Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-07

injured was available here this
morning
Sailors from an American warship
IN port are on patrol duty. All power
plants are idle.
U! to noon to-day there have
been no change in the police esti-
mate of 1000 dead from yesterdays
disaster. About the same number
are injured, two-thirds of whom are
suiterinR from cuts from flying
glass.
Smouldering ruins and piles of
deDrls or demolished houses continu-
ed to-day to give up their dead-vic-
tlms OF yesterdays explosion aboard
the French line munitions laden
steamship Monte Blanc. following a
collision in the Narrows of Halifax
harpor, with the Belgian relief
steamer lmo-in such numbers as to
surpass any disaster on this 'contin-
ent in recent years.
Rapidly Filling Morgues
estimates of the number of dead
at 2,OOO or more appeared to be
borne out by the rapidly filing NOR
CUES and increasing numbers of
deaths reported from hospitals, pri-
Vate homes, churches and schools,
where hundreds of injured are being
cared for by their more fortunate
parties from nearby cities. The exact
number of dead it appears certain
to-day might not be known on ac-
count OF the many persons-entire
families in some inStances-of whom
no trace will ever be found other
than charred bones in the ruins of
! their homes.
Dawn found the city still stagger-
ing under the frightfulnesS of it's
I l..
who had stood all night in lines
/ formed at improvised morgues con-
tinued their vigil with alternate ex-
! preston of fears and hopes on their
! races. Others beseged the hospitals
| for news of the missing, and mean
While relief parties continued their
work OF succor among the injured.
| Aid from the outside in the form of
tons of supplies gave early evidence
to-day that fears of a food shortage
were unfounded and left city and
government officials free to direct the
rescue work in which soldiers, sail
ors and police are being assisted by
bluejackets from an American war
ship in the harbor.
ScarcherS Continue Efforts
over fiame-swept area of Rich
mond of approximately two and q
half square miles many searchers
SOiiiilCu lIlGII SllOI u lO-udy 10 Illdh-
ing sure that all of the injured were
removed to hospitals. Other organic .
ed parties sought out those bodies
that might be identified and rushed
| them to the morgueS. In this section,
extending from Pier s to Gottingen
street, not a building was left stand
ing and here was the greatest loss
of life. Buildings that withstood the
force of the explosion were burned
lNNWA Nl,. Il I
scores of the injured were taken from
the ruins of the railway station, the
refinery of the American Sugar Re-
fining Company, the military gymna-
SUM and the arena rink, while many
of the several hundred children at
tending the Richmond school are
known to have escaped.
Felt Shock 100 Miles
Across the narrow in the town of
Dartmouth, the results of the vast
damage done by the force of the eX-
plosion became more apparent to-
day while reports from towns and
villages within a radius of 100 miles
indicate the force of the impact was
felt and in some cases resulted in
property damage.
At Truro, Amherst and other cities
where the explosion was felt, efforts
to get in wire communication with
ltalllaX COnnrmed suspicious Jnat the
war port had met with catastrophe
but it was several hours before a
wire was placed in operation to in
form the outside world of the extent
of the disaster. Telegraph and tele-
phone wires were torn down and in
the first moments of ruin and death
Halifax was completely isolated.
Early in the afternoon several hours
after the explosion single wire was
placed in operation by the Canadian
Press Limited and over it news of
| disaster and government messages
told of the extent of the needs of the
city and brought reassuring replies
portation was being requisitioned to
rush medical aid and supplies.
Explosion in Narrows
The explosion occurred in the Mar
rows, q point in the harbor less than
half mile wide. On the north shore
is the town of Dartmouth, on the
south shore the Richmond section of
the city. Sloping land on each side of
the Narrows forms in effect a trough,
which served to confine the blast and
increase it's intensity and destructive
ness.
The main water front buildings,
great piers for loading ships and
warehouses for munitions and sup
plies are located south of the Mar
rows, and they escaped the full force
of the blow While these piers and
storehouses are damaged consider
ably it was learned to-day the facili-
ties for loading transports and NUM-
tions ships are not so badly crippled
as was at first believed.