p. 8 | A YEAR OF DISASTERS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 18, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 25.

A YEAR OF DISASTERS.

WELL-NIGH 100,000 souls have been swept into eternity since the beginning of the present year by a remarkable series of disasters, according to the Chicago Tribune, which keeps a record of such things. The list covered by the Tribune in the paragraphs quoted below includes only those disasters occurring before May 20. Before its issue of that day was twelve hours old, a waterspout devastated the suburbs of Covington, Ky., claiming six victims. Since then two mining disasters have claimed 200 more. To quote:—

“One woe doth tread upon another’s heels, so fast they follow.” Public interest in the recent disasters among the West Indian Islands has hardly begun to abate before reports come of others which, but for the exceptional magnitude of the former, would be regarded as unusual in their fatality. The cyclone which struck the little town of Goliad, Texas, on Sunday not only nearly destroyed the place, but left in its wake ninety dead and over one hundred injured—an unusual cyclone record for a single locality. The mine explosion at Coal Creek, Tenn., is the worst of the year, not one of the 150 men employed in the mine escaping. [Later reports give 227 dead. Ed. S. of T.] Simultaneously with these events comes the news of a terrible hurricane which swept over the province of Scinde, in British India, carrying away houses, bridges, and embankments, and washing away miles of railroad tracks. The few words, “many lives were lost,” are significant.

The prophets who predicted that 1902 would be a year of disasters were correct. They have been in the habit of uttering these prophecies year after year without result; but this year they have been verified,

tho but few months have passed. Nature has not been so busy with her forces of devastation for many years past as she has been during the first five months of the present year. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes have destroyed 48,450 lives, storms 704, tornadoes 416, cyclones 220, floods 333, avalanches 228, tidal waves 103, snow-slides 39, and waterspouts 12, a total of 50,505 lives destroyed by nature’s elemental disturbances. If to this were added the lives lost by agencies over which man has more or less control, such as fires, mine disasters, explosions, railroad accidents, and vessel wrecks, it would be increased to over 60,000, and this takes no account of individual lives lost in this country, which would bring the grand total up to about 100,000 lives lost in the short period of five months.

In the presence of these great natural convulsions man is powerless and probably always will be. As to the disasters occasioned by human ignorance or carelessness or neglect, the despair of the situation is that the catastrophe of to-day is a sensation for the day, and to-morrow is generally forgotten. It has its lesson, but it is not often read. Even if read, it is rarely heeded.—Literary Digest, May 31.