Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-10

tary authorities.
/ Daybreak today found Halifax rap,
idly emerging from the chaos into
which the city was plunged by the
explosion last Thursday The success
siye snow and rain storms which fol
lowed the disaster greatly hampered
all efforts to alleviate the suffering
of thousands of injured and homeless
I people, but the return of fair weather
yesterday made possible more sys-
/ tematic work.
Relief Agencies at Work.
All relief agencies now have beer
co-ordinated Enough doctors an(
nurses have reached the city TO taxi
care of the hospital duties. A con
siderable quantity of supplies alread,
has arrived and more are on the way
so that the danger of famine has beer
averted and there is ample hriothinl
for all
The authorities today were doini
their best to enforce the requests pub
lished yesterday that nOn-residents no
here on urgent business should leav
the city and that others should no
come here for the present
The work of repairing the innumer
able damaged buildings was well IN
der way. Lumber, glass and othe
building materials are needed in grea
quantities.
, Some of Germans Released.
Halifax. n S, Dec. 10.-Sixteel
Germans were taken in custody With
a short time. Military officers afte
an inquiry released a few of then
Y The others are in the county Jail.
e The authorities refused TO disclos
whether they had obtained evidenc
t connecting Germans with the explC
2 sion. A number of citizens of Ger
f man birth heretofore have been allow
: ed full liberty with the exception tha
r they were required to report once
= month.
Story OF Fatal Collision.
Halifax. n. S, Dec. 10.-Members c
= the Belgian steamer limo assert tina
: the French munitions steamer MOI
: Blanc was to blame for the collisio
S which caused the terrible explosio
last Thursday Employees of Pickfor
h G. Black, agents OF the limo, who hav
n been providing the crew with clothe
0 and other comforts, made public tC
day the stories told them by the sea
men.
Their version of the tragedy 70
y lows:
THE limo was proceeding down tn
! harbor toward the sea when the MOI
I Blanc was seen coming toward he
L apparently steaming for the Bedfor
e basin. The French vessel was on th
Dartmouth side of the narrows, Sh
blew two blasts of the whistle, ind
eating that she was going 10 starboarI
r The limo replied with two blasts Tt
' Mont Blanc turned and the crew {
the limo thought they could pass
: safety, but the distance between tt
= two vessels was too short and the In
n rammed the Mont Blanc on the sta
: board side.
Neither vessel appeared to be Sc
n iously damaged by the collision. ATT
Y they separated the Mont Blanc heads
for one of the city piers. The In
went on, the shippers intention bein
the crew believed, to get into shallo
water in order to find out exact
< what damage had been done TO h
ship
!, "The seamen received their fir
- warning OF danger when they sa
3 chemical flames leaping from Il
decks of the Mont Blame, Then can
. the explosion. The limo was caugl
:, in the tidal wave and riding on j
" crest was hurled on the rocky beac
, The sailors declare that no attem
y was made to leave the ship until 81
struck and that every man was in h
place.
p Captains Head Blown On.
IN The captain was standing on Il
n bridge and his head was blown 0
st The wheelsman was at his post al
:" his body was found in that positit
when the steamer was examined late
10 The body of the pilot, William Haye
II was found alongside the shore ne
IS the hulk, and it is thought he W
blown from the deck Every m;
le above the deck was killed.
rs When the vessel struck the bea
c. the survivors rushed up from benea
r-Idecks and scrambled ashore. Thirt
in one men escaped. Navy relief parti
a. found them wandering about in t
brush.