The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-12-07

RATHER Up DEAD By WAGON LOADS
FROM BURNED v|RECKAGE OF HALIFAX

wounded and to provide covering
for dead bodies.
The work OF rescue is greatly I'M
peded by masses Of the debris that
litter sections Of the city where loss
OF life was heaviest.
Among other buildings leveled by
tho blast, the railway station. the
arena rink. military gymnasium.
sugar refinery and large elevator
are blackened ruins today. Scores
of persons were in these buildings.
Many were injured and some killed.
Troops Quartered here have given
up their barracks for women and
children and they will live for the.
time being in city OF five hundred
tents erected on the common.
The Academy of Music and many
other public buildings are crowded
with weeping women and children
Their homes are shattered or burned
ruins.
A part Of the town Of Dartmouth.
suburb of Halifax also caught the
force Of the explosion and is in ruins.
Practically all the north end OF the
city OF Halifax is in ruins, an area
lying torn and jumbled from the
North street railway station as far
as Aricville to Bedford basin and
covers about two square miles.
Buildings which were wrecked by
the explosion Immediately disappear
ed in the fire that followed when
stoves and boilers were torn
asunder.
I; Schools and other available build
ings in the Weyburn section Of the
city have been turned into morgues
or hospitals. Doctors and nurses are
woking with unending energy render
ing aid to the injured. Many of
those less seriously injured, have
! gone into service for the more grave
~ wounded. Supplies and food from
all sections Of Canada and parts OF
/ ths United States are rushing here
The twisted and battered Mont
Blanc whose dangerous cargo caused
i the disaster. lies still visible in the
narrows. The Belgian relief boat 10
beached on the Dartmouth side OF
the harbor near what is known as
/ Tufts cove.
/ The collision that wrecked the
munitions ship was on her port side.
and the bow of the limo pierced
nearly to the engine room,
The relief ship, hoping to keep
water from flooding her victim, kept
ahead, showing the Mont Blanc on.
Fire, however, broke out and the
skipper Of the limo ordered the ship
to break away and the crews to the
boats.
/ The escape of the crews of the two
ships which colliding, caused the ex-
plosion, was explained today. After
the crash-due to mistake in signals
both crews abandoned ship. The
French munitions steamer Mont Blanc
was in flames, deckload Of benzine
blazing briskly. The sailors knew an
explosion was certain. They rowed for
shore and took to their heels. The
burning vessel drifted toward Halifax
limo, which backed away from the
Mont Blanc, was beached after being
riddled with holes by exploding am
munition.
Bitter cold added to the sufferings
of homeless victims today. Members
of families, separated during the panic
besought police to find their loved
ones.
Women were seen digging in the
ruins OF their houses today. Wagons
which went about the streets picking
4 UP rubbish and trying to open the
thoroughfares occasionally found frag-
ments Of human bodies projecting
from piles of junk. There were many
corpses buried as unidentified" The
present plan is to bury them all in
one long grave, like trench grave on
the battle field. Temporary morgues
have been established in various parts
Of the ruined section Some are in
houses. In one house bodies were
placed on the shelves of closet The
I To s~{o
danger of plague from the great
masses Of dead.
No accurate account Of wounded has
1yet been attempted. Hundreds of
slight injuries have been attended.
| Nieu Amsterdam Safe.
| NEW YORK, Dec 7.-Passengers
and crew Of the huge liner Nieu Am
sterdam Of the Holland-American line
are safe, it was stated at the Offices
of the company here today. Some
fears had been expressed that she was
| in Halifax harbor at the time of the
Mont Blanc's explosion.
| The First REFUGEES.
ST. JOHN, N. b., Dec. First refu-
gees from the Halifax disaster arriv-
ed here today
| The party included Miss Catherine
White and Miss Dorothy Mckenzie,
both of Boston They were in their
class room at ST. Vincent academy
when the Mont Blanc blew up in the
| harbor.
The young women were uninjured
Miss White said:
/ When the explosion occurred we
were in our class room and all of a
(Continued On naea.2A