Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-12-07
NUMTION SHIP
BLOWS UP
roII;,iou In Halifax HarbOr With
Belgian Relief Vessel.
1000 DEAD
r,Dl,,ion Heard 81 MIles-Came IL
Minutes After The Collision. When
The Flames Reached NUM-
ton Cargo.


~sree thousand tons of munitions
i, hoard The French Line steamship
slont Blanc exploded in the harbol
~ halifax. n. S., at 0 o'clock yes
ter5av morning as the result OF a
eolIf.ion with the Belgian Relief
s,csmship limo, killed 500 to 2,000
nsr-5ns. injured 5000 or More others
many OF them probably fatally, and
Isid waste a wide area. causing mil
lions OF dollars damage.
Practically all the northern and
o,5or part of Halifax, known as
Picbmond. was shattered by the ter
rifle concussion or wiped out by the
8ra. mat started at once. The more
modern part. between North street and
pleasant Point, was shaken as by an
earthouake. but the more solid
buildIngs resisted serious damage to
q large extent.
The m0nsuOus energy suddenly re-
leased by the blast swept irregularly
o.er the country about Halifax, did
vast damage in Dartmouth, across the
nav. broke windows sixty-one miles
o1. and b. the force Of its concus
sion killed a telegrapher at his desk
four miles from the bay.
The munition ship, bound in from
New York, had almost passed through
the narrows leading from the outer
harbor into Bedford Basin to the
northwest, when the collision occur
red. The limo, westward bound, was
lust putting to sea.
The weather was clear and the two
ships had room in which to pass. Be
cause of a Misunderstanding of sig
nails. however. they headed for each
other Their efforts to avoid each
other were unsuccessful and the
Mont Blanc was pierced on the port
side. A few minutes later flames
burst from the wreckage.
The pilot Of the Belgian relief ship,
who is q survivor, says that the Mont
Blanc carried benzine tanks forward
ana that soon after the collision the
burning oil spread fiercely over the
fore part Of the ship.
Witnesses of the disaster who es-
capped reported that the crew of the
Mont Blanc began to work desperate
ly to check the flames. knowing that
their own lives. at least, were at
stake
Pilot Frank Macl1ie of the munitions
steamer Mont Blanc declared last
night that the collision resulted from
confusion Of whistles sounded by
the limo. He believes the fire viii eh
caused the explosion was due to the
fact that the munitions ship carried
a deck load of benzine.
Eight hundred to 1000 persons were
killed and two square miles of the
city Halifax were laid in ruins.
Late last night five carloads OF
dead were brought to the morgue, and
the Chief of Police estimated that the
dead would reach 1900
Thousands Of persons were injured
in the collapse OF buildings, due to
the shock of the explosion, or in the
fires that started almost Immediately
in the deyasted area and were not
brought under control until after nine
hours hard lighting. Many of those
injured are likely to die.
Last night, as the dazed city is re-
covering from the terrible disaster
dead bodies lie in scores in the streets
and in overthrown buildings or buried
beneath the debris of fallen walls.
Rescue parties are busily at work.
The hospitals are filed to over
flowing with victims, and many pri-
vate houses are crowded. Temporary
hospitals and morgues have been
opened in schoolhousese in the west
ern section Of the city.