Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-07
STUNNED BY DISASTER,
HALIFAX WORKS HARD

Help Reaches City
Help from outside began to reach
the stricken city to-day. Doctors,
nurses and medical and food sup
plies arrived on special trains from
Truro and Windsor, n. s., and from
Moncton, n. b. Other trains were
reported on the way and were eX-
pected to reach here during the day.
The special train sent from Boston
by direction of Governor Mccall. of
Massachusetts,, will arrive tonight.
Business Suspended
Virtually all business is suspended
and the schools are closed. while the
inhabitants generally are turning
their attention to relief work. Sol
diers and sailors. including seamen
from an American warship which
rushed to the port when it received
word of the disaster, are patrolling
the stricken district and aiding in
the rescue work.
William Barton. travelling auditor
for the Canadian Imperial Munitions
Board. at Ottawa, related to-day his
experience during the explosion. He
was at breakfast in the Halifax
Hotel.
Feared German Bombs
"In ten seconds it was all over"
Mr.. Barton said. "A low, rumbIing,
a quake shock, with everything vi
brating, then an indescribable noise.
followed by the fall of plaster and
the smashing of glass. In such mo-
ments the human mind does not hes
itate; cry went up A German
bomb A rush for the door. head
long down the hallway amid falling
pictures. glass and plaster to the
swing doors of a few seconds before,
now ripped from their hinges;
through great projecting triangular
pieces of glass to the street. Here /
found myself with q burden. How
she had come into my arms I do not
know, yet here she was Historically
shrieking: oh, my poor sister, my
poor sister,
Danger Seemed Over
"Outside, overhead, a giant smoke
cloud was moving northward. Dam
ger semed over. ] crossed the road
laid my feminine burden on a door
step and returned to the hotel. ]
made my way up stairs to the rooms
of two friends. The rooms were va.
cant, but normal, even the glass un.
| broken-and few panes of glass re.
main unbroken in this area. Once
more | was in the street, meeting my
companions on the threshold. They
/ too, were unscathed.
Our plans were quickly made. We
were off to the immediate vicinity OF
| the diSaster-for, among many
theories, we accepted as most plaus.
ible the blowing up of a munition!
ship. Towards Citadel hill we wend.
ed our way and the further we Wen
the more horrid the aftermath. The
| improvised stretcher met us on al
sides, converging into the main thor
Oughfares from the highways anC
| byways. The wounded were every
where but most of these unfortunate.
could hobble or walk.
"Our hurry-scurry had led to thu
armory. Here the khaki-clad meI
were already on parade, many of the
soldiers showing wounds bound will
handkerchiefs-c to thu
mind base hospitals of overseas.
"As we passed they were already
on the march toward the more de
vastated area. The order had gont
forth commander all vehicles. auto
or horse A Gordon was drawn across
the streets and passengers were
forced to alight and resume theil
| journeys afoot. There was grin
work ahead"
Fire Follows Collision
1t wars established to-day that i
was twenty-five minutes after tn
collision before the explosion occur
red. At the first shock houses rocked
vessels broke from their moorings
bits of shells whistled through thu
air, buildings feel upon their occu
pants, shrieks and means rose for {
second above the awful din and il
all parts of the city men, women an6
children ran into the streets, many
of them insufficiently clad. Then fire
broke out in a hundred places.
Orders were at first given that
everybody should flee to the south OF
the city, and in a short time Bar
rington street resembled a road OF
Belgium or Serbia when the inhabit-
ants fed before the Germans. Every
variety of vessel was pressed into
service for the sick and infirm. Men,
women and children, some carrying
hastily snatched belongings, hurried
along the pavements and overfiowed
the streets. Stores were deserted,
houses forsaken and the entrance to
Point Pleasant Park was soon black
with human beings, some massed in
groups, some running frantically
back and forth. The widest rumors
were in circulation.
Find Loved Ones
brought word the danger was under
control, the crowds returned to find
their homes among a mass of wreck
age or in ashes and relatives dead
or wounded.
Snow Delays Rescue Work
Fires are still burning in the sec
tions of Halifax which were de-
vastated by yesterdays disastrous
munitions ship explosion. A heavy
snowstorm set in early to-day
seriously impeding the work rescu-
ing the injured and recovering bod
les.
The snowfall, however comes as
an aid to the firemen in quenching
the flames in the ruins.
Special trains, bringing doctors,
nurses and medical supplies arrived
here to-day from Moncton, Truro
and Windsor. Three special trains
have been sent with injured persons
to Windsor and other places where
there are large hospitals.
There is wreck and ruin on every
side. Every building in the city is
damaged - glass broken, plaster
down, windows and doors shattered
Bushes is suspended and will bt
for days. All schools and colleges