EVENT AND COMMENT
A catastrophe which has not been equaled within recent times, and which can certainly be compared with the greatest in history, occurred on May 8 on the Island of Martinique, one of the French West Indies. By a volcanic eruption of Mont Pelee, the entire town and population of St. Pierre, which, according to recent estimates, reached 40,000, were destroyed in the space of a few moments.
For three weeks previous, the crater of the volcano had been pouring forth clouds of black smoke, but up to May 5 no serious outbreak was even suggested. At that time an eruption of mud took place, the hot ashes of the interior having mingled with the water in the crater. Three days later, while the population was debating the question of its danger, the volcano suddenly burst forth in a torrent of molten rock, ashes, and flame. Before the unfortunate people could escape, they and the whole town were buried by the seething overflow.
Shortly afterwards, and almost before the world could comprehend the calamity at St. Pierre, the volcano La Soufriere, on the neighboring island of St. Vincent, broke forth, causing the death of nearly two thousand people.
In the face of this great calamity, it is touching to note the prompt and generous response of the neighboring nations to the cry for help from the survivors of a hitherto almost unknown people.
One of the most progressive features of the St. Louis Exposition will be the proposed trial of air ships, in which the winner will receive a prize of one hundred thousand dollars in gold. The event will take place immediately above the ground of the Washington University, where, under the direction of a committee of aerial experts, a figure eight-shaped course will be marked out by means of anchored balloons. The length of the course is to be ten miles. The winner will be the one whose air ship, in a series of trials, covers the required distance in the shortest average time.
There will also be twelve other prizes, amounting to fifty thousand dollars in all, for the performance of some special accomplishment upon the part of the contestant.
Mr. Santos Dumont, to whom we look to take a leading part in the event, states that at least one hundred and fifty air ships will be entered.
Such liberal inducements as these should do much to develop the science of aerial navigation.
The greatest movement of its kind in history is the strike which has been declared during the past month by the anthracite coal miners of Pennsylvania. Its purposes, among others, are to obtain an increase in wages and to limit the working day to eight hours. If, as now seems possible, the bituminous coal miners shall join in the movement, not less than 450,000 men will be directly involved. Besides these, such a vast number of women and children and other dependents would be affected by the strike that its supporters might easily reach into the millions.
As coal may fairly be denominated as the food of all manufacturing industries, this sudden and severe restriction would threaten something very like business starvation.
By means of a treaty signed by Secretary Hay and the Colombian Minister, the United States has secured a perpetual lease, running in hundred-year periods, of the strip of land through which the Panama Canal extends. Although the price of rental is not yet agreed upon, the United States of Colombia has received seven million dollars, in consideration of which it will forego all revenues and sources of income connected with the land for a period of fourteen years. In the meantime the terms will be decided. Should the price of rental remain unsettled at the end of that time, the question will be left to a committee of five arbitrators.
Now that seemingly the last legal obstacle has been overcome, we can reasonably anticipate the completion of the Panama Canal.
To remedy the congested traffic of the Brooklyn Bridge, it was recently proposed to construct a movable sidewalk extending along its whole length. This will resemble very much the moving boardwalk at the Chicago World’s Fair, and, like it, will be provided with seats. To protect the passengers, the entire length will be covered by a glass shelter. The sidewalk itself will move at a rate of ten miles an hour.
Such a contrivance, if successful, will prove a great boon to those who pass daily between New York and Brooklyn. It might be well, however, not to experiment with such an important thoroughfare as the Brooklyn Bridge, at least until the new East River structure is completed.