SECULAR NEWS | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 26, 1878

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 4, No. 36.

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SECULAR NEWS.

—Washington Territory contains 60,000 people.

—The school population of this country is placed at 14,309,000.

—The Vanderbilt family is reputed to be worth $100,000,000.

—The United States pay about $100,000,000 annually for foreign sugar.

—About 78,000,000 lead pencils, costing $4,000,000, are annually used in this country.

—Subscriptions to the yellow fever relief fund in the State amounts to about $50,000.

—The public debt statement for August shows a decrease during the month of $6,475,504.78.

—Commerce between Mexico and the United States is reported to be steadily increasing.

—The Great Western Railway, of Canada, has purchased the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway for $3,500,000.

—According to the new directory there are 1507 saloons in Cincinnati, 400 more than there are groceries.

—During the year 1877, 1175 persons were killed and 3705 injured by railroad accidents in Great Britain.

—Twenty-eight million a year have been saved in interest on our public debt by funding operations since 1871.

—September 19, a quarter of a mile of frame sheds in the horse department at the State Fair grounds at Columbus, Ohio, was destroyed by fire. The fire is supposed to have originated with children playing with some matches in one of the stalls.

—Last month the mint in San Francisco coined 191,000 double eagles, 50,000 quarter eagles, and 1,640,000 standard dollars, making a total of 1,609,000 pieces of the value of $5,609,000. The total coinage of standard dollars thus far is $4,916,000. During August, 1877, the coinage was $6,662,000, of which $5,060,000 was gold.

—September 19, Sherman City, a small village in Isabella county, Michigan, was annihilated by a terrific tornado. Every store, dwelling-house and shed in the village was swept clean except one frame dwelling, which was partially destroyed. The air was thick with timbers, boards, brick and stones. The inhabitants took refuge in the cellars.

—The cattle in a large part of Bengal are dying at the rate of hundreds a day, and the streams are filled with dead bodies. The decreases in the number and the deterioration in the quality of the agricultural cattle all over British India is one of the greatest features to be noted in connection with the general condition of the peasantry. In Madras and Bombay the destruction of cattle has been appalling, while in Burmah there has also been a plague. The general condition of the agricultural population throughout India is such as to occasion the gravest uneasiness. Continuous impoverishment bids fair to be followed by continuous famine. There is scarcity amounting almost to famine even at the present time in Madras, Bombay, the northwestern province, and Bengal. Yet the only remedy proposed is increased taxation.

—News has been received to the effect that the Island of Hayti was visited by a terrible tornado the first week of this month. The greatest damage occurred at Jacmel and Aux Cayes. At Jaemel the hurricane continued from the 3d to the 5th. The destruction of property was great. Several houses and public halls on the quay and two wharves were destroyed. Five vessels riding at anchor were hurled against the shore. At Aux Cayes, in less than three hours, 434 houses were utterly destroyed, leaving a large number homeless. At Torbich and Port Salut several houses were swept away. In St. Louis and Cavillon the sea rushed into the towns, and the entire market place in the latter was inundated, hurrying men, women and children, without a moment’s warning to watery graves. At Cavillon only four houses remain. At Aquin only forty houses are standing. Very little remains of La Grande Anse, and in Jeremie twenty houses were swept into the sea. At Corail forty houses were destroyed. The Warrell, an American vessel, was wrecked. The crew were saved under the superintendence of the Commandant of Fort Guerriere. The island of Trinidad suffered terribly from a tornado on the 1st instant. Spanish shipping in port suffered terrible havoc.