Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-12-08
women CRAzED
BY SHOCK OF
SHIP EXPLOSION
Arrive at Relief Stations, IN
jured and Destitute, and Un-
able to Tell Own Names;
Orphans Perish.
(By, Associated press.)

Halifax. n. S., Dec. 7.--The matron
and all but two of the children at the
Protestant orphanaee- are believed to
have perished. o. the two Tho cs-
capped, one child was not in the build
ing at the time of the explosion,
- Thought It Bomb.
The child d-who was III the building
said that when the explosion came
Miss knaut, the matron, called to the
children to take refuge with her i'll
the basement. 1t is supposed elat
she thought a bomb had fallen.
Thirty girls employed at the Rich
mond Printing company are reported
dead
= y Women Are Crazy.
St. John, N. B., Dec, "a simple
statement that came over the tele-
phone from Truro today reveals more
of the horror of the tragedy at Hall
fax. 1t was that many women, in
jured or destitute, or both, who had
been brought from Halifax to Truro,
had beXi so crazed by, the shock that
upon arriving at the relief stations
they were unable to even tell their
own names. st.
All direct telegraph wires between
St. John and Halifax were down
today. t. .as
A heavy sleet storm added to the
delay i'll restoring fliem. Three local
telegraph wires bAween St. John and
Eruro were working spasmodically
The onlyeommunication out of Hail.
fax was By cable south and the Ca
madam Pacific syirc, which is occupied
entirely with government and railway
business.
Some Soldiers Killed.
A message from Truro brings the
story Of Eleanor Tapley Of ST. John,
a student at Mt. Vincent academy. at
Halifax. Miss Tapley says the armory
was destroyed and some soldiers
killed. The academy was converted
into a hospital, to which as many as
could be found places for were
brought and cared for. The convent
was badly damaged and some of the
sisters were seriously injured by
broken glass.
I'VE first received word OF the dis
aster," said Miss Tapley. from an
engine which came hurrying up from
the city rocking from side to side un-
der its terrific speed. The engineer,
the only man aboard cried out, Give
me anything you have. Blankets,
food, bandages, or anything. The
whole city is wrecked and for the
mercy of God be quickP
Bandages from Everything.
1--WE girls Immediately rushed to
get anything that we could lay our
hands on. Sweaters, coats and other
clothing were torn in strips for band
ages. Everything was piled into the
locomotive, which then tore away
again at top speed for the scene OF the
disaster.
mo one at the convent was killed,
but some Of the sisters were. terribly
cut by flying glass, which iii our Sec
ton Of the city did most of the dam
age. Every window of the academy
was broken and some Of the pillars in
the chapel fell"
Officers of limo Missing.
New York, Dec. 7.-Captain II. c.
From, the first, second and third Of
ficers and three members Of the crew
of the limo. the Belgian relief ship
which collided with the Mont Blanc,
were reported missing in telegram
received here by Norton, Lilly & Co.
from their agents at Halifax today.
The company has no'record available
showing the names Of the six men re-
ported missing, except the captain.
The general accepted estimate OF
the casualties up to this afternoon is
1000 dead and about an equal number
injured.
There Is nothing to justify the in
evitabie tumors that the collision in
ths harbor was other than accidental.
Nor were there explosions Of srarng-
aition on shore 80 tas as Ia kaewus
ss-@s AAAla~-~-a--