The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-05-07
Nature Swallows High Toll Of
Human Lives During 10 Years
Droughts, Floods, Tornadoes and
Fires Cause Deaths and
Much Suffering
AUTOS KILL 5000 MONTHLY

WASHINGTON Haunting mans
progress toward mastery of the ele-
ments, the unconquered forces of ma
ture continue to strike at his person
and property with increasing de-
Structiveness.
The unparalleled drought and dust
storms of 1884, the drought of 1890
81, the Mississippi valley and New
England floods and the terrific tor
nadoes in the central west and
southwest in 1927, hurricanes in
1926, 1928, 1884 and 1885, tornadoes
in the south in 1882 and the 1888.
earthquake in southern California
have taken an uncalculated toll of
human suffering and property loss.
Too much water or not enough of
it-hoods and drought-have caused
the larger cumulative damage, due
to the extent of the areas affected. A
major drought, because of it's greater
territorial coverage is rated the No.
l dstroyer of economic values in
the United States.
AT the height of the 1884 drought
it was estimated that 100000 fami-
lies, or about 100000 persons, were
receiving drought relief from the
federal government. The total dam
age to crops, livestock and soil was
roughly figured in excess of a billion
dollars.
This compares with 100000 per-
sons aided by the Red Cross and a.
property damage of something more
than $500, 100000 in the recent east
ern floods in which about ITS lives
were lost.
More terrifying than drought or
floods are earthquakes, hurricanes
and tornadoes.
The tornado is one of the most
feared forces of nature, but it's path
is narrow and it rarely hits large
centers of population as one did in
OC. LOUIS III 1871.
The greatest death-dealing disas-
ter in this county was the Galveston
hurricane-tidal wave of 1900 when
some 5000 people persisted.
Next greatest single disaster was
the Johnstown flood in 1889 when
about 1890 lost their lives in the
Pennsylvania community.
Tornadoes on August % and Oc-
tober 2, 1898, killed a total of 5000
persons at Charleston and Savannah
and on the coast of Louisiana.
Deaths in the 1923 Florida hurricane
were estimated at from 1900 to
1000. When the steamship General
Slocum took fire in the East river
in 1904 more than 1000 persisted.
While these disasters are of an ap-
palling and spectacular nature, they
are "puny pikers' compared with
automobile traffic as a dispenser of
death. Motor cars take a toll of 5000
lives a month in the United States,
or seven times as many as San Fran
cisco's famed fire and earthquake.
Accidents in the home kill $4,000
annually, permanently disable $780,
900 and injure nearly 55,OO0,OOO. Fire
takes an estimated death toll of TO-
600 and causes property damage of
$259, 100000 in year.
Some idea of the prevalence of
major disasters in the United States
is indicated by the fact that in the
IL months ending June 30, 1885, the
Red Cross provided aid for victims
of 1913 disasters.
These disasters occurred in 81
states and the territory of Ilaska.
They included in addition to floods,
tornadoes and hurricanes, storms in
the "dust bowl" Of the nation, the
burning Of the steamship Moro
Castle, a trench mouth epidemic and
a number of land fires.
1889-Johnstown f1ood-2,209 kill
ed.
1893-Tornadoes at Charleston,
Savannah and on Louisiana coast
5000.
9O0-Galveston hurricane-t d
wave-6,O00 killed.
19O3-Iroquois theatre fire, Chica-
go-602 killed.
1904 -Burning of steamship Gen
eral Slocum in East river-1,02l
killed.
1906-San Francisco earthquake
and fire-452 killed.
1913-Ohio river food-732 killed.
1915-Overturning of steamship
Eastland in Chicago river-812
killed.