The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-02
Staggering Events Form
Record of Real Horror
Swift Sequence of Disasters Overshadowing One
Another, When Summarized, Appals by the Toll of
Death, Every Walk in Life Suffering.


1915 without a sense of dismay. ever
Of horror. Since time began there hat
never been such "A chronicle OF misery
and misfortune, u Il staggering pro
cession OF dreadful occurrences. There
is not a person anywhere in the world,
surely. who will not feel thankful that
the twelve months Of evil have gone IL
~revocably. and who will not be stirred
BY the nope that the new year vii
bring In it's train peace, prosperity and
a saner. better ordering of human al
fairs.
Our own country escaped the more
terrible manifestation Of the year-war.
with its toll of human life and Its vast
ing Of national resources-and because
OF Its great good fortune received no
small part Of the prosperity that war
drained from the warning countries. But
a rapid survey OF happenings in the
United States. the enormous total OF
deaths and disasters and exhibitions Of
human frailty merely support the gem
eral conclusion that 1915 was a dismal
period. one that the fates can scarcely
have the hardihood to duplicate.
Life is so complex in a nation OF 100
0o0. 900. events come so swiftly ana so
confusingiy that probably most persons
never realize until the very end or the
year and at the summing up time what
blows death has struck what dcstruc-
ton Of life and property has been caused
by the uncertainties Of travel how IN
cessantly active the fire lemon has been :
what notable advances have been made
In the arts. the inventions and in bust
ness and commercial life. Day by day
these things appeared in the news, but
one by one they were blottcd out anu
expunged by the interest OF fresher hap
penings.
The ScN attempts this morning 10
present to its readers "A summar! OF the
important happenings OF the year.
While, as has been said, the atmosphere
of the whole is gloomy. there occur IN
the impressive chronicle many matters
Of cheerful import. many records OF
human devotion and altruism.
Iprath Toll Of Thousands.
One OF the most impressive Of all
the tables and statistical digests con-
Germs the great disasters OF 1919 AZ
home and abroad. In this country 1896
persons were drowned. l.6il died be-
cause of fires. 1851 lost their lives In
mine accidents. 1.2Si were the victims
Of cyclones and storms. i?6 were killed
by explosions. 2t2 died In accidents
having to do with electricity. 1'2 were
killed by lightning. e26 were asphyNi-
atsd and SO were killed by elevator
accidents.
The number OF persons severely In
jured by automobiles throughout the
country up to December -. when the
summary Vas prepared. was lo.032. or
nearly double the humble that were hurt
in similar ways In lsli-o.oi3. The
number OF persons killed by autoino-
biles was EZRA. as compared with l,slt
in 1914. The figures for several years
SHOW a steadily gaining total OF deaths
and injuries by automobiles.
The list of the principal accidents and
disasters in this country is headed by
the boiler explosion on the cruiser San
Diego, which occurred on January 81
cost the lives Of nine men. ON Janu-
ary 30 a storm killed seven az Chicago
and on January 80 also a starm killed
seven at Grand Rapids. Other loss OF
life In disasters is recorded AZ follows:
Februs ry-,F!re At ,kune. Pa, 10; mine
near wi&eSbsrre. Pa. ~; fire at Marsh
neld. Ore, $; mine explosion. Hinton W.
Msrch-Gssoleno explosion. New York, 5.
.April-Powder eNpiosior, Alton. ILL.,. =:
mine explosion. Greenville. III, II: cyclone
clone In Texas. 20; drowning accident in
San Francisco Bay. .; collapse Of dam, II.
Johns. AriI, s. dynamite explosion. Kensic.
Msy-Tornado in Louisiana, u: drown
,Gs sccidsn,; Cleveland. 8; dynami,e ex-
storm in Kansa. and Missouri. 10;
Joplin. Mo-. s; storm in Kansas and Mis-.
so.ri' II: drowning accident at Atlantic
5: drowning accident. Junction City. Kan. s.
July-cyclone In Oklahoma, s; cyclone
Mass. s.; Ohio River Hood, II: sinking Of
the steamer Eastlsnd at Chicago. sIl: mine
explosion a. chris,opher, III. S: mine es-
Auxust-Cioudburst. Erie. Pa. IS: pow.
Ger mil. ssplSSsiorr; Emporium; Pa; .
at st. Louis 20; food in Arkansas. : ~
September-Min explosion. Boswell. Pa,
10: hre at san Franeisco, 3 subway col
AIdmore' Okla, q; hurricane in LoSisiaus,
octeber-Tenement hous. fire. New York.
8; mine explosion. Butte. Mon, 10; factory
nrs, pittsSnrs' is; St John school ere,
observation-disclosures house Nre, Brook
Ign, IL: factory IRE. Williamsburg, ia: cy-
clone Great Bend, Kan" IL; storm on the
powder mills. Wilmington. Del. 90; mine
explosion. Boomer. W. Va, Is,
Many Disasters Abroad.
Abroad there were disasters quite
apart from the great war which exacted
a frghtful toll Of life. The most terrible
Of all WAS the earthquake in Italy.
which on January 10 killed 24,2OO per-
sons. On January Is. 500 were killed
in a railroad accident at collme. Mexico.
In April a mine explosion at Shimo-
noseki. Japan. destroyed al. A few
days later 500 were drowned by floods
in Hungary. A railroad accident at
Carlisle. England, on May 90 killed 1854
persons. A pier collapsed at Kazan.
Russia. June 25. and 100 persons died.
Another railroad accident In Mexico
killed 400 on July 1,
On. July IL the second greatest disas-
ter OF. the year, floods In China, de-
stroyed 1880. On September 20 the
Italian battleship Bencdetto Brin blew
up and IA men met violent death. A
railroad accident at Ze%ebrugge, Belgium, |
killed 22S on October Q. A typhoon
in the Philippines made the death count
40 on October "a. Ammunition at
Halle. Prussia, exploded on December 3
n destroyed 800. and the explosion OF
an ammunition plant at Havre on De-
cember IL killed 40.
An extraordinary number OF widely
known persons died in the year lust
ended. The list liz almost incredibly
Ions, All Of the professions. art, in
dustry and commerce were deprived OF
leaders.
Among the persons Of worldwide repu-
tatson who died last year were Karl
Goldmark. composer. Vienna, January
vAAnnA A-lllA D..l- /