American Relief Organizations Rush Aid in Gen HARRISBURG ifSgllfii TELEGRAPH M, %IK £tar~ In&epcnbent * LXXXVI— No. 292 32 PAGES HALIFAX DEATH LIST NOW SNOW IMPEDES RESCUE SAILORS FROM U. S. VESSEL PATROL CITY Estimate of Deaths Made by United States Naval Com mander in Stricken City Is Regarded as Fairly Accu rate Although Not Official; Business at Standstill; Educational Institutions Closed Until After Holidays FIERCE FIRES RAGE IN MANY SECTIONS THOUSANDS ARE HOMELESS AND HUNGRY Heavy Blanket of Snow Interferes With Rescue Work, but Proves Great Help in Checking Flames; Third Red Cross Relief Train Leaves New York; Morgues Improvised From Schools, Churches and Homes Washington, Dec. 7. Five thousand arc believed to have been killed in the explosion in Halifax harbor and the fire which swept North Halifax and Darthmouth, N. S., according 1 to advices from a naval commander reaching the Navy Department early to-day. The Navy dispatch said these figures had not been verified, however. The report which' came from a naval commander who wit nessed the explosion from a point 52 miles off Halifax and later proceeded to the harbor to render aid said that all of North Hali fax was destroyed, three ships sunk and many others damaged. "The ruins of buildings arc now burning fiercely in North Hali fax, the dispatch concludes. The report as Riven out by the '; Navy Department isaas follows; "The following M-eport was re- j reived from a naval commander at i Halifax: ! , "While fifty-two miles at sea the | explosion of a munitions ship was seen and heard. Upon arrival as. j sistance was offered to the authori- < tied and the following learned con- !, cerning the circumstances leading "A Belsian relief ship collided with a French munitions vessel , loaded with three thousand tons of i T. N. T. and a large quantity of j benzine. Due to the collision the j benzine caught on fire and as soon ' Stunned by Disaster, ~ Halifax Bends Energies to Care For Wounded By Associated I'rcss Halifax, N. S.. Dec. 7. —Stunned j by the magnitude of the disaster which lias overwhelmed the "garri- | son city by the sea," the people of j Halifax to-day bent all their ener- j gies to relieving the injured, feed- j ing the hungry, sheltering the home- | less and gathering their dead. A heavy snow st,orm set in early j to-day, and while this in a measure impeded the work of relief and res- | cue, it served to aid the firemen In i fighting the flames which still burned I fiercely in many places among the I ruins in the devastated district. Reports from the improvised ! morgues and from hospitaks, j churches, schools and private resi- ! dences seemed to bear out last ; night's estimate that at least 2,000 i lives were lost when the Belgian re- i lief steamship Imo collided with the j French munitions steamer Monte | Blanc, causing the detonation of 4,- 000 tons of trinitrotoluol, one of the [Continued on Page 2.] THE WEATHER For Harrisburg and vicinity: Fair and continued col'" to-night, j with lowest temperature uhout 25 degrees) Saturday Increasing cloudiness, proluihly >nw. For Rnstern' Pennsylvania! Fair and continued cold to-night; Saturday, Increasing cloudiness, probably snow In north anil west portions! moderate north west to north winds. River The Susquehanna river and nil ltd tributaries will fall slowly or remain nearly stationary. A stage of about 4.0 feet Is Indi cated for Harrisburg Saturday morning. Temperaturei 8 a. m„ 28. Sunt Klses,( 7>17 a. m.| seta, 4iM I p. m. Moon: New moon, December 14, Hlver Stage: Four feet helow low- ' wnter mark. Yesterday's Weather Highest temperature, 38. I lowest temperature, 3S. Mean temperature, 3ft. < Normal temperaturr, 3,1. as the lire started the crew aban doned the ship, reaching shore be fore the explosion took place. "Practically all of North Halifax was destroyed and all of the win dows and doors in Halifax and Dart mouth were demolished. 'lt is believed there are 5,000 dead * but these figures cannot be confirmed. The explosion sunk three ships and badly damaged many oth ers. The ruins of the building are now burning fiercely in North Hal ifax.' " A further report from the Ameri can naval officer said he had landed a guard to aid the city authorities in policing the city anil co-operating in every way in the relief work. Eye Witnesses Tell of Horrors Resulting From Ship Explosion St. John, N. B„ Dec. 7. —Eye wit-! nesses of the Halifax explosion reaching here to-day told details of the horrors through which they passed. In the party were fourteen young women students from Mt. St. Vincent Academy. Ksmond P. Barry, St. John Postal j clerk, was at Richmond during the worst of the catastrophe. "It was terrible," he said, "people ! dying in our car like flies. Some of | them came to the place with noses shot off, eyes put out, faces slashed I i with flying glass, limbs torn and I j distorted. On one occasion while we j I worked around a wrecked building | we could see a little baby fifty feet | j or more underneath a burning mass! j crying for aid. We could not get! | within thirty feet of the child and! I had to watch while it burned to : j death. _ Men and women and chil-i dren were Ij'ing in the streets and ! hundreds must be buried beneath j the wreckage." ?,i 9 ,llospip ' a ,raln conductor 1 said that at Richmond fully fifty j per cent, of the buildings collapsed ' I Babies were lying in the streets! j dead. Ernest Cameron, Canadian | Pacific telegraph operator and all his family were killed. Relief Train Sent by Massachusetts Delayed by Wreck Waterville, Maine, Dec. 7. The relief train sent to Halifax by Gov ernor McCall and the State Public Safety Committee of Massachusetts,! was delayed for more than an hour! i early to-day by a freight wreck on I j the Maine Central Railroad at | Burnham Junction, thirteen miles | from here. Five freight cars had been de- I railed just ahead of the train and I the tracks were piled high with i I wreckage. Telegraph poles also had i been knocked down, cutting offi communication between this city and I Bangor. HARRISBURG, PA., FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 7, 1917 HALIFAX HARBOR BLOWN TO BITS BY TERRIFIC EXPLOSION Art explosion of hundreds of tons of T. N. T.. one of tlra most powerful explosives used in the war, lias killod thousands and injured thousands more, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The entire harbor is reported to have been destroyed while the great, seaport city is in ruins. The loss runs up into the millions. The accident ranks as on<* of the most terrible the world has ever seen. BREAD FORMULA ! FIXED BY FOOD ADMINISTRATION Don. McCormick Announces Receipt For Guidance of Harrisburg Bakers NO PRICE IS FIXED AS YET Sugar, Milk and Shortening Are Cut Down in r Quantity r \ Reel Gathers Data on Bread Prices in City Harry I). Keel, city Inspector of weights and measures, said to-day j lie has completed a thorough in- | vestigation of the local bread 1 situation and has compiled figures | on the prices and weights of I loaves from the various bakeries. J He announced he will give com- I plete information to Food Ad- j ministrator Donald McCormick | when the standard weight for j bread goes into effect. Inspector 1 Heel said he could not understand ; why one group of stores could re- ] tain a full pound loaf of bread ! for seven cents while other bakers \ contend the price should be two i or three cents higher for a fair ' profit. • 1 Returning from Philadelphia this! morning after an interview there) with food administration officials, Donald McCormick, in charge for; Dauphin county, gave out the gov-! ernment's decision on the size ofi bread loafs and the instructions for' their ingredients. The baker must! follow specific weights or multiples! thereof which shall be net weights,! unwrapped, twelve hours after bak-! ing. No. 1, a sixteen-ounce unit, not to run over seventeen ounces; No. 2,! a twenty-four-ounce unit, not to run! over twenty-live and one-half ounces.' The licensee is instructed in mix-j ing dough for bread or rolls not toi use the following ingredients ini amounts exceeding those specified I below, per unit of 19H pounds of anyl Hour, or meal or mixture thereof: | Sugar Not to exceed three [Continued on Page 25.] Philadelphia Blaze Calls Out City's Entire Fire-Fighting Force By Associated I'rcss Philadelphia, Dec. 7.—Nearly all of the city's fire-fighting force was sum moned to a blaze which swept a five story building of the oil cloth and linoleum plant of Tlinmca Potter and Sons, Inc.. here to-day. The flame* were confined to the structure in which the fire started but the firemen were greatly hampered by dense smoke and six alarms were turned in. Officials of the company said the loss would not exceed $75,000. Service on the New York branch of the Pennsyl vania ftailroal was held up for about two hours, long lines of hose being stretched across the tracks. BRITISH RETIRE IN ! CAMBRAI REGION TO STRENGTHEN LINES Evacuation of Several Villages West of Cambrai by. Gen eral Byng Means Shortening of Lines and Stronger Defenses . ; . German wedges driven into the ! salient before Cambrai have com | pel led the British to evacuate several | points and they have given up to the j Hermans several villages west of (Cambrai as well as the Bourlon wood. | The retreat was carried out so well j that the Germans continued to shell ! the emptied positions for several bonis after the British had left them. The British line had shortened and was made more capable of strong de fense as a result of the retirement. I It is indicated from British head quarters in France that General Byng A HEART AND A DOLLAR WILL AID THE RED CROSS Ask That Liberty BOIHI COU ■ pons Be Used as Mem bership Fees "Will you have a Red Cross mem bership in your home this Christ mas?" This paraphrase of a well-known advertising slogan is going to be ■ heard rather generally in Harrisburg and Dauphin county a week from Monday, when the Christmas drive for 38,000 additional Red Cross mem berships opens, "A heart and a dollar is all you' need." That is the pfflclal slogan for the campaign. The committee in charge! of the drive Is preparing every weap-| on known in modern campaign war- ! [Continued on Page 13.] 14 Under Close Guard to Prevent Further Escapes From Smallpox House City health authorities to-day had not located Susie Jones, 1121 North Seventh street, who is suffering from smallpox and is now at large somewhere In the city or vicinity.! The house at 1121 North Seventh street, is now under close guard as there are fourteen more colored per sons under quarantine there. Three cases of smallpox have developed at the place in the last two weeks. With the woman at large there Is danger of a tterioua epidemic the health officials state. State Health authorities have iilso sent out notices and are co-operating in the search for the woman. As there are few marks on her face it will be difficult to detect that she In a victim of smallpox, health officials said. could have maintained himself on the evacuated line, but the cost in casualties would have been greater than the strategic value of the posi tions. Berlin, in its latest report, claims the occupation of Marcoing, about four miles southwest of Cam brai. Minor German attacks south of Bourlon wood and near Ha Vacque rie have been repulsed by the Brit ish. Violent fighting continues in the northern Italian front between Asia continued on Page 25.] DRAFT BOARDS FEAR RETURN OF AUSTRIANS Would Mean That More Men Would Have to Be Called For Examination Local draft boards to-day are wor ried less the declarations of war against Austria will mean the send ing home of scores of Austrians and Hungarians who had been drafted into the Army from the Steelton, Slizabethville find Puxtang boards. If the Austrians, all of whom waived, exemption claims, are to be classed 'as enemy aliens and sent back home, it will mean that the three Dauphin county draft boatds will have to call several hundred more men for examination to (ill the quotas. Steelton is said to have forty-five [Continued on Page 20.] Council Meets to Plan For Garbage Disposal Members of City Council, the Health Department ana commissioners-elect held an informal conference this aft ernoon to discuss the garbage dis posal question. It is probable that a definite recommendation will be made at the regular session of Council next Tuesday as a result of the conference to-day. A number of the officials predicted that it is not likely the city will do the collecting and disposal of garb age, but the question of which dis posal system should be adopted In awarding a contract Is the one which must be decided. One of the bids submitted was by Hagy Brothers. Who operate a piggery at Rohrers town to dispose of all garbage col lected In Lancaster. This bid was 60 per cent, lower than the next highest, submitted with specifications that the garbage will be disposed of by re duction. Representatives of the vari ous Arms bidding were present. 5,000; WORK GERMANS THROW A MIGHTY FORCE AT PIAVE LINE ( Big Operation in Italy Is Rep etition of Former Turn ing Movement I NEW POSITION STRONG j Russian Prisoners Released by Austria Return Home to Spread Peace Talk ' Italian Headquarters in Northern Italy (Thursday), I>ec. C (By The As sociated Press,). —The big operation j which the enemy is attempting in the north is virtually a repetit'on of the j turning movement lie executed six | weeks ago in the great offensive above Gori/.ia. The Austro-German attack on Me- I letta not only affects the lines in that region but if the enemy could pierce through and drive ills way southward lon the plains it might place him on I tlie left itank of the Piavo lines, much I as the Duke of Aosta has his third I army -at Oorizia with the enemy on J his left Hank. Tile line oust of Asiugo probably is stronger to-day than be rContinued oil Page J6.] Red Cross Gains $440.40 From Benefit Performance at the Majestic Theater A well tilled house greeted the players in the Hod Cross benefit per lormance, held in the Majestic theater this morning. After the overture, "Hail, Glorious America," C. Floyd Hopkins, manager of the theater, introduced Mayor Iveister to the audience. In a short address, the Mayor congratulated the people of Harrisburg on their support of the Bed Cross and other war or ganizations. "The victory will he won by the nation that stays in the war the longest," he said. Mrs. Hoy J. Cox, a local soloist, sang "The Star Spangled Banner," with much feeling. The regular program of vaudeville acts followed. Every service contributed by the actors and actresses, the stage em ployes, the boxoffice and theater em ployes and managers, was donated to the Red Cross Society, and the theater was given by the owners Wilmer and Vincent. Total receipts of the benefit 'per formance will be given to the Ked Cross Society. The gross receipts art; $440.40. Of this amount, the sales of various organizations were- Boy Scouts, $93.50; Hotary Club ,$224.75; Hox Office, $16.00; Prettv Baby Company, $110.15. ONLY 6 DAYS ' ! left for men between tlie n K e* ol ' . 21 and 31 cart, to enliM In the 1 i -var umiiiiM the llun. \fiei iha • I time all register**! men muni t a k, their chance* In being placed n I whatever branch or the scrvi v the government decides. Single Copy, 2 Cents HOME EDITION CURTAIL CITY'S SOCIAL SEASON BECAUSE OF WAR Fair Dancing Partners Wail For Return of Khaki- Clad Fighting Men ALL BIG EVENTS ABE OFF Society Leaders Take to Ivnit fing and Small Parties There will be no sound of revelry in Harrisburg this winter. Kaiser Wilhem has put the muffler on so cial gaiety more tightly than it has ever been clamped since the days of the Civil -War. As for d:incing, Mrs. Marlin Olmsted well expressed the situation to-day when asked if the charity ball would bo held: "Nobody's dancing except 'over there.' A ball is a ball and you have to have dancing. We must have money for the Associated Aftl So ciety but we will probably give a theatrical entertainment for no one cares to dance now. Times are too critical." Take to Knitting With one accord all elements of society in Harrisburg have plainly concluded to sacrifice all the usual delights of a winter season. The im pulse was spontaneous and the fair women who in*other years took such pleasure in giving dinners and dances [Continued on I'age 1!?.] Soldiers Invited to Attend Big Recruiting Rally diaries P. Stroll, chairman of the committee on speakers of tile Dauphin County Committee of Public Safetv. issues a special invitalion to the sol diers who are home on furloughs, to attend the meeting at the Courthouse, Saturday evening, when I.ieutenant Hector McQuairrie, of the ltoyal Ar tillery. will make the principal ad dress. The latter will tell of his ex periences in the trenches, and where he was wounded, and it is thought the talk will be of special interest to the boys who are going abroad. Mr. Stroh r.lso asks that the soldiers now- on jduty at Middletown, attend the meet ing. if •? As • J SINGLE AIRPLANE CAUSES MOST DAMAGE 5 London, Dec. 7.—Most of the damage done in Lon- 'f* £ don yesterday morning in the German air raid appear.; V s to have been the work of a single airplane which hovered *t JL over the city and dropped five explosives and two in- cendiary bombs. 5 FRENCH DRIVE OFF ATTACKERS '.c ? Paris, Nov. 7. —Two attempts were made by the Ger- * T mans to attack the French lines east of the Meuse in the f ' ? Verdun region last night, after a heavy bombardment. /' ; The attacking forces, the war office announced to-day, were driven off by the French fire. ''' 4,000 ITALIANS TAKEN—CLAIMS BERLIN l'l 4 r Berlin, Dec. 7. —Four thousand more Italians have * r " ; been captured in the new Austro-German offensive on V the northern front, bringing up the total to 15,000, ac cording to to-day's official communication. *'£ J RELIEF TRAIN HELD BY WRECK J Waterville, Maine, Dec. 7.—The relief train sent to Jk Halifax by Governor McCall and the State Public Safety Committee, of Massachusetts, was delayed more than an hour early to-day by a freight,wreck on the Maine Cen- '• tral Railroad at Burnham Junction, thirteen miles from JT 4 here. Five freight cars had been derailed just ahead of the train and the tracks were piled high with wreckage. Telegraph poles also had been knocked down, cutting off d, 4* communication between this city and Bangor. t X CONTINUE ACTION ON ASIAGO Rome, Dec. 7.—On the Asiago plateau the battle is *T continuing without interruption, says to-day official 4 report. ' f 1% j* MONTE SISEMOL TAKEN * * Berlin, Dec. 7. —Monte Sisemol was captured by T storm, the official statement says. J V X BRITISH PLANES BOMB GERMANS London, Dec. 7.—British naval airplanes 011 We J -J, nesday and Thursday continued their bombing raids on v -£s German military works in Belgium, the British Ad- •„ , miralty announced to-day. 1 *• J INDIANS BURN STOREHOUSE 4s Nogales, Ariz., Dec. 7.—Yaqui Indians yesterday at- *1 tacked Esperanza, seventy miles south of Guaymas, Son- £ ora, according to a message received here ta-day and *7. **' burned the office and store house of the Richardson Con- T struction Company, an American firm. Nothing has "?* been heard from about thirty Americans living in the *£* )§, vicinity. y "t MAXIMALISTS OCCUPY MARIE PALACE H- London, Dec. 7.—An armed Maximalist force has *3* 4 occupied the Marie palace, according to a Reuter dis -4 patch from Petrograd, and has expelled the all-Russian •£ V commission in charge of the elections for the constituent $* assembly. t MARRIAGE LICENSES jjj "* Simon \V. Went* iind Alice 11. Shnnk, Nrwviilci •bt M. StenKle, Oberlln, nnd Clara S. Hclehley, llarrlxlturii. WAR RESOLUTIOI PASSES IN SENATE HOUSE TO FOLLOV Prompt Declaration Again; Austria-Hungary Follows President's Message ACTION IS UNANIMOU: Following House Action Fina Draft of Resolution Will Be Prepared By Associated Press AVashington, Dec. 7.—With lea than an liour'H debate, the Senate to day passed the resolution declarim war on Austria-Hungary. The resolution was adopted by th. Senate unanimously, 74 to 0. Senator. Oronna, of North Dakota; Norris, o Nebraska, and Vardarnan, of Missis sippi, who voted against the GermaJ war declaration, supported the reso lution. Senator DaKollette, of Wis consin, left during the speechmaking and did not cast his vote. Meanwhile there was every indica tion the resolution would pass in the House with only one dissenting votf —Representative Dondon, Socialist Members were so sure of it that tliey deserted the chamber in droves to escape the speechmaking and return later for the voting. After the House acts, the two reso lutions will be reconciled or one sub stituted for the other. Yankee Birdmen Wounded During Battle With Hun Planes in France Washington, Dec. 7.—The Amerlc in Army airmen lighting German air planes on the western front have suf fered their first casualties. Two men, a corporal and a private, were total reported wourjded. No report of the engagement in which the Americans were wounded was forwarded. They are: Corporal Walter A. Warren; sister, Mrs. Ida Smith, 303 Smith street, Dublin, Ga. Private Edward F. Kbsen; fa.ther, George H. Ebsen, Buffalo, Mo.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers