Evening star., 1917-12-08
Montreal to Aid Sufferers.
Army Officer Describes
Halifax Scene as Worse
Than French Battlefields

ST. JOHN. N B., December s.-Among
those who have just come from Hall
fax Is Lieut.. Col. Good of Fredericton.
He said he had never before witnessed
such a sight. not even on the battle-
AeldS Of France.
"An that could be seen for miles in
circumference" he said, were burn
ing buildings, great mounds of iron
and bricks in the streets: bodies strewn
along the sidewalks; men, women and
children. the living with the dead.
Many with fractured skulls or broken
limbs were dying unattended in the
streets"
i Abraham Sendel of Montreal, who at
the time of the explosion was at work
on Water street, the nearest street to
the Halifax docks. upon his arrival
here gave a graphic picture Of the hor-
rible scenes he had encountered. Il
was assisting in loading a freight car.
he said. "and had occasion to go in
enter the explosion came. i was
WEjrled about and the entire building
collapsed. By leaping to one side and
running 1 escaped. Many, in the shed
were killed instantly"
Women's Memory Leaves.
: A simple statement that came over
the telephone from Truro today reveals
more of the horror Of the tragedy at
Halifax. 1t was that many women, in
tured or destitute. Or beth, WIG had
had been SO crazed by the shock that
upon arriving at the relief stations
they were unable to even tell their
own names.
All direct telegraph wires between
Sc. John and Halifax were down to-
day. A heavy sleet storm added to the
delay in restoring them. Three local
telegraph wires between st. John and
Truro were working spasmodfcally.
The only communication out of Halifax
was by cable south and the Canadian
Pacific wire, which is occupied entirely
with government and railway business.
story of Eleanor Tapley of St. John, a
student at Mount Vincent's Academy
1T Halifax. Miss Tapley says the
armory was destroyed and some SOL
verted into a hospital to which as
many as could be found place for were
brought and cared for. The convent
was badly damaged and some of the
sisters Were seriously injured by
I'VE girls Immediately rushed to get
anything that we could lay our hands
on Sweaters. coats and other clothing
were torn in strips for bandages
Everything was piled into the locomo-
dve. which tore away again at top speed
- the scene of the disaster"
School Children Help.
Every public school student in the
city has been asked to bring to his
school a bit of clothing for some des-
tftute child of Halifax. Ten Thousand
pieces OF clothing were counted as rep
resenting the response Of the city's
youth yesterday.
Al more splendid outpouring never
9iaddened the heart of Santa Claus
Flats, caps. coats. trousers, underwear
shoes and stockings and overshoes
blouses. waists and skirts-in short
every item of a child's wardrobe was
assembled to meet every conceivable de-
maud. And the clothing was good. Boys
IN many cases gave evercoats from theil
backs and the girls were not outdone iT
generosity.
a st. John distributing depot has beer
opened in the devastated city and fire.
quent trains will keep it supplied with
donations collected here.
A heavy snowstorm. threatening bliz
zard proportions. added to the horror
Of rescue work in Halifax. Relief train:
on the way with urgently needed sup
plies were held back by great drifts
Other trains bearing hundreds of in
tured away from the city. where 1t wa.
Impossible to provide facilities or treat
Relief workers on the scene, alread,
exhausted by superhuman efforts II
digging survivors out of the debris Of
two and half square miles of demol
ished structures. were confronted witt
the task of carrying on their rescu,
against the added handicap of high
drifts.