The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-01-09
DISASTERS

Fires. railroad accidents and expio-
siOns took a heavy toll OF human life
on land during the year 1918 while the
elements combined with the torpedoes
Of the German U-boats to send thou
sands Of innocent persons. including
women and children, TO their death at
sea.
Fffty-two children met death in a
FIRE which destroyed a convent at Mon
treal, Canada, February Il February
"A the liner Florizel. bound from St
Johns N F. to New York. was
wrecked by a blizzard near Cape Race
and % lives were lost.
Seventy inmates OF an insane asylum
at Norman. Okla, were killed in q fire
which destroyed that Institution April
ID.
On May I the Savannah liner City Of
Athens was sunk in a collision with q
French cruiser of the Delaware coast
and IS lives were lost On May IS
nearly hundred persons were killed
by explosions in the Aetna Chemical
plant near Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sixty-three persons, including we'll
known circus performers, persisted
when a circus train was wrecked at
Gary, Ind, June %. Fifty persons were
killed by the collapse OF a building at
Sioux City, Ia, June %.
A small factory explosion in England
killed 80 persons July and on the fol-
lowing day an explosion in a munitions
plant near Syracuse, n. Y, killed 16
Eighty-fve merrymakers persisted
when an excursion boat sank in the
Illinois river July B. 4 hundred per-
sons were killed in a collision between
two trains near Nashville, Tenn,
July 9.
A tornado swept a part OF Minnesota
August 81, killing 80 persons at Tyler
and Connors.
During the months of September
and October hundreds Of persons lost
their lives at sea either by accident
or by the torpedoing OF passenger
boats by German submarines. On Sep
TENDER u the British steamer Galway
Castle was torpedoed and 1S9 persons,
including 90 women and children. were
lost. The American cargo boat IT,
conderOga was tOrpedOed September
80 and 213 persons were lost a tor
pedo boat sank a japanese liner on Dc
tOber and 800 persons were drowned.
On October 6 the United States trans
port Otranto was sunk in collision on
the Irish coast and $50 persons lost
their lives. Four hundred were lost
when the British mail boat Leinster
was tOrpedOed and sunk October 10.
A series OF terrific explosions in a
shell-lOading plant at Morgan, n. J,
on October killed "a persons and de-
stroyed a vast amount Of property. A
severe earthquake which caused the
death Of $50 persons was reported in
Porto Rico October IL. Great forest
| fires ragged in northeastern Minnesota
during October. Many towns were de-
! strOyed End about 1000 lives were lost.
| On October % the steamship Princess
Sophia was wrecked on the Alaskan
| coast and 343 were lost.
Ninety-eight persons were killed No
/ vember I in a wreck on the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit lines. On November d
about 1.5OO persons were reported
killed by the explosion OF German mu-
milton trains en- route from Belgium to
Germany
One Of the most unusual cases in
maritime history was that Of the
United States navy collier CycIops,
| which disappeared at sea while bound
/ from the West Indies to an American
/ Atlantic port Announcement was
made April IA that the boat. with 293
/ persons on board, was month over
due. Not a single trace OF the boat
/ or its passengers and crew was ever
found. and the fate Of the vessel is a
| complete mystery.