Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-20
HALIFAX DESTROYED BY
EXPLOSION I'M HARB0R
STEAMER RAMS MUNiTIoN SNIP AND BLAST FOLLOWING Strings
DEATH AND oesrRvc TON IN Irs WAKE.
THAN 1000 DEAD
AND OVER 5000 INJURED


one steamer. the Picton. 1t is reported
that IS Of the crew Of a. were killed.
Bodies Of many seamen have been
picked up m the harbor. Rescue par.
ties working among the ruins OF build
tnss are removing the bodies.
In the main part OF the city, where
the buildings are chiefly Of stone or
concrete. the damage wal confined to
the shattering Of windows. and most
Of the casualties In this section were
caused by flying glass.
In the west and northwest ends the
damage was more extensive. and there
the walls Of many houses were blown
to bits. 1t was in Richmond, how.
ever. opposite the scene Of the explo.
sion, that the havoc was greatest.
Whole blocks Of dwellings. mostly Of
frame construction, were leveled.
Many stood In ruins and the struc.
lures which were left standing after
the explosion were destroyed by fires
which broke out simultaneously in q
score Of places.
The great loss Of life was in the
Richmond district. This is built up
for the most part Of small wooden
houses on narrow streets. Because
OF their situation on a slope the roofs
OF the houses were lifted above those
nearer to the water front so that
most Of the dwellings were exposed
to the full violence Of the blow.
Much Of this section was flattened
to the ground. Women at home.
children at school and men at work
were caught and crushed in a twink.
ling when their buildings sprang
down on them like traps. The ter
rife heat of the blast from consuming
gases Of the munitions swept an area
strewn with thousands of tons of kin.
ding wood.
When those who had escaped crush.
ing in the wreckage could owe
themselves they found fire racing
through splintered woodwork in sew
eral spots in the Richmond section.
Nothing could save great tracts from
being burned over. and it appeared
that nearly half of the area of the
city was in ruins.
The dead will probably never be
more than approximately known be-
cause of the many families Of whom
no trace except burned bones are left
left.
Al first the magnitude of the dis
aster was not credited. Incredulous
inquiries began to filter in. Then, as
the truth began to dawn and further
details were sen out, it was apparent
the significance of the catastrophe
was being felt outside.
Boston was the first to send a mes.
sage of help. the governor of Massa-
chusetts rushing a carte blanche offer
to the mayor.
The holocaust was rendered all the
more extensive by the fact that it
was the older portion of the city that
had received the full force of the
conclusion and many Of the buildings
affected were as old as Halifax itself.
with narrow streets and houses Of
frame variety. These collapsed, burst
into flames. and soon the terrors Of
fire were added to the first terrific
shock.
Vast quantities of food we're in
storage on the docks and in the sheds,
and these were all consumed, as were
also tremendous supplies of munitions
and war material awaiting shipment
to Europe.
The railway station was buried be-
meath its own roof. The big Cana.
dian government railway depot, also
used by the Canadian Pacific railway,
collapsed and the great repairing
plant at Willow Park was wrecked.
The shock seemed to have missed
nothing worth while in its path, It
spread out in an extraordinary man.
ner.
The Mont Blanc WAS owned BY the
.Compagnie Generate Transatiantique.
She was built at Middlesboro in 1899
and her gross tonnage was 1921. She
was 800 feet long.
The relief ship which collided with
the Mont Blanc was the Norwegian
freighter limo Of Christiana, which
left New York about eight days z
with q cargo Of 5000 tons Of grain
for Rotterdam and called at Halifax
for examination. She was built in
Belfast at Harland and Wolff in 1881,
as the White Star liner Runic, and
was sold a few years ago to the South
Pacific Whaling Co. Of Christiania.
The limo carried a crew Of go men
and was commanded. according to
the shipping records. by Capt. From. |
She was a four-masted iron vessel
OF b,043 gross tonnage. 430 feet long, |
45 feet Q inches beam and 80 feet 3
inches depth Of hold.
Call for Women chauffsurs.
New York.-A call for 10 women
chauffeurs to drive motor trucks and
ambulances In this city was sent out
~ the National League for Women's
Service. The trucks are used for Red
Cross supplies.
Four AuteIsts Drown In River.
Utica, N. Y.-Pinncd under their