The herald., 1893-09-01
TIE GREAT DISASTER ON THE ATLANTIC
C0AST-A CONTRAST,

nous amount OF property was destroyed
"a disaster that almost involved the OBJ
liberation of the city OF Charleston
there have been succession of disasters
ON the Atlantic coast, reaching from
New York to the Florida capes. The
late hurricanes seem to have exceeded
all past history in their extent and vio-
lence. They have in them nothing Of
the cyclone but their destructiveness.
The cyclone proceeds from west to east,
is generally restricted to narrow width
and is spiral and eccentric in its orbits.
1t has been known to follow q railway
track for hundreds of miles. and to con-
fine it's destructive work to belt of two
or three miles of the roadway. The
storms which have devastated the coasts
of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida
are Of the true hurricane type, for which
the West India islands have been
noted ever since their discovery.
The Biographies which are placed
in the hands of children give very
graphic illustrations of the violence OF
these storms. They portray the terri
fed native flying to some coigne of
refuge, the trees swaying in the roaring
tempest and many of them uprooted
outright. These primitive ILLUSTRATIONS
are in reality but weak attempts to de-
pict the reality of genuine West Iudi-
an tornado or African or Asiatic typhoon.
The full force of an exceptional and ter
xx.okaN~2lnn,noI hoh hiu
the greatest known since Columbus dis
covered America-has been lately pre-
cipitated on the south Atlantic coast,
even yet the full extent of the deaths
and damage has not been realized.
We must not, however, fatter our
selves with the idea that the United
States has any claim to a monopoly of
disaster. 1t is only few years since
the island of Ischis, in the Adristic sea,
was bodily engulphed. five thousand
souls being plunged into watsry grave
at one fell swoop. A year or 80 later
portion of the coast OF Java was torn
sheer from the mainland, sinking for
ever from sight and carrying people
variously estimated at from ten to twen-
ty Thousand to the bottom of the sea.
Lately South and Central America have
been on their good behavior, but their
history abounds in sensational episodes,
running the gamut of tidal wave and
earthquake.
1t must not be overlooked that nearly
all the loss of life and destruction of
property in the late storms on the At
lantic coast have been due to tidal waves.
They extended as far north as Boston,
and they even destroyed much property
in Baltimore and New York. This is
almost new feature in our seaport
cities. AS general thing. all the dam
age by water has been hitherto sustained
by our interior cities, principally those
located on the Allegheny, Monongahela,
Ohio and Mississippi. On the ssrdonic
principle that misery loves company the
inhabitants of those cities may now hug
themselves in an equivocal enjoyment.
They can now at least claim companions
in misfortune.
1t is a matter not generally known
outside OF the photographic and geodetic
bureau of the government of the United
States that the Pacific coast OF North
America is gradually rising, while the
Atlantic coast is sinking. As a matter
OF fact, New York and other eastern
harbors are slowly but surely deepening.
while the bars of San Francisco and
other Pacific coast harbors are surely
but steadily shoaling. This is, of course,
favorable to tidal waves on the Atlantic
coast, as it would indicate tendency OF
nature to submergence, however slight
it might be. The sinking of consider
able portion of one side or the other of
great continent would mean great
probability Of tidal waves of increasing
force. The general movement being in
the direction of submergence it is only
natural to suppose that they will frs-
quently be noted for exceptional energy
and destructiveness.
The theory that the Atlantic side of
the continent is sinking while the Pacific
ia rising scarcely applies to Central and
South America, although the extreme
psucity of good harbors is noteworthy
on those portions of the coast. The last
great tidal wave occurred off the coast
of Peru or Chile-we do not remember
just now in which country-about
twenty-one years ago. 1t was go violent
that it caught up the United States war
vessel Wateree and landed her high and
dry seven miles in the interior. Since
then the Pacific coast has got off lightly.
The entire immunity OF Southern Cal
ifornia from disaster OF any kind is surely
one of the most attractive peculiarities
OF this section. Cyclones, tornad oes,
billiards., hurricanes, and what not, are
known only by their absence. Sunstroke
and hydrophoba are alike unknown
here. An occasional gentle rustic of an
earthquake. only active enough to it'll
late the nerves of confirmed hypo-
chondrisc, is all that we need dread
hereabouts. This wonderful immunity
from everything disagreeable will un-
doubtedly count largely in the settle
ment of this favored spot.
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The unwarrantabe ecare that has
passed over the United States resulted
in one OF the most artificial panics that
was ever recorded. No man can give