The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-12-27
BOAT LIFTED BY EXPLOSION
Steamer Sixty Miles from Harbor Lift
ed Three Feet by Force of Explosion
Sailors Help Days in Relief
Workable Crossing Times.

Among those who allev1ated the sur
fering of the thousands of the inhabi-
tants of the city of Halifax, who were
injured, orphaned or made homeless by
the great disaster in that city recently,
was one Kenoshan. It was Albert
Binninger, the son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles f. Binninger of 663 Albers
street, who as a member Of the crew
of the U. S. "Tacoma,'' entered Hall
fax harber a few hours after the great
disaster, in time to be of inestimable
help in the relief work which followed
for more than two days. The story
of the part which Kenosha, without her
knowledge, had in helping Halifax, is
contained in a letter recently received
from the Kenosha jackie, which paints
vivid picture of the suffering which
followed in the wake of the explo-
sion of the munition ship in the
Canadian harbor.
Ship Feels Shock of Explosion.
In writing of the Halifax disaster,
the Kenosha sailor says: "We had the
luck to come into Halifax just at the
time of the explosion. We were sixty
miles out to sea when it happened, but
in spite Of that it lifted the ship at
least three feet out of the WATER
AS the "Tacoma'' neared the harbor
the members of the crew realized the
extent of the wreckage and the suffer
ing which they might help to alleviate.
The Kenosha sailor, after passing
through an experience which has in
delibly impressed itself on his mem
DRY as sight more terrible 5kan the
trenches of Europe, continues the de-
scription of stricken Halifax.
Pulls Bodies from the Ruins.
"For two days and two nights, we
did relief work, pulling bodies from the
ruins and keeping looters from the pos
sessions of others. I never saw any
thing like it in my life-why, the
soldiers, who were there, said it was
just as bad as it is ON the firing line
in France, and the soldiers who are
there in Halifax are all back from
the front with Disbursements Of some
kind as mark of their service,
and now the explosion had disfgured
them even more.
Think of our house as fat as pan
cake and you and me digging for the
bodies of those who might have been
within at the time! / have seen people
with both arms off or both eyes out
people that were on the street, the
women and children, and their eyes
were Jared out by the explosion
Piece of arms or other parts of the
body were found everywhere-it was
awful. [ can't tell in this letter like
I could at home right to a person s
face. I know just how it happened
and every detail, but I can It write
it all in this letter.
Tells of Crossings
The experience at Halifax was only
one of the adventures which the Keno
sha sailor descibes in this most inter
esting letter. The u. S. S. F'Tacoma"
has been actively employed as a con-
voy ship and at the time the letter was
| written was in the Boston harbor. All
this and other interesting information
is told in the first paragraph of the
letter, when he writes: EEWelI, I am
back in America again and I sure am
glad of it. Yes, we just got back from
France and now we are here in Boston
getting repaired-that is the boilers
| overhauled and new lineoleum being
put on the decks and, oh, hundred
other things.
Yes, we conveyed twenty-one ships
across and this was the third trip that
I went across on her. I sure do like
the sea even if we did have storm
coming back most of the way. Nearly
all OF the crew were sick but I never
even got seasick and I think that s
pretty good for the first time to
sea. Oh, I'm a regular sea-going
guy, now, believe me-
Laughs at Submarines.
/ I didn It get chance to go ashore in
France because they didn t give US
any iberty-they never do, I guess
when you are on a man-o war We
| didn It see no 'Fsubs" or German u
boats-just our luck. We don t have
to do much on these trips-just stand
watches. I stood mine on the bridge
with the officers or in the fighting top
on the mast-way up on top; it's some
class in a high seal Oh boyln
Volunteered Early for War.
This Kenosha sailor who in his
months of service for Uncle Sam has
had more experience than many men
gain in a lifetime, was one of the first
Kenoshans to join the navy of Uncle