The Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1917 Page: 2 of 8
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THE BLACK DISPATCH
US! OF DEAD WILL M 2000
DISASTER FOLLOWS COLLI-
SION OF BELGIAN RELIEF
SHIP IONA AND FRENCH
MUNITIONS VESSEL
TWO SQUARE MILES OF CITY
IS A COMPLETE WRECK
Hundreds of Children Crushed to
Death in the School Houses—Worst
Disaster Recorded in the Western
Hemisphere—Red Cross Rushes Re-
lief Trains.
Halifax.—With the toll of dead
steadily mounting, it Is believed that
more than 2,000 persons perished In
the explosion and Are which followed
a collision In Halifax harbor between
a munition-laden French ship and an-
other vessel loaded with supplies for
the Belgian reliof commission.
Tho disaster, which haB plunged the
dominion into mourning, probably will
rank as tho most fearful that ever oc-
curred on tho American continent.
Resldonls of Halifax and thousands of
volunteer relief workers who have
como Into the city have'been almost
dazed at tho extent of tho horror.
Tomporary morguos Jiavo beon es-
tablished in many buildings, to which
a steady procession of vehicles of all
kinds have been currying for hours the
Business had just begun for tho
day. Persona In the streets were
hurled to the ground. Occupants of
office buildings cowered under a show-
er of'falling glass and plaster. Mouses
In the Richmond section collapsed,
burying their tenants.
In the main part of the city, where
the buildings are chiefly of stone or
concrete, the damage was confined to
shattering of windows and most cas-
ualties there were caused by flying
glass,
Houses Blown to Bits
In the west and northwest ends the
damage was more extensive. There
walls of many houses were blown to
bits. It was in Richmond, however,
opposite the scene of' the explosion,
that the havoc was greatest. Whole
blocks of dwellings, mostly of frame
construction, were leveled. Many stood
In ruins and the structures left stand-
ing were destroyed by fires which
broke out simultaneously in a score
of places and which It was impossible
to check. It Is believed scores of per-
sons Injured by the collapse of their
homes perished In the flames, from
which they were helpless to flee. The
fires in this district still are smould-
ering.
Three Children Escape.
The flame-swept area covers ap-
proximately two and one-half ssuare
miles. It begins at what Is known as
the North street bridge, extending
north to Pier 8, on the Richmond wa-
ter front, and DacK to a point run-
ning parallel with Gottingen street.
HOFFMAN ORDERED TO FRONCE WHERE WOUNDED AMERICAN SOLDIERS WILL BE CARED FOR
bodies of men, women and ohildron. Nothing has been left standing in this
Most of the* were so charred that s0('tl(,n °,f tho cit^ 0n'y a )ile of
they were unrecognizable. j ^oulderlng ruins marks the spot
where the great building of the Amer-
Thousands of persons seeking trace ican Sugar UoUnJng company Ht00d.
of relatives and friends have passed by The dry dock and all the buildings
the long rows, attempting in the flick-[ which surrounded it were destroyed,
ering light of lamps and lanterns to The Richmond school that house
Identify the ones they sought.
No Hope of Recovery.
Virtually every building in the city
which could be converted into a hos-
pital Is filled with wounde.d, many of
them so desperately injured that, there
Is no hope of their recovery. Scores
already have diod in these temporary
hospitals.
Tho city Is In darkness, except for
,the flames from the fires still burning
In tho wrecked buildings in tho north
end. Tho electric light and gas plants I across the harbor from Halifax, also
hundreds of children was demolish-
ed and it Is reported only three es-
caped.
Canadian- officers who have seen
long service in France characterize
the catastrophe as the "most fearful
which has befallen any city in the
world."
North End Laid Waste.
Virtually all the north end of the
city was laid waste and the property
damage will run far into the millions.
A part of the town of Dartmouth,
~->iavb boon virtually destroyed. All
\ ,v,,.~'9tor plants wero wrecked.
Soldiers, sailors and police patrol
( tho streets and upon thorn fell the
major portion of the btirden of search-
ing among the ruins for tho dead and
wounded. Tho Canadians wore assist-
ed in this work by sailors from an
American warship In the harbor.
Tho collision occurred near Pier 8
In the narrows lending from the har-
bor to Bedford Basin. The munitions
ship, the Mont Blanc, was bound from
Now York for Bedford Basin when the
reliof ship Iona bound for sea, crash-
ed into her.
Both Crews Escape.
The Mont Blanc was plercod on the
port side almost to the engine room.
Tho other ship, which was only slight-
ly damagod, backed away when flamos
burst from the munitions ship and was
abandoned by tho crew. The captain
of the Mont Blanc also ordered his
crew to tho boats, as he realized an
explosion was inevitable. Tho men
reached shore safely, before the tre-
mendous blast seventeen minutes lat-
er blew their ship to pieces.
Five minutes after the explosion the
streets In all parts of Halifax were
filled with frenzied throngs striving
to reach the outskirts In an effort to
escape what they believed was a raid
by a German fleet. Hundreds had
been cut by the showor of glass which
followed the explosion.
In the Richmond section, seriously
injured men and women crawled from
the wreckage of their homes and lay
In the streets until removed to hospi
was wrecked. Nearly all the buildings
in tho dock yards there are ruins.
The zono of destruction in Halifax
itself, covers an area of about two
square miles. The buildings which
were not demolished by tho force of
the explosion were destroyed by the
tiro which followed.
Scores of persons wero injured by
the collapse of the railway station,
arena rink, military gymnasium, sugar
refinery and elevators.
Tomporary morgues havo been
opened in school houses In the west-
ern section of tho city.
Many of the men composing the
crews of the ships in the harbor were
among the killed and injured. On one
ship, the Pictou, if is reported, 33 of
43 wero killed. Bodies of many sea-|
men have been picked up in the har-
bor.
Buildings Thrown Open.
The work of rescue and relief was
promptly organized. The academy of
music and many other public build-
ings wore thrown open to tho home-
less. Five hundred tents have been
erected on tho common and these will
be occupied by the troops who have
surrendered fheir barracks to the
women and children.
Space in all available buildings was
made ready within an hour to receive
the wounded. A steady stream of
ambulances and automobiles arrived
at hospitals which soon were filled to
capacity with the injured. Doctors,
nurses and volunteers toiled ceaseless-
ly in the work of succor. Their ranks
were soon swelled by others, who ar-
rived in increasing numbers from the
nearby towns.
A committee of citizens already has
I beon formed and assistance is asked
WILL COMMAND TWO BRI-
GADES OF NEGROES j
Oklahoma Brigadier General Has Ad-
vanced to Rank of a Major
General.
Washington. — Brigadier General
Hoy Hoffman will command a provi-
sional division of approximately 14,400
negro troops, which are soon to Bee
active service iri France, it was an-
nounced at tho war department, and
he has left for an Atlantic port. Or-
ders for the concentration of the dif-
ferent units, which are to compose
tho provisional division, have been
issued.
The division will be composed of
two brigades, which havo been desig-
nated as the 185th and 186th. The
185th brigade will be made up of
troops from the fifteenth New York
infantry and the eighteenth Illinois in-
fantry. The 186th brigade will bo
made up of troops from the ninetieth
separate battalion of Ohio, first sepa:
rate battalion of the District of Colum-
bia and separate companies from Mas
sachusetts, Connecticut,
Tennessee.
Brigadier General O. H. Blanding of | ,,v,nK-
Florida will command the 185th bri-
gade, and Brigadier General George
Harries of Nebraska will command
tho 18fith. Brigadier General Hoff-
man will be in full command of the
division, which the two brigades will
compose.
Major Ancel Harp, adjutant general
of tho Oklahoma National Guard, who
was commissioned a short time ago as
major in the adjutant general's de-
partment, was assigned as adjutant
for the division.
General Hoffman's new assignment
was characterized by one war depart-
ment official as "very important" as it.
places him farther In the line for
promotion to the rank of major gen-
oral. This probably will be the first
negro division to see sorvlce in
France. It was said at tho war de-
partment that great care had been ex-
ercised in the selection of men for of-
ficers to command tho division.
URGES RAILWAY CONTROL
Interstate Commerce Commission
Thinks That the Only Solution.
Washington. Immediate action
to effect national unification of the
railroads, either by government opera-
tion or by suspension for the war of
anti trust and anti-pooling laws, a fed-
eral loan and regulation of security is-
sues to permit more efiective volun-
tary co-operations, was recommended
by the lnterstafo cominorce commis-
sion in a special report to congress.
Neither plan was specifically in-
dorsed but an implication that the ma-
jority believed the railroads might
successfully work out their own unifi-
cation prompted Commissioner Mc-
Chord to submit a separata report em-
phatically urging government control
and saying "the strong nrm of the gov-
ernment authority is essential if the
transportation situation is to be rad-
ically improved."
m.
New buildings being erected at the Walter Reed Memorial hospital near Washington, D. C., for tho reception
of soldiers wounded on the field In France. Twenty-five buildings have been erected recently. They are one story
high and nre constructed of wood, having screened porches running around them. A feature of the hospital will be
Maryland, j the building for reconstruction units. In tills department soldiers who have lost fheir arms, legs or possibly their
eyesight will be given Instruction under trained men in various occupations that they muy be enabled to make n
SOUTHERN PINE MILLS ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
' 'x -Wfstwl Ntfwspap^lnlf
The Southern pine mills are developing Into one of the most important factors In the war. Their output Is being
tripled, and they are working day nnd night turning out lumber for the construction of the government's emergency
fleet. The photograph gives a night view1 of one of the large mills somewhere In the South.
"POWER EGO" OF ZEPPELIN
THE WAR
ONfif tfwooo K
UHpMtwoc
WASHING SHOES OF FRANCE'S SOLDIERS
tals. Those less seriously hurt aided
those more gravely injured. In the 1 from „n outside points for b,Hiding and ! ed advance has a (,eP,h of about t\yo
streets, piled high with debris, were j blankets. The mavors of all towns *
found the shattered bodies of many ,hP province havo been asked to
Several children j rush supplies.
The force of the explosion was felt
at Truro, 75 miles away, where win-
jdows were shattered. All telegraph
occupants of j aIuj telephone wires were torn down
Carefully laid plans of General Byng
to withdraw his troops at various
points on the Cambrai salient to more
enable positions have beon carried
out in perfect order and apparently
without the Germans even having
knowledge of the movement.
The falling back was made neces-
sary by wedges driven into the salient
last week by the Germans, which on
several sectors threatened disaster to
the British should they continue to
hold their positions. From an area e\- : , * .... •• ,, .
. ' ,, „ i This is one of the "power eggs" of
tending before the Cambrai a distance j (he preat new type Zeppelln that was
of ahout eighteen miles the new Brit- | brought down In France almost Intact
ish front has been lessened to a length recently. These gondolas, strutted out
of about ten miles wltn the bases rest- from the sides of the airship, carried
ing in the north in tho region of 1 the air screws, nnd in each was a
Moeuvres and in the south uear Gon- ! mechanic as well as the engine.
neiieit.
As a result of the backward move- ! Eighty Years on an Island.
ment the Germans claim the reoccupa- j '^'u> h°uses' their Moorish
tlon of the Graincourt, Anneux. Noy Btyled Venet,nn b,,nds over henvv bnl"
elles and the woods and heights north
of Marcoing and that their uncontest-
women nnd children
were crushed to death when they were !
hurled against telephone poles by the
force of tho explosion.
In scores of cases
houses who had escaped without Injury , nn(1 for several hours Halifax was
or only slight hurts, were prevented ' completely isolated from the outside
by tne flamos from searching for mem- ] world.
hers of their families who were unable j pjiot Frank Mackie, of the Mont
to escape from tho burning structures. RUnP declared that tho collision re-
in less than tinlf an liour after the suited from a confusion of whistles
disaster, 5,000 persons had assembled j sounded by the Iona. He believes the
on the common and thousands of oth- j fire which caused the explosion was
ers had sought refuge in fields outside due to the fact that the munitions ship
the city. (carried a deck load of benzine.
and a half miles over a front of six
and a quarter miles. The Berlin war
office asserts that siftce the Oermau
offensive in the Cambrai region be-
gan British prisoners in excess of 9,000
and US guns have been taken.
On the Italian front the Austro-Ger-
mans are making frantic attempts to
break through the Italian positions !
and debouch upon the plain of Ven- j
etia. •
In the Asiago plateau region battles
of almost unprecedented violence are '
taking place, the Teutonic allies using j
a greaf array of guns and countless j
thousands of men iu their efforts to i
overcome the Italian resistance.
On the Meletta sector the enemy
made some slight advances, but only
through the sacrifice of large numbers
of men. the Italians resisting determln- '
edly. foot by foot. To the east an
enemy attempt to carry the Italian
line of defense in the upper Brenta
Red Cross Starts Relief Work. | Boston Sending Train of Doctors.
Washington.—Aid for the stricken Boston.—A special train carrying
flty of Halifax was started forward by forty doctors and nurses left Boston
.'he American Red Cross. On the spe-1 for Halifax. The train carried also a
cial train sent from Boston by the quantity of supplies. Officials of the
governor of Massachusetts were six Boston and Maine, the Maine Central ) valley met with repulse and heavy cas^ j
experienced disaster relief workers and fhe Canadian railroads promptly ; ualties.
with quantities of surgical supplies, made all arrangements to put the train j The Berlin war office, in a communi-
bedding and clothing. A special Red j through in record time. The trip j cation announcing the taking of the
Cross train from New York carried | probably will take twenty hours. The j Meletta positions, says that in the new
food, mattresses, blankets, sweaters, decision to send the relief party was i offensive of the Teutonic allies 11.000
overcoats and a large quantity of made at the meeting of the public ' Italians have been made prisoners an<t
clothing, for homeless women and safety comm.ssion and officers of the j that more than sixty of their guns
children. j state guard. j have been captured.
conies, were an echo of old Portugal.
Don Cesar escorted us to the house
of James Mnekny, British vice consul,
whose kindly help to various needy na-
tionals hns caused him to be known
throughout the Azores ns "the Consul
of Europeto which should ho add-
ed, "and the United States," says
Charles W. Furlong, writing of his
visit to the Island of Flores of the
Azores group. He nppenred In a
frock cont and top hat—the only one
I saw In Flores. During his fourscore
yenrs nnd over he left the Island but
once—by accident American whalers
and long voyage vessels from Good
Hope nnd Cape Horn lay off lierfc
when short of provisions. During a
vl t aboard one of these a northwest
pile suddenly sprang up, making his
return Impossible, nnd In ten days he
found himself In England, but In three
more he took the first vessel back, and
here he hns been ever since.
This young French woman is engaged In one of the lowly but necessary
occupations connected with warfare. She Is washing the mud from the shoes
of the soldiers who are defending her country from the German hordes. This
task keeps many hundreds of girls busy all the time.
COUNT MINOTTO AND HIS AMERICAN WIFE
Early Morning Sprinter*.
"There is keen rivalry out our way."
"Tell me the particulars."
"Two suburbanites are trying to set- ;
tie the speed championship. Their j
homes are the same distance from the
railroad station."
"Yes."
"One claims he covers the distance i Count James Minotto. who less than tu years ago married Miss Ida May
In three minutes and four-fifths. Ills , Swift, daughter of Louis S.vtft, the mllll>nalre Chicago packer, has been
swiftest competitor says it can't be | arrested by federal apents. being suspected of pro-German activities. Th®
done aider four minutes flat." 1 count claims to be an Italiau citizen and denied the charges against hi at
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Dunjee, Roscoe. The Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Ed. 1 Friday, December 7, 1917, newspaper, December 7, 1917; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc152058/m1/2/: accessed April 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.