Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-08
All Over in 10 Seconds

! eiTS duQltOF 1Or the Canadian julpeTlai
Munitions Board, related today his expe-
r!ences during the explosion. He was at
breakfast In the Halifax Hotel.
! In 10 seconds it was all over" Mr..
Barton said. "A low, rumbling, quake
shock, with everything vibrating then an
Undesirable noise followed by the fall
Of plaster and the smashing of glass a
cry went up: "A German bomb rush
foI the door, headlong down the hallway,
a fall among pictures and glass and pias-
ter, through the swinging doors of few
seconds before, now ripped from their
! hinges, through great projecting TRAN
gular pieces of glass to the street Here
found myself with a burden. How she
had come into my arms do not know,
vet here she was, Historically shrieking:
oh. my poor sister; my poor sister"
"Outside, overhead a giant smoke cloud
was burling northward and DANCE"
seemed over | crossed the road, laying
my feminine burden on doorstep and re-
turned to the hotel. My aid, for l was I'M
scathed. was possibly needed far more
there. ! made my way upstairs to the
rooms of two friends. The rooms were
vacant. Once more I was in the street,
meeting my companions on the thresh-
hold. They, too. were unscathed.
! "Our plans were quickly made. We
were off to the immediate vicinity Of the
dsaster-for, among many theories. We
accepted as most plausible the blowing
up of a munition ship Towards Citadel
hill we wendell our way and the farther
we went the more horrid the aftermath.
! .oI,o oil
sides, converging into the main thorough
fare from tine highways and byways. This
wounded were everywhere but most OF
these unfortunates could hobble or walk.
We kept on.
/ Our hurry -scurry had led to the arm
DRY. Here the khaki-clad men were al
ready on parade, many of the soldiers
showing wounds bound with handker
chiefs.
| AS we passed they were already on
| the march toward the more devastat-
'ed area. The order had gone forth
| commanders all vehicles. auto or
. horse A Gordon WIS drawn across
the streets and passengers We're forced
, to alight and resume their journeys
afoot. There was grim work ahead"
p Minutes After Collision
1t was established today that it was
% minutes after the collision before
! the explosion occurred At the first
shock houses rocked, vessels broke
! from their moorings. bits of shell
whistle through the air, buildings fell
upon their occupants. shreks 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 insufficient
| ~ clad. Then fire broke out in a hum
dred places.
| Orders were at first given that ev-
i erybOdE should flee to the south of
the city. and in short time. Barring
/ ton street was crowded with people
fleeing to safety. Every variety of We
hicle was pressed into service for the
sick and infrm. The widest rumors
were in circulation and every bearer
of tidings was Immediately surrounded
| When. later. automobiles brought
| the good word that the danger was
under control. the crowds returned to
find their homes a mass of wreckace
or in ashes and relatives dead or
wounded.
The report that the military hospital
I at Rock Head. close to the NarrowS,
! had been destroyed and all the patients
killed. proved untrue. Scratches and
| cuts from flying glass were the worst
injuries suffered by the patients. with
| two exceptions, although the building
was virtually wrecked.
Prison Unroofed
| the main building. but no one was Sc
riously injured.
| Every available building is TO-DAY a
shelter house or hospital. The Acad-
envy of Music was one of the first big
buildings to post the notice free shell
ter here"
The headquarters of the Terminals
Construction co. and the big sheds on
| their piers have been hastily equipped
for hospital purposes.
All day and night the search for the
missing Wen on. Houses in most in
stances simpl.' settled down. story by
| story. crushing everything within. 1t
was necessary to remove the wreckage
! layer by layer to rescue the inmates
| one party of soldiers worked for an
| hour and half to release Young
| girl pinned urder debris. whose means
urged them to still greater effort Just
as they lifted the last of ti'o wreckage
| from her she breathed her last.
1t has been impossible to get all
the names of the missing. Families
have been scattered. and because of
the lack OF communication there is
no immediate means of bringing them
together. 1t will probably be days be-
| fore the full extent OF the casualty is
| known.
| A committee of bankers and bro
kers was formed today and will meet
| tonight to take action on the city's
! financial needs.
Nineteen persons are known to be
dead at Dartmouth. opposite Halifax.
| Several residents are missing and pre.
sumed dead
Orphans and Children Perish
The matron and all but two of the
| children at the Protestant Orphan
age are believed to have persisted. One
Of these children was not in the build
! ing at the time of the explosion.
The child who was in the building
| said that when the explosion came,