The Washington herald., 1917-12-09
WIRE TRAFFIC CoNGESTED
Combating Hysteria.

NombnttlnE Hysterta.
The Bay state relief party, bring
ing a composed organization into a
city stiH stunned with the horror
Of its catastrophe. is tonight leading
the way out Of the hysterical comfy
sion which has prevailed. Its doc
tors and nurses plunged at once into
the giant tasks under which the city
is laborinG.
The expedition found a city crush
ed beneath a blow of which the out
side world can have no full con-
ception. Description fails at all ef-
forts to convey a picture Of the ruin
ed city.
The sloping hillside on which stood
the homes. factories, schools ana
churches OF Richmond is tonight =
tract OF flattened surface from which
rise only smoke OF smouldering ruins,
heaps of debris and in one corner a
church spire. This area OF complete
devastation covers at least two
square miles.
From one area OF several hundred
Yards only three or four persons e.
capped. Hundreds OF bodies are stiu
buried under the ruins. The IRE with
which the debris was swept fed upon
her. Gangs OF soldiers and workmeu
are digging out bodies night and day.
The injured total between 1O,Ooo and
5000 probably.
Delayed by BnEEard.
II was TO begin a work Of mercy in
a stricken community that the relief
parties arrived today. The blizzard
delayed the special until 10 O'Clock
this morning. II was then side
tracked in the new government ter
minals at the point of Halifax penius
sula. City Hall is the relief center.
Women and children filed through
its wrecked and snow covered oficcs
and corridors all day with baskets
under their arms. The Halifax arm
ory. its roof rent from the explosion.
is the gathering place for thousands
Of other hungry, stricken persons.
A United States hospital ship has
600 injured in its wards. The crew,
composed mostly of Massachusetts,
men has done noble work OF relief.
The ship was in the harbor at the
time Of the explosion. but was only
slightly damaged. The crew wenr
ashore to patrol the streets and help
in rescue work all day and all the
next night.
Stormswept and Dark.
81. Johns y. B, Dec. S-A blizzard
is adding misery TO stricken Halt
fax. The last word from the city
at i:l5 o'clock this evening said seven
feet of snow had fallen and a gale
is raging. AT this point the wires
failed and Halifax was cut OF from
all communication with the outside
world
However. news trickled over the
wires before they went down that
the city is in darkness. only an oc-
casional flicker OF a candle or the
fare of a match struck by some wan,
derer cropping through the inky streets
Tor a second an oasis OF light in the
desert Of night
Adding to the dangers Of the dark
ness are the gutted BUILDINGS. the
thunder Of whose falling walls ever
and anon sends suIuber roaring
skyward. The work Of the rescuers
Is made more and more dificult by
the dangers of the falling walls and
the binding snow eddies which sweep
along In the teeth Of the sale.
Many Narrow Escapes.
Many rescue parties have had mar
row escapes. Every hour adds new
hardships 10 their work. Attempts to
dig the dead from beneath the ruins
are frustrated by the whirlwinds OF
snow and by nUmbed hands which are
incapable Of holding the implements
for the work.
Half shattered buildings are crowd
ed to the limit OF their capacity with
sufferers huddIed in groups In an ef-
ooETEUTD on PACE EIGHf.