The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-09
FIRE, WRECK AND FLOOD.
Tho Disastrous Record of the OLE
Hear-A Fearful List of Casualtie.
on Land and Sea.

Tho Disastrous Record of the Old
Hear-A Fearful List of Casualties
on Land and Sea.
The year was remarkable for the
frightful loss of life by flood, fire,
earthquake, disease, cyclone and mine
and railroad accidents, both here and
abroad. In January thirty miners
were drown in Penzance, 900 people
were burned in temple near Canton,
China, 10 soldiers were burned in a
train in Russia and nine persons were
killed and l12 injured in railroad
collusion at Alton, ILL.,,
In February Brisbane was flooded so
that many Of it's streets were 30 feet
under water, and earthquakes in
Greece resulted in the loss of hundreds
of lives. In March and April there
were Hoods, cyclones and tornadoes in
the Southern and Western States in
which 100 persons werc killed and
millions of dollars of damage done.
In May Quebec was inundated and a
cyclone in Hope, Ark, left 1000 per-
sons homeless and destitute. In June
floods destroyed so villages in Austria,
the cholera claimed hundreds of vic
tins daily in Mecca, storm in Mexico
made 1000 persons homeless and the
Ford Opera House in Washington
| SoiiupoOu, hllllllS ueDdFUI1lSnU ClGrKS
and injuring 70.
In July 100 miners were killed in an
explosion in Yorkshire, II Chicago
firemen wero caught on blazing tower
in the Worlds Fair Grounds, but one
OF whom escaped, and q clOudburst in
Pueblo drowned nearly so persons
In August there was a collision be-
tween two Coney Island excursion
trains on the Long Island Road, near
Blissyille, in which 16 pleasure seekers
were instantly killed and so severely
wounded, and cyclone which swept
the Gulf coast devastated Savannah
Ga, and the sea islands. The loss of
life was more than l 500 and the sur
vivors lost everything of which they
were possessed. Their situation became
so serious that The World sent down a
rclicf train in November and saved
them from starvation.
In September forest fire DESTROYED
200 square miles in Wisconsin and
| cholera broke out in Hamburg. In
October yellow fever attacked Bruins
| wick, Ca, and its victims were num-
bered by hundreds. October also saw
pened to Worlds Fair trains. In q
| collision on the Grad Trunk near
| Battle Creek, Mich, 26 persons were
| burned or mangled to death and three
times that number were badly injured.
| In November there was an explosion of
| dynamite in Il ship at dock at Santana
| er, Spain in, which 800 persons were
| instantly killed, thousands wounded
and millions of dollars worth of prop
erty destroyed, and 800 persons were
drowned by floods in Japan. In De-
at Louisville, Ky, fell into the river
and a score Of workme n were killed.
| The amount Of money lost in a dozen
big fires would pay the debt of some
OF the smaller nations Boston had a
So, 600, 900 and q ST 600. 900 blaze and also
lost its famous fremont Temple. ST.
Louis had a 81 100000 fire. Coney Is
land lost its big West End Hotel. Mil
waukee had a $500, 900 fire, the largest
flour mills in the world at Litchfield.
Ill.,, were destroyed. Fargo, N. Oak. +,
and Seattle were nearly wiped out hy
flame. South Chicago had a fire which
destroyed $50 houses, and New York
had fire in West Forty-sccond street
which nccessiated Il ninth alarm and
did $1,000, 900 damage. In Manila, in
tho Philippine Islands, 1000 houses
were destroyed IN two-day's fire.
The maritime disasters of tho year
have been many. Since January 1st
there has been an unusal succession
of disastrous gales, on both our own
and foreign coasts, and in this period
a large number Of ships have been lost
or badly damaged. The greatest of all
these disasters was the Victoria Camp
erdOwn affair in the Mediterranean,
when some 400 persons lost their lives.
Aside from this, the ones that were
OF most interest at this port were the
losses of the White Star steamship,
Naronic and the Atlas liner Alvo.
Both vessels mystcriously disappeared
and in each trace of. tho disaster was
given by .he finding of tho life boats.
The loss of the Naronic is more in
eXplicable than that of the Alvo, since
the former was brand new vessel, and
was supposed to be as seaworthy as the
arts OF man could make her. She sail
ed from Liverpool, February l1th. and
after passing out Of the Merscy was
never sighted again. Fully hundre d
went down with her. The accepted
explanation Is that she turned turtle
during the gale.
The Alvo sailed from this port Au.
gust 16, and like the Naronic was
never seen again. She was of much
smaller tonnage than the White Sta,
boat, and is believed to have founderc(
in the hurricanes that were attend eC
; with frightful loss of life i'm the sea is
coasts. The theory concerning he,
loss is that her matches were torn off b,
heavy railroad trucks lashed to heii
decks, admitting to her engine room.
the seas that must have poured acros.
her decks.
Two trans Atlantic liners met will
accidents in mid-ocean. causing anxiety
in every quarter of the globe, and al
awful loss of life was averted in eacl
case principally by the ingenuity o
the engineers. The Cundardcr Um
bria broke her thrust shaft in mid
ocean, and drifted about helpless ly un
til 1T was patched up temporarily. Sh,
arrived January 1st more than weel
overdue. Tho Hekla, of the Thing
valla line, met with similar accident
and after drifting about the oceal
/ helpless as derelict, was towed int,
, port with all well aboard The breal
in her machinery was discovered jus
, in time to prevent the fractured ends
twirled by the machinery, from separ
, ating and knocking holes in the ship
hull.-New York World.
---z> Es.-------
NO REDUCTION IN SALARIES. .-Th,
| Columbia RnpiGtnp al, hot