The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-22
Chaos and Distress Lie in
Wake of Newfoundland
Sea Tragedy.
RELIEF WORK IMPEDED
Communication Lines Are
Severed; Tremor Adds
to Terror.
BY ]. T. MEANEY

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ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, Nov.
22.-The complete story Of Monday
nights devastation by earthquake
and tidal wave along the southeast
ern coast of Burin peninsula, de-
scribing the deaths of women and
children swept away by wall of
water which crushed their homes,
was brought here by the United
Press today by motorboat from
Burin.
Preceding many relief vessels
converging on the cliff-guarded
town, the motorboat visited BURN
and the stricken villages along the
coast southwark. A death toll OF
forty was listed as follows:
Burin, 9; Port Aux-Bras, 7; La
maline Gncluding Point-Aux-GauD, p,
IS: Lords Cove and Kelley's Cove,
6, and Taylor's Bay, 3.
Destruction General
The motorboat party found chaos,
tragedy and distress everywhere
they penetrated along the rocky
coast from Burin southwark to the
village of Lamaline, on the south
ernmost tip of the finger of land
which juts out in the Atlantic from
the mainland of Newfoundland.
1t will be days before actual re-
lief work can get under way. All
means of communication are para
lyzed. cables, telegraph and tele-
phone lines have been broken by
the earth tremor, the center of which
was only few hundred miles from
the peninsula
Homeless and without fuel, the
villagers even are without means of
communication by boat, the tidal
wall of water having swept away
hundreds of dories and skiffs.
Although the entire seward coast
felt the wave, the strength from
BURN southwark suffered the most.
The French islands of st. Pierre
and Miquelon apparently escaped
damage, as did the western coast OF
the peninsula.
Entire Peninsula Rocked
From eye-witnesseS at Burin, q
town of $500, the most graphic
stories of the disaster were obtained.
Their stories dated from $50 p. m.
Monday, when the entire peninsula
was rocked by the earth tremor.
Barely recovering from the earth
shock which in itself did consider
able damage, the villagers were
seated at dinner when the tidal
wave, created by the tremor, struck
the coast with terrifying force.
The tremor had lasted about two
minutes, shaking every building for
miles along the sparsely populated
southeastern coast. The rumble,
like that of distant thunder, was
broken by the crash Of household
crockery, glass. pictures shaken from
walls, cracking buildings and the
screech of twisting dwellings.
Women, Children Flee
Women and children, most OF
them alone in the absence of the
husbands and fathers on fishing
trips, fled from their homes, rushed
through the streets to congregate
prayerfully in the churches. Clergy
men pacified them somewhat and
induced them to return to their
homes.
It was shortly after Z when the
tidal wave struck Burin. The first
warning of the disaster was a roar
of breaking seas mounting the cliffs
which guard the city at the little
inlet. Again the frightened villag-
ers ran from their homes.
In the darkness they saw foam
capped wall of water advancing on
them like a moving mountain, while
foamy waves dashed across the
headlands breaking over the ada
cent shore.
One heroic mother, alone with
two children, ran to the street and
when she saw the advancing wall
of water rushed back to rescue her
children. Her dwelling rapidly was
filling with water, but she wadeo
through the door only TO be swept
out to sea in the wreckage OF the
building. Many bodies were found
beneath the debris left by the
receding waves.
Carried Out to Sea
The screams IF women and chill
dren and the voices of half-crazed
men yelling through the darkness
mingled with the noise of the crash
ing buildings in a terrifying chaos
The terror of the dwellers was ac-
centuated by screams that the island
was sinking. Prayers and entreatteS
10 God mingled with calls for loved
ones There we're reports that some
lad become completely bereft Of
reason and were found several hours
later wandering helpleSsly inland.
There was no estimate of none
tary loss possible. Concern CEN
tered only on aiding the injured and
sheltering and feeding the victims of
the disaster.