The Washington herald., 1917-12-08
CASUALTIES MOUNT
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AAGb ONL.
between his fingers.to find his body
was stone cold"
Miss Baxter had a narrow escape
from death in the destruction of the
military hospital on Pier ., Halifax.
Miss Baxter, when the explosion
came ran for safety. She fell down
the stairs. but escaped with slight
bruises. Miss Baxter said:
The hospital was completely de-
molished, but all in 1t escaped serious
injury, although several were cut and
bruised. There is not an unbroken
pane OF glass in Halifax and the
number of those injured must run
into thousands.
One simple statement that came
over the telephone wire from Truro
this morning reveals something of
the horror of the Halifax tragedy.
1t was that women had been
brought to Truro, who were so
crazed by the shock that they could
not tell their own names.
An official on the st. John train,
which arrived at the Halifax sta
tion a few minutes after the sta
tion had been wrecked. said today:
Following the tremendous ex-
plosiOn. the cries and shrieks of
citizens could be heard by passen-
gers on the on-speeding train while
still far from the city.
Large numbers OF trucks and lor-
ries rumbled through the streets
heaped with the bodies of victims be-
ing hurried for burial. Men and
women were going about in a crazed
condition. in their anguish for their
missing children and relatives. crying
and babbling. Children were shipped
to Truro with or without the knowl-
edge Of their parents, and numbers of
these later went in search of their off,
spring. The cries of the injured and
the dying as they lay amidst the ruins
were awful"
Miss Eleanor Tapley, of Mount St,
Nincents College, gave an account of
the disaster.
The class at Mount st. Vincent
had just finished their hour in the
commercial room," she said, when a
fearful roar came from the direction
q the city. After some. seconds there
was a sudden smashing of every pane
of glass in the building an an thrush
of cold air. We were panic-stricken.
What added to our fears were the
fearful shrieks which came from the
vicinity of the city. We first got
word Of the disaster from an engine
which came tearing up from the city,
rocking from side to side with terrific
speed. The engineer, the only man
aboard, cried to us: Give me any
thing you have-blankets, food, band
ages or anything. The whole city is
wrecked and for the mercy of God be
quick. We girls rushed to get any
thing we could lay our hands on.
Sweaters, coats, clothes torn in strips
for bandages. everything was piled
on the engine. which Immediately
tore at full speed back to the scene
of horror"
More Than 1000 Hurt.
The injured number considerably
more than 1000 A definite figure
Is unavailable until possibly tomor-
row. Every house that has not been
wrecked Is an emergency hospital.
Hundreds have been taken to nearby
towns.
An army OF Canadian and Ameri-
can newspapermen and photograph
ers Is on the scene
"A uedNy SnO"StOTm Is playing
havoc with telephone and telegraph
communications. The storm is a
God-send to the city, as it is assist
Ing fremen to check fires still rag
ing
A citizens committe working in the
wrecked zone has established an in
formation bureau where those separat-
ed from their families may hope to be
returned.
American and British fighting men
are keeping close watch for looters
and orders have gone out that ghouls
are to be shot.
Among the chaos a few episodes
more terrible than the rest stand out
in frightful distinctiveness.
A woman wandering among the dead.
Face after face she scrutinized. When
she found the body she sought. she Law
down in the snow beside it. She Groom
ed and sang to the crushed corpse.
She was led away screaming hysteri-
cally.
Two hundred injured were taken
from here tonight to Truro on a special
Canadian government train. They will
be cared for in private homes.
Hundreds of bodies lie in temporary
morgues awaiting identification and
burial. Whole families have been
wiped out-parents have been left
childless and orphans are crying for
their loved ones.
A party Of soldiers worked with su-
perhuman efforts to free a young girl
from pile Of debris, while her cries
and moans almost unnerved them.
Just as they released her from the
crushing timbers she died.
Passengers on the ferry boat near
the Dartmouth harbor felt the con-
cussion from the water before the