HALIFAX DISASTER.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 29 January 1918, Page 4

HALIFAX DISASTER.

i tee tekkitic explosion.

| GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION" BY WEL LINGTON RESIDENT.

The Mayor of Wellington (Mr J. F. I Luke, C.M.G.), lias received a lettei I from an engineer lieutenant giving a ' graphic desertion of tlie recent ter- , rible explosion and destruction to life and properly in Halifax, In ova Scotia. He writes: — . , "You will lie rather surprised to hear from me' from this port ot Halifax, Nova Scotia. Only for a lucky alteration in our plana and a delay 111 berthing you would probably ne%er have heard from me again. I hav , e been through something on the \V estI em front, and have seen destruction 111 ! life and property to a great extent, but the dieasier here yesterday surf passed the lot. Happenings ot the last two years I will never forget; certainly this calamity has been placed first in my memory. We left in the belief that it was to bo the same as usual, but had not been out many days when we were ordered hero. Had a smooth run, although the weather was very dull and cold. On arriving here we anchored and started coaling, expecting to be in time to be berthed on a certain day in the afternoon. We did not get alongside as intended, and just as well for us, as it "was during the morning of this day that the | disaster occurred. We were sitting at breakfast in the ward room when a loud explosion was heard, and the ship shook and heeled over. I lied just time to think that a ship had collided with us, when another tremendous re- , port, hundreds of times greater than | the first, rent the air. Most of us 5 were thrown out of our chairs, the S thiek glass ports were smashed, and I everything movable was upset. I ftt once thought that a hostile submarine had sneaked in the harbour and torpedoed us. There was a rush from below to the deck, and then we saw a wonderful but awful sight. A huge, thick, white, rolling cloud of smoke was rising up and debris was falling into the water wherever you looked. It was soon realised that an awful explosion had taken place, but of what there was no telling. When the cloud disappeared it was seen to have happened in the vicinity of the dockyard and just near where we were expected to be the previous clay. All hands \ were mustered and the cutters were I soon awav w'ith every available man and officer. We had already made a signal asking if help was required, but the flagship did not immediately answer, probably owing to confusion and casualties aboard lier. Fires were seen to be raging all over the town, and near the scene of tho explosion everything was alight. We really went with the intention of fighting the flames, but found our job to be rescue work. "One part of the town was absolutely cut off bv fires,, and fortunately we landed hero and were able to use our boats to convey wounded to a place where they could be taken away. The whole locality was demolished, and the scene was appalling. Hundreds of killed were lying about, and other poor beggars were pinned down amongst the ruins. How wo did work, and what awful cases we had to (leal w-itli! All conveyances were put into service, and it was very soon seen that tho hospitals could not deal with the injured. Other buildings were utilised, and even the ships in the harbour were used. "At first we did not have time to think of the cause of the explosion or even what had gone up, but we eventually learned of it. It appears that a French steamer, laden with 4000 tons of explosives and also a quantity of benzine on deck, was inward bound, and she got into collision with a Belgian relief ship flying the Norwegian flag. The benzine caught fire, and. of course, that was the end of it. The ship was blown to pieces, not a part of her remaining ill the water. Some of her twisted plates are to be seen in the town, and her gun has been found three miles away. Shipping in the.immediate vicinity suffered badly. A number of vessels have disappeared altogether, while other have been stripped of"funnel and all deck Rear. Even the interior of some are just a mass of wreckage. The casualties aboard them are numerous; all hands being hilled in some cases. Twas a pitiful sight to see the craft being towed out into mid-harbour out r.f tVc danger zone. They had to do this as there was a chance of t:>e shoio going up any minute. 1 -ir the fa.', e lerson all tho remain'eg poi '. >',oiO d.-ve,' to the extreme of. p..lie e: 1 of fie town. Luckily vhc mrgi'-'n l ;!id r ; go oft, and it \vr'. sc.-i mrde sr-fe. "The lu:';C f'l lrgrd .t l ' d.y and night, and to laukr ne.('c;i u ;t - 1 the weather, wlrch red bc:e lui . trined to a nasiy bl'?"''l'd :i eg i dav it blrw an:, snov, 1 ' ititr . rs- | ing. but still tl>? je-cre wo « went on. We had tucker and i; iof ,-enl out from the fhin and we are still 1 carrying on in te's w'v. The fire is now out, but a ; vein nr-'lnns n, . >-cr of people are stUl re ; vng. and it means shifting a lot of d- >>. is tr get the bodies. A few have been 1 Hind alive, but there is now cha ice for any more now. "The paper give" it out that they estimate tho killed to be about 2000. while the injured Vdl be alxut 5000 or (iOOO. The homeles.. amount to 20.000 so you can ;ee what a dreadful thing has happened. is being sent from all quarte: : ; special trains bringing doctors nurses medical supplies. clothing, and food. Things have got more settled iioa\ atid it makes one notice the plight o? the people more. One man to-day was sear-riling to-day among the ruins o ? his house, and had a few charred bones on a tray. He turned round and remarked that that was all that was left of his family of seven."