The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-07

| and Dartmouth sections OF the cAry-
Aid from the outside In the form
OF tons Of supplies gave early evil
dence today that fears Of a food
shortage were unfoun6ed. and len
citv and government ufE7cfaIs free TO
direct the rescue work i'm which sol
diers. sailors and police ars being
assisted by bluejackets from an An
crican Vsarship In the haTbor-
Over the flmme-Swept AREA Of Rich
mond OF approximately two and q
half square miles many searchers
confined their efforts today 70 max
ing sure that all OF the injured were
removed 10 hospitals. Other orEaniE-
ed parties sought out those bodies
that might be identified and rushed
them 10 the morEues. In this Sec
ton. extending from Pier 8 hack to
lCottigen street. not a building was
left standing and here was the
greatest loss Of life. Buildings that
withstood the force Of the explosion
were burned BY the FIRE that swept
the district and scores Of the injured
were taken from the ruins OF the
railway station. the refinery OF the
American Sugar Refining company.
the military gymnasium and the
Arena Rink, while few. IL any. Of the
several hundred citizens attending
the Richmond school are known 20
have escaped. Across the naFrOws in
the town Of Dartmouth the results
OF the vast damage done by the
force OF the explosion became more
apparent today. while reports from
towns and villages within a radius OF
100 miles indicate that the force Of
the impact was felt and in some
cases resulted in property dam
age.
City Was isolated.
Telegraph and telephone wires
were torn down and in the first
moments OF ruin and death Halifax
was completely isolated. Early in
the afternoon. several hours after
the explosion, a single wire was
placed in operation by the Canadian
Press limited. and over ii news Of
the disaster and government mess
ages told OF the extent OF the needs
of the city and brought reassuring
replies that every available means Of
transportation was being requisition-
ed to rush medical aid and supplies.
The explosion occurred in the mar
rows, a point in the harbor less than
half a mile wide. On the north shore
is the town OF Dartmouth, on the
south shore, the Richmond section
Of the city. slipping land on each
side OF the nsrrows forms in eftect
a trough, which served to confine the
blast and increase its intensity and
destructiveness.
Great Piers Escape.
The main waterfront buildings.
great piers for loading ships and
warehouses for munitions and sup.
plies are located south Of the mar
rows, and they escaped the full force
| Of the blows. While these piers and
storehouseS are damaged consider
ably, II was learned today that the
facilities for loading transports and
| munition ships are not so badly
| crippled as was at first believed.
A heavy snowstorm set in early
this morning seriously impeding the
work OF rescuing the injured and re-
covering the bodies of the dead.
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 today from Moncton. Truro
| and Windsor. Other special trains
have been sent with injured perS0nS
to Windsor and other places where
there are large hospitals.
There il wreck and ruin on every
side. Every building in the city is
damaged-glass broken, plaster
down, windows and doors shatter-
ed.
Business is suspended and will be
for days. All schools and colleges
have been closed until after New
Years.
It was established today that it
was twenty-five minutes sitter the
collision before the explosion occur
red. At the first shock houses rock
ed, vessels broke from their moor.
ings, bits OF shells whistled through
the air. buildings fell upon their oc-
cupants, shrieks and means rose for
a second above the awful din, and in
all parts of the city men, women and
children ran into the streets, many OF
them insufdciently clad. Then hre
broke out in q hundred places.
All Flee to South End.
Orders were at first given that
everybody should fee to the south OF
the city, and in q short time Barring
ton street resembled a road of Bel
GUM or Serbia when the inhabitants
| Ned before the Germans. Every
variety Of vehicle was pressed into
service for the sick and tnhrm.
Men, women and children, some
carrying hastily snatched belongings,
hurried along the pavements and
L
| 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,
and every bearer of tidings was
Immediately surrounded. The stories
lost nothing in the telling.
When later dying automooiles
brought the good word that the
danger was under control, the crowds
returned to find their homes q mass
OF wreckage or in ashes, and relatives
dead or wounded.
Tell Details of Disaster.
st. John. N. B., Dec. Eye wit
nesses Of the Halifax explosion
reaching here today told details of
the horrors through which they
passed. In the party were fourteen
young women students from Mount
| st. Vincent's academy.
Esmond p. Berry, st. John postal
clerk, was at Richmond during the
worst OF the catastrophe.
at was terrible" he said, people
dying in our car like flies. Some Of
them came to the place with noses
shot off, eyes put out, faces slashed
with ffying glass, limbs torn and dis
torted. on one occasion while we
were working around a wrecked
building we could see a little baby
| fifty feet or more underneath burn
| ing mass crying for aid. We could
not get within thirty feet Of the
child and had to watch while 1t burn
ed to death. Men and women and
children were Lying in the streets
|
II a .