Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-20

Hardly One euiidins Left standing In
Two-Mile etrsteh-shoek Drsaks
Windows 90 Miles Awsy-T Tel.
ssraphsr Killed at Key Four Miles
From Scene - Water Terminals
Completely Wiped Out.
Halifax. Nova Scotia.-Three thou.
sand tons Of munitions on board the
French steamship Monte Blanc ex.
ploded In the harbor as the result OF
a collision with the Belgian relief
steamship limo. killed 1000 persons,
injured 5000 OF more others, many
Of them probably fatally. and laid
waste a wide area Of this city. causing
millions Of dollars damage.
Practically all the northern and
older part OF Halifax. known as Rich.
mond. was shattered by the terrific
conclusion or wiped out by the fires
that started at once. The more mod.
ern part, between North street and
Pleasant Point, was shaken as II by
an earthquake, but the more solid
buildings resisted serious damage to
a large extent.
The monstrous energy suddenly re.
leased by the blast swept irregularly
over the country about Halifax, did
vast damage in Dartmouth, across
the bay; broke windows 81 miles of,
and by the force Of its conclusion
killed a telegrapher at his desk four
miles from the bay.
The munition ship, hound in from
New York, had almost passed through
the Narrows leading from the outer
harbor into Bedford basin. when the
collision occurred. The limo. west
westward bound, was just 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 We're 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 a survivor, says the Mont
Blanc carried benzine tanks forward
and that soon after the collision the
burning oil spread fierce|y 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 their
own lives, at least, were at stake.
Men on the water front and on ships
In the harbor within sight Of the
Mont Blanc saw the crew driven back
step by step by the flames, until final.
ly they abandoned hope and rushed
for the boats. They rowed as hard
as they could toward the shore, while
the Mont Blanc drifted.
Seventeen minutes after the coils.
lon the munitions ship blew up. The
harbor at this point is less than half
a mile wide. On the south shore Is
the Richmond section of Halifax. On
the north shore is the town of Dart
mouth. On each side the land slopes
rather sharply upward from the wa.
ter front. SO as to form a trough con.
inning the explosion in some degree
and increasing its destructiveness.
Conclusion Kills Man 4 Miles Away.
1t killed telegraph operators at their
desks four miles. away; it broke the
windows in Truro; it blew heavily
laden freight trucks off the railway
lines; 1t caused the collapse or par.
tial collapse of nearly every building
along two and a half miles Of thor
oughfare from the Union station to
the Queens hotel; it sent the harbor
shed and wharves to wreck and ruin;
II shook the magnificent new ocean
terminals at the lower end Of the har-
Dor. which cost over $35 600, 900, and
were the finest Of their kind In the
world, into s%mithcreens; It laid waste
acre after acre Of residential and
districts: 1t brought ele-
vators tunbling to the ground with
roars that sounded like the incessant
Of thunder. and above all rose
the cries and shrieks Of the dying and
injured.
The zone Of destruction in Halifax
itself covers ar area Of about two
square miles. The buildings which
were not demolished by the force Of
the explosion were destroyed by fire
which followed Il.
Scores Of persons were injured by
the collapse Of the railway station,
arena rink. military gymnasium, sugar
refinery and elevators.
Many Of tho men composing the
crews Of the ships in the harbor were
among the killed and injured. On
Alton Couple Loses Suit.
Springfield, lll.-An attempt Of
]. Walters and Frank Walters
OF Alton to gain possession Of Selma
Jane Johndrew. q child raid to have
been adopted by the latter, through
action BY the Illinois supreme court,
Austria unoary's War Din.
Amsterdam, - Count Csernin. ths