Numbered lists, if spread over multiple columns, will restart the numbering from one in each column. There is no way to specify a starting value in wikisyntax, so HTML has to be used. This template automates the process so one doesn't have to write the HTML by hand.
This table-based template does not work nested inside other templates, only in the main body of a page. Do not attempt to use it in infoboxes, navboxes, etc.
Template documentation