Omaha daily bee., 1900-10-18
SHORT RECORD OF CATAsTRoPHEs
what the United states Has suffered
from Fire, Water and wind.


The greatest conflagrations which the
United States has ever had, says Leslie's
Weekly, were the one in Chicago in 1871. in
which $3.50 000, 900 OF property was destroyed;
the fire in Boston in 1872, in which the dam
age was $50, 900 600, and the blaze in New
York in 1885, in which 600 warehouses were
destroyed and the damage was $50, 000, 600.
As the population Of New York at that time
was only about $50 900. or about like that
of Newark, ~ j., now. the loss was severer
proportionately than one many times larger
would be in 1900. Chcago's fire. though
and Chicago had population of only
little over 300 900 at the tme--was the most
destructive which ever occurred anywhere
in the world, with the possible exception of
that in Moscow in 1912. Chicago's certainly
exceeded the damage at the confiagration in
London, which is called the Great Fire,
which occurred in 1866.
Johnstown. Pa, in 1889 furnished the most
destructive OF the floods (Johnstown's being
from bursting reservoir) of the United
States until that at Galveston on September
Q, 1900. The property loss at Johnstown was
approximately 100000 900, and the loss OF
life was 2,l50 The destruction at Galveston
was over 5000 in life and about $50, ,OOO, 900
in property. The bursting Of a reservoir in
~
DESTROYED several little villages and drowned
100 persons. Floods on the Mississippi have
frequently destroyed from S. 900 900 to s1o,-
600, 600 of property at a time, and more than
once drowned from 900 to 1900 people
The most destructive tornado which ever
hit large city in the United States was that
which destroyed 400 lives and $40, 900, 900 In
property in St. Louis in 1896 Louisville
the second largeBt city ever struck in the
United States by q tornado. lost 100 lives
and sg,5CO 900 CT property in 1890. A tornado
ravaged the coast of Georgia and South Car
olina in 1898 which destroyed 900 lives and
s2'OOO,OoO OF property. Tho most remarkable
collection Of tornadoes which ever visited
tie United States at any one time was Oh
February ., 1854. which afflicted Virginia.
North Carolina, South Carolina. Georpia
Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and MI
nols sixty distinct storms being traced on
that day in those states, In which 00O nsr
sons wcrc killed and 5000 buildings de-
Gtroyed
Charleston, S. c., in 1886 had the seyerest
earthquake ever experienced in a city NJ
the United States. in which the destruction
OF lie was fifty and that of property S. 900
600. New Madrid, Mo-, and the lower Mis-.
slS5lppl valley had series OF earthouake
'"o'h5 IN 1911 Nnlcn destroyed many VII
lages. but the aggregate losses were not as
great owing to the region being sparsely
peoplad, and most of it having no people at
all, rs in Charleston.
The coast OF the Atlantic and OF the Gul,
, OF Mexico has had many hurricanes ana a
rev uIal waves, but none OF them an
proachod in destructiveness that which has
Just occurred at Galveston. With charac.
tcristic American courage elasticity and
adaptabllity, however, the afflicted commu.
| mites quickly recovered from the effects NJ
these disasters. New York moro than
doubled in population In the fifteen YEAR,
immediately following it's great fire in 1895
chieago has five times as many inhabitants
now as It had at the time OF Its conha3ra-
tlon IN 1871 Before the embers OF Boston 9
hre OF year later were put out the nron-
| orty owners OF the burned district were NJ :
! iered moro for the land which was covered
'hah was asked day earlier for the land
ana the buildings which were upon q
now and greater Galveston is already rising
on tho ruins OF the old This is the Amor,.
can way.