New Britain herald., 1917-12-07
Story of Disaster.

< N Halifax, Dec. 7.-Smouldering ruins and piles of debris of demolished g* houses continued today to give up their dead victims of yesterdays ex- plosion aboard the French line muni- tAons-laden steamship Mont Blanc, following a collision in the Narrows Of Halifax harbor with the Belgian relief steamer Imo-in such numbers ao to surpass any disaster on this con- t3nent in recent years. < W Estimates of the number of dead at XOOO or more appeared to be borne S6ut by the rapidly filling morgues and aNacreasing number of deaths reported rom hospitals, private houses. EA3hurches and schools, where hundreds esff injured are being cared for by their N nore fortunate townsmen and mem N hers of relief parties from nearby 6aties. The exact number of dead, 1t Appeared certain today, might never G re known on account of the many refsons killed by the explosions I4eftire families in some instances-of Fyrhom no trace will ever be found Es sGther than charred bones in the ruins N n their homes. Dawn found the city EsEill staggering <under the frlght1ul- Hess of it's losses in human life, and Hundreds who stood all night in lines
  tinued their vigil with alternate eX- |Apressions of fears and hopes on their faces. Others besieged the hospitals flor news of the missing, and mean While relief parties continued their Ss1ork of succor among the hundreds whom they found in the devastated 1egions. Aid from the outside in the form of tons of supplies gave early evidence today that fears of a food shortage were unfounded, and left city and government officials free to direct the rescue work, in which sol diers, sailors and police are being as- 2sted by bluejackets from an Ameri- m warship in the harbor.
 School Children Die.
 Tn the section of Richmond of about tro and a half square miles many rSarchers confined their efforts to- dAv to making sure that all of the Naiured were removed to hospitals. Other parties sought out those bodies
 lat might be identified and rushed stAem to the morgues. In this section Extending from pier 8 back to Got f3nRen street not a building was left Handing and here was the greatest loss of life. Buildings that withstood this, forte of the explosion were burned by the fire that swept the district, and scores of injured were taken from the ruins of the railway station, the refinery of the American rugar Refining company, the mlii- fS.ry gymnasium, and the arena rink. while few, if any, of the several hun 6red children attending the Richmond tchool are known to have escaped.
 Across the Narrows. in the town of Dartmouth, the results of the vast damage done by the force of the ex- while reports from towns and villages swfile reports from town and villages within a radius of 100 miles indicate the force of the impact that was felt and in some cases resulted in prop efY Ybdamage.
 aAt Truro, Amherst and other cities where the explosion was felt, efforts t& get in wire communication with HAlifax confirmed suspicious that the var port had met with a catastrophe (SbAt it was several hours before wire SWAs placed in operation to inform the outside world of the extent of the disaster. Telegraphs and telephone wires were torn down and in the adfSt moments of ruin and death Hali- .fS,x1 Svas completely isolated Early 4,14he afternoon several hours after sfhA explosion a single wire was placed
 operation by the Canadian Press,
 An.. and over it news of the disaster
 sd xoyernment messages told of the
 snt of the needs of the city and