The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-09
HALIFAX 4 CITY
OF DES0LAT|oN
A. p. Correspondent De
scribes Scenes Following
Great Disaster. >~

Halifax, Dec. s.-Through roads
three feet deep in snow, "a correspond
ent OF the Associated Press today went
|over a strip of Halifax more utterly
demolished than any of Belgium or
France. The ruin Is complete. The
Richmond district in the north end
where the poorer people lived, extends
along the narrows, Il channel rightly
named. 1t was in these waters that
the French munition ship Mont Blanc
inward bound with government pilot
aboard, was rammed amidships by the
Norwegian steamer Imo. proceeding
outward with a cargo for the relief of
the Belgians.
How this crash, not of itself serious,
ripped open on the deck tanks of benz
zine that trickled down to the engine
room and started a blaze that wrecked
part of Halifax, never will be ex-
planned to the satisfaction OF the peo-
pie here. who are still dazed by the ter
ror of tfN giant blast that came when
tons of high explosives sent "A wild roar
far out to sea, shook the very founda- :
tion of two and half square miles
and stripped it bare.
Fires Finish Awful Work.
Nearly every house in the district
fell with a crash In nearly all of these
fires started and men and women and
children, mostly children, were crushed
to death or mangled under the debris
which moment later was in roaring
flames.
| There was no chance of escape. The
horror surrounding the burning to
death of hundreds who We're unable to
move is realized here, but this town
has not yet awakened to the enormous
loss of life. Estimates of l,500 dead
accepted heretofore as high seem far
below the mark now set
| Fortunately it happened before hun
dreds OF children had gathered at the
big school In the heart of the district
(which was wrecked. But most of these
same youngsters were caught while
playing about their homes.
! Mute Evidence Of Horror.
The steamer Mont Blanc, a name
never to be forgotten here, lies across
the stretch Of water, crumpled, black
ened heap. Near by. hard on the beacl
where ii was driven by the explosion
lies the crippled relief ship. and neare
still the Canadian cruiser Niobe stand
| with no apparent sign of damage. 9th
er and smaller ship hulks offer mute
evidence of the disaster, while ,40
freight cars on the waterfront wer
burned to the base. All over this wide
Iarea, the story is the same. There Ii
a sloping hill that runs down to tn
water and at the top church still
| stands with every window gone, iti
i walls cracked and it's steeple ieannl
| like the tower of Pisa. Around ant
about on every side are black ant
charred ruins where most of the con
lgregation lived. Further to the edge o.
the devastated area another church
escaped, but every window frame wa
ripped out clean.
/ Snow Becomes Solid Ice.
1t was almost impossible to make
progress over the streets because o.
the great drifts of snow. II lay deel
upon the wreckage and tonight it ha.
turned to a solid mass Of ice that de
fled the attempts of searchers to di,
Through with picks.
How long It will take this ice to thay
nobody knows. In any other time tn
blizzard yesterday would have causes
Imuch suffering. but coming on top O
the greater disaster. it simply stunne
thousands Of volunteers, not person
4 AVR-#