Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-31
ROLL OF DISASTERS
AND CATASTROPHES

THERE were many catastrophes OF
! tragic nature during the year. but no
persons of great distinction were over
whelmed in them. January -, The
steamer Republic was rammed, In fog,
off Nantucket, Mass. The lives OF sew
eral hundred persons were endangered.
but the use of wireless telegraphy by the
Republic operator, Jack" Binns, sum-
moned aid from ocean liners and govern
ment vessels and only six persons met
DEATH This was the first signal use in
history of wireless telegraphy for the re-
lief of distress at sea. Naturally. it was
followed by general efforts to extend the
use of the wireless system. Messages
were received during the year from dis
tance of nearly 500 miles out at sea.
Other notable causalties of the year
were the theater fire at Acapulo in Mex
leo, which occurred February 16. and I'm
which more than 800 persons were burned
to death, the earthquakes in southern
France, Portugal and Persia. which
wrought much damage and destroyed nifty
Persian villages and 200 lives in Portugal:
the earthquakes in Mexico, the cities or
Chilpacinso, Mexico, and Acapulco being
damaged to a very great and costly eN-
tent, and the earthquake and fire at Os-
aka Japan, wherein more than 1,OV0
houses were destroyed and 1o.Oo0 people
rendered homeless.
There were violent storms. particularly
around the gulf and southern states, and
in these the property loss ran into the
millions and the death roll into hundreds.
One of the heaviest of the storms In the
south occurred in July and another III
September. Cuba also was visited by
damaging scyclone; the West Indies. and
particularly Jamaica, were devastated
early in November; HongkonS SUITE. ed
from typhoon, and in Russia ana SiciN
billiards. and cyclones destroyed villages
and crops.
Cherry Hill Explosion.
The second week OF November an ex-
piosion in d coal mine at Cherry HILL Ill.,,
imprisoned 300 miners, twenty of whom
were rescued after being entombed for
seven days One hundred and eighty coal
miners were also entombed by an eA-
pl,sion near Newcastle, England; 100 at
Lie Eranch. w. Va, and 30 al Vesz-
prin, Hung
The bisscst loss Of life at sea occurred
in Montevideo haThor when $50 persons
were drowned as .."sit of the collision
between an excursion steamer ana the
North German Lloyd line Schlesian
Floods in Natal and the Transvaal olatm-
ed l73 victims. And for the III j. ~
weeks of 1909 the entire world was bus,
trying to alleviate the SUFFERING caused
at Messina and elsewhere in Sicily and
italy by the earthquake and tidal wave,
which on December %. 1905, destroyed
Messina and Reggie causing a loss OF
life estimated at 100000 and or a billion
dollars worth of propety-proDaoiy tneS
most awful natural catastrophe the world
has ever known.
A Year of Celebrations.
But despite this and many other big
tasks that the world was called upon TO
master during the year, 1909 has been
twelyemonth of celebrations, as far as
this country is concerned. On June
there opened at Seattle the Alaskan
Yukon Pacific exposition, celebrating the
purchase of Alaska and the development
of our northwest This proved to be one
of the most successful expositions ever
held, ending on October l with all debts
paid and even the bondholders indemni-
fed.
In New York city and along the Hudson
river valley, as far north as Troy. was
obse rived the tercentenary discovery of the
river by Hudson and the centenary of the
launching of Fulton's steamboat, the
Clerrnont. Conducted on most elaborate
scale, many nations took part in II. be-
ing represented by especially appointed
commissions and warships, which. to-
gether with the American fleet. consti-
tuted the largest force of lighting vessels
L ever assembled at one time In an Ameri-
can harbor.
on July 8 the tercentenary of the dis
covery of Lake Champlain was observed
by a general fete participated in by the
states of New York and Vermont, repre-
sentatives of France and England and
President Taft. On October 10 San Fran
cisco celebrated the discovery of its bay
by Portola and the city's recovery from
the effects of the earthquake and fire of
1906 And on Lincoln's birthday the en-
tire country celebrated his centenary.
with "A large part Of the world joining us
in commemoration of his great work and
the man himself. Other men whose birth
dates were observed were Poe. Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Darwin. Tennyson and
49,