-five seriously injured.
The marine loss increased in comparis IN
with the preceding month to 255.
In May the floods began their wo:k of
death and devastation. The first intelli-
gence came from Australia and Bohemia,
where 1876 lives were lost. The consum-
nation was in the Conemaugh valley on
the last day of the month, when nearly
5000 people persisted and $10,000.000
worth of property was destroyed. The
work of destruction did not end with the
month, for in June disastrous floods
swept through the valleys of the
Susq johanna, the Potomac and the Jun
ista, as we'll as through other sections
of West Virginia, Old Virginia, Mary
land, Pennsylvania and New York, drown
ing 239 persons and destroying millions
more of property. The month was char
sctsrized by frightful series OF disasters.
Thirty persons were killed by an accident
on the Pennsylvania road at Latrob; 20 by
railroad disaster at Armaugh, Ire
land; 1000 by fire in China; 40 by a
falling market building in Mexico;
20 by mine disaster in Austria, and
70 by Cyclone in Cuba. July we'll keeps
up the record with railroad, mine
and storm disasters. Altogether during
the first ak months of the year nearly
5000 lives we're lost in disasters of all
kinds. Besides the loss of property in
volved in these disasters fire swept away
property amounting to over $70,000,000 in
value in the United States. The loss in con-
fagrations amounting to 100000 or over
for each for the six months is 41,619,000
as compared with $47, $4,000 for the whole
of last year. What the remaining six
months have in store for Us
cannot be foreseen, but the six months
which have passed present record which
will be likely to characterize 1889 as the
year of disaster. The Conemaugh horror
alone is sufficient to fix it as clearly in
memory as the Chicago fire has done for
1871. 1t adds to the mournful record of
the six months that suicides, murders,
hangings, lynchiDgs and crimes of all
kinds have also shown marked increase
over the corresponding period for many
years past.