The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-19
2ExpIosions In HoIifox
Ccontinued from Page D


 The sky was bright night long as tongues of fire shot hundreds of feet into the air over the 500 acre armament depot. Exploding shells kept all persons from approaching by land or sea to learn the dan1- age or how much unexploded, ann nunition remained.
 Ofdcials welcomed daylight and the chance to make an aerial on- servation of the area. Live Ammunition
 Ammunition exploded all through the night. The ominous rumble of exploding shells sounded like a dis tant battle. Some of the shells ex- ploded in the air and others fell into Bedford basin.
 Fortunately, there was no wind and the danger of the fire spread ing from the arsenal to evacuated areas nearby was negligible. Officials acted quickly to prevent repetition of the Halifax disaster of Dec. 6, 1917, when more than 200 persons were killed and half the city leveled or burned by the explosion of the French ammunition ship Mount Blanc which collided with a Belgian relief ship inside the harbor.
 Police said damage in the Nova Scotia capital would amount close to $1,000,000 from broken windows alone. Streets were filtered with glass from windows that had only recently been repaired after being smashed in V-day celebrations. No shells were reported to have fallen in Halifax or Dartmouth. Doors were blasted off their hinges and window panes and shashes torn from their frames by the six explosions that rocked the area.
 Everyone had been evacuated from the explosion area. Those in- jured were hurt in the first ex- plosion at 6:45 p. m. (EWT yes- terday. There was no way of de- termining where the fires were spreading and how much ammuni- tion remained untouched.
 The force of the last two explo- sions, at 2:53 and 2:57 a. m., led many to believe that the fire had reached the main dump and the worst was over.
 All parts of Halifax were rocked by the explosion. was staggered by its force as windows around me shattered.
 People Panicky
 The skies were filled with flames. Women and children in the streets shrieked.
 Bedford Bay stretches northeast ward from the Atlantic Ocean, look ing from the air like a deflated toy balloon, with Halifax and Dart mouth grasping it like 8 thumb and finger at its narrow neck. The am intuition dump at Burnside is on the Dartmouth side of the ship ba- sin, but the exploding shells, zoom- ing through the air at all angles, threatened communities on both sides of the narrows.
 No shells have been reported to have fallen in Halifax.
 The first explosion rocked the Tcfountryside at 6:45 p. m. yesterday Authorities said 1t was caused by a fire spreading from barge docked at an arsenal pier.
 The injured included 12 members of the veterans guard on duty at the arsenal, Royal Canadian Navy seaman, and an unidentified woman cut by flying glass in Halifax. None of their injuries was believed se- riouS.
 Evacuation of the danger began shortly after the first explosion.
 Fear mounted as authorities warned evacuees that more explo- sions were expected. Many women were crying and children whin- pered as they damned into traffic snarls along the crowded roads.
 Flames were shooting 150 feet in the air at the arsenal behind them.
 Ships in the basin fled through the harbor gates. their screaming whistles adding to the confusion. Area Cleared The whizzing shells inside the ar- senal made attempts to combat the flames useless. The area was ordered cleared. Fireboats moved in as close as they dared and attempted futile ly to play streams of water into the area.
 Officials, using the military plan, had control of the situation within a short time. The Red Cross broad cast pleas to residents in the south end of town to open their doors to the evacuees.
 The wounded were taken to the Royal Canadian air force hospital at Dartmouth.
 The hospital ship, Letitia. remain ed gallantly at its pier, ready to pro- vide beds for wounded if the casual ties increased.
 Families from the north end were given shelter in private homes, hotels. armories, immigration sheds and other public buildings. Hundreds bedded down in public parks under blankets brought from their homes and others furnished by the army. They spent the early part of the night watching the ex- ploding shells and rockets above the burning arsenal.
 The city was beginning to quiet down and a few persons had man. aged to go to sleep when the second explosion occurred at 11:10 p. m. The third came at 1910 a. m. and was worse than the preceding two. Win dows were broken in the south end which had not been effected earlier. There was continuous rumble from the arsenal as shells continu- ed to arch through the air.
 The fourth explosion at 12:21 a. m. was of a minor nature.
 The city was thrown into com- plete darkness by the fifth and sixth shortly before 300 o'clock. Telephone exchanges were swamp | ed and taxi.cahs were imnnSSible