Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-08
relief OF
Continued from Pags one.)

Today Halifax Is a place of hospitals
and morgues. of bitter. cold, driving
sleet and blackened wreckage
MANY INQUIRIES.
kilograms, are pouring in from ali
parts Of America asking for informa-
ton concerning persons believed to
nave been in the city when the French
munitions ship Mont Blanc blew up.
Every train brings crowds of relatives
racked with suspense for some be-
loved one The hotels are thronsed
with sad faced seekers. Eyerywhere IN
desolation, everywhere mourning.
| The exact extent Of the loss Of hu-
man lives cannot be known for several
days-probably never will be known.
The fire which swept the blasted area
wiped out the wrecks Of hundreds OF
buildings. The storm has greatly de-
layed trains and prevented relief par
ties from outside cities from getting to
work as early as they expected.
SHIP A FLOATING BOMB.
When the official government in.
vestigation Of the munitions ship sx-
plosion begins here it will be testified
that the Mont Blanc carried 1000 tons
Of T. N. T.. the highest explosive
| AA'AO"AAg SAAU q N0ShiOao VI UcuziH0s AZ
this floating bomb came through the
narrows, there was q light mist. Ths
duty Of the vessel was to keep to the
right and hugging the narrows AZ II
went toward Bedford to await q con-
voy.
The Belgian relief ship limo was com.
ing out Of the basin. and some wit
nesses allege neither ship was on It's
proper side Of the stream.
In order to rectify the mistake they
exchanged signals which were evident
ly misunderstood. The limo rammcd
the munitions ship, backed away and
ran aground on the Dartmouth shore.
Different VERSIONS.
At this point there are several ve--
sions of the story told. One il that
the munitions ship was on fire before
the collision. This is not generally be-
lieved. She was on fire Immediately
after the smash, however. The crew
took to the boats. All have been ac-
counted for except one man.
Twenty minutes after the collision.
1t Is declared. the munitions ship blew
up where she had grounded at Pier
8, near the Intercolonial railroad sta
ton. The explosive on board the Mont
Blanc was three times as powerful as
illuminate. The powder experts say
that had the cargo had a solid founda-
ton beneath 1t there would not have
been q rat or a cat left alive in Hall
fax.
PLATES BLOWN FIVE MILES.
Pieces of shells, steel plates and
/ shrapnel have been found five miles
{ from Halifax. At Orangedale Cape
z Breton, 100 miles distant in an air lin 9
a and at Sydney. 200 miles away. the
shock was that Of a severe earth
: quake.
At Truro. 81 miles distant. the win
dows Of the Learmont hotel were
] shattered and the clock WAS shaken
: from the wall Of the train dispatcher $
/ Office. At Neaghers Grant, So miles
away = barn was lifted from its foun-
: dations as though the work had been
: done by an expert house mover.
VESSELS MAKING PDRT.
Two American vessels were making
: port at the time. One. cruiser. about
as miles off Halifax. was SO shaken
: up that the chief officer believed his
!, ship had struck a mine.
. Then. seeing another craft on the
: horizon. he concluded that he had beer
fired on. He stopped to investigate
e the stranger. A hospital ship. sc
= miles off Halifax. felt the shock and
n at once concluded that the cruiser
e. whose location was known to It was In
r action.
RAISED TIDAL WAVE.
y The explosion raised a tidal wave
Ie in the harbor that went 40 feet ovei
II the tracks of the Intercolonial railwa,
and lifted and swept away loaded
n freight cars. Today the railway loss
y in rolling stock was placed at 800
loaded freight cars, 100 passenger cars
and 20 locomotives.
y. Survivors tell of feeling two distinct
: explosions. The first was slight, this
probably being the blowing up of thu
benxine on the Mont Blanc. The grea
explosion is declared by all to be be
yond description.
FIRE COMPLETES DESTRUCTION
In an instant Halifax was trans
formed into hell-spot. Wooder
buildings in the north end. including
many old and rickety structures alont
Water street poured their reckags int
the street. Corpses huddled every
where and fire completed the destruc
ton.
The worst damage was done over Al
area of two square miles in the norti
end. This is swept flat and resembles
a bit Of the Flanders front. only m
demolition Is even worse. The srea
dockyard is in ruins.
Hundreds of corpses have peel
found. Some of the refugees are try
ing to live In what remains OF tnei
homes today. The Rev. n. Lemoine
pastor at St. Marks Anglican churcl
in the north end His house Is gone
his church 10 gone-nothinS remain
but the cellar of his Sunday schoo
and there the pastor Is now hvins
Half the members of his parish ar
dead All but two of his choir nav
persisted Not single vestryman re
mains. Practically the same Is true