The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-06-22

WORLDS NOTABLE DISASTERS.

WORLDS NOTABLE DISASTERS
The Burning Of the Slocum One Of the
Most Reartrepding.
The burning of the steamer Genera
Slocum, on last Wednesday morning
with a loss OF probably more than SOC
lives, is one Of the most heartrendlng
disasters Of recent times. The guests
OF the big steamer were nearly all
children and women, going upon thei1
annual Sunday school picnic.
Such catastrophe cannot fail tc
recall the recent holocaust in Chicago,
when at a matinee on the last day OF
1908, the Ircquois theatre, Just c1nn.
pleted, was seized by the fire 6end and
in less than thirty minutes more than
500 people, largely women and chill
dren, were burned to death, and more
than 400 others were manned for life.
Such disasters call to mind the
theatre FIRE Of Richmond, Va, in
1911; the burning OF the Conways-
brook playhouse in 1876, and the fiery
destruction of the Paris theatre few
years ago, in which the leading actress
and many others lost their lives.
While such catastropbes are horrible
to contemplate they do not approach
the horror Of other disasters by fire,
food and volcanic eruption.
All will recall the eruption OF Vesu-
vius in A. D. 70, which buried in sand
and lava Pompeii, Herculaneum and
Stabiae. The loss of life was l50, 600,
and the cities have never been rebuilt.
Lisbon, the capital Of Portugal, suf-
fered an earthquake in 1855, which
left the city in ruins, and took so, 900
lives.
Caracas, the capital of Venezuela,
lost II, 900 lives from an earthquake
in 1872.
Manila, Philippine Islands, was Wis
tied by an earthquake in June, 1868,
causing loss of nearly 10000 lives.
Certainly the mcst destructive fire
in the history Of this country, if not
in the world, was the Chicago fire Of
October, 1871. Beginning in barn
in DeKoven street, it spread with
lightning rapidity, and ragged for two
days and nights. 1t swept over 2,l0O
acres, destroying 1850 buildings
The exact number Of the deaths has
never been ascertained, but it went
into the hundreds; 10000 people
one-flfth of the entire population
were left homeless, and property
worth $3.50, 900, ,O00-one-third OF the
value OF the entire city-waS destroy
ed by this fire.
Boston had fire in 1872, which de-
stroyed so acres Of the business Sec
tion at a less Of s75, 700. 600.
The Jobnstown, Pa, food in May,
1889, was d frightful disaster. The
dam across South Fork, a branch Of
the Conemaugh river, u miles east Of
Johnstown, broke, releasing Cone
maugh Lake, whose waters thundered
down the valley, engulfed Johnstown
and neighboring villages, causing a
loss Of 2, 235 lives and sl0,000,o00
On September s, 1900, Galveston,
Tex, was the scene Of a great food.
A West Indian hurricane, with a
velocity Ct 135 miles an hour, swept
over the city and flooded the streets,
and in less titan FIVE hours destroyed
5000 lives and property valued at
sl8. 900, 900.
More recent still was the eruption
OF Mont Pelee on the Island Of Mar
Unique, French West Indies. On
May the 8tb, 1902, the mountains
belched forth and overwhelmed the
town OF St. Pierre at its base with
sand and lava which overran the sur
rounding country, and destroyed 3d.
900 people.
On August sth, 1902, Mt. Pelee
erupted again and $500 lives were
lost.
Every one recalls the recent cyclone
OF Gainesville, Ca, and the burning
of the Park Avenue Hotel in New
York, each disaster causing so much
suffering and the loss Of life, in the
latter l57.
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