Halifax Town (part 2 of 3)

The work of the Placement Bureau for boys and girls of this age consists largely of the endeavor to keep them in school by securing for them work during vacation, or after school hours and on Saturdays.

C. was registered from the sixth grade of elementary school and it was imperative that she work during summer in order to be able to attend school another year. Being a very small girl, it seemed almost impossible to place her. A club to which she belonged sent her into the country for ten days and soon after her return, a position as errand girl in a good type of store was found for her where she remained through the summer. She re-entered school in September and continued to work on Saturdays until after the holidays. Was then laid off through dull season and after three months, Saturday work was again obtained for her in the same store. Her employer is well pleased with her work.

Registered with Bureau, June, 1914. Desired office or store work. Placed with druggist as errand boy. After he had worked a month, D. reported that he was dissatisfied -with position because the employer would not pay car-fare on long errands. Employer called on telephone to say that D. was not doing his work well and he would have to discharge him unless decided improvement was soon shown. Secretary had a personal interview with employer and a confidential talk with D. which resulted in D. promising to do better if the employer would give him another chance. Employer reported in a few days that D.'s work was much better, and still later that he was "O. K."

At the regular evening meeting in the library, D, said he likes his work very much and has received a raise of $1. He plans to become a druggist and thinks his chances are very good. He goes to continuation school, and when sixteen, is going to attend evening high school. Upon Secretary's suggestion, he is going to start a bank account.

C. is a graduate of elementary school, a bright, attractive girl who had to leave school at the age of fourteen to assist at home, her father being at the Psychopathic Hospital. C. wanted work in a store and was placed by Bureau as errand girl in a specialty shop. Worked about four months and was laid off - business dull. Employer said she was a good girl and very satisfactory.

Found work for self in a small manufacturing establishment where she did hand sewing and learned finishing of ready-made ganiients. Laid off firm went out of business.

Innumerable attempts were made to secure a position for C. and she was finally placed at work with a company that makes stamped articles for embroidery. This is in a small plant with a good firm where there is excellent chance for advancement. C. attends continuation school where she has changed from bookkeeping to power machine class in order to progress in her trade. Employer reports that she is doing very well indeed.

D. Recommendations Of Disabled Soldiers Training Board

hhii plover*? name and address Average wages or coujpcnsalion 1 labits for or against success Kornier av(x:ations or amnseinents Mental attitmie now What hopes to do now I'ersonalily

Any evident disease or impediment Nervous symptoms Peculiarities of sitting posture Peculiarities of head position Habit movements Fingers in eyes Skin habit

In Its Relation To Blindness

If you will lay your hand palm downward on soBethlng and separate the Biddle and the ring fingers a little you will have there eiBulated Halifax harbor with ite narrows where the second knucales are.; Opposite each other and extending for miles along the waterfront and up over the hills on both sides past the narrows are the town of Dartmouth on the one side of the harbor and the city of Halifax on the other.; At 9 o'clocA on the morning of December 6 last, a Belgian Relief ship,, the Imo, and a French munitions ship, the Mt.- Blanc, collided in these narrows.- The first result was a fire on the latter so spectacular that crowds of people going to work and of children going to school gathered in the open places along the shore.- People even telephoned home for their families to come and see the ship afire.- Then came the explosion of tons upon tons of the T.N.T.. with which the Mt.- Blanc was laden.; The whole place rocked as with an earthquake.; Acres of dwelling houses were laid flat, crushing the inmates; tt. root ot . sro.t .ooUeo .111 toll .mu, inunce of noaen so nounaedv Soon, froB the hardest hit part of the city about the narroas, there was an eaodue of all itho could walli, fleeing to the central and southern portions of the city.; Inaglne an army of men, and children retreating In despair through the streets, sounded and bleeding from head to foot.; This is the eight shich men say impressed them most and shlch they can nefer forget.' The more fortunate houses, schools, halls, churches and public buildings opened their doors to them at once; but many of the terrified refugees preferred to remain under the sky and did so.; The neit day brought a bliamard of cold, which added sorely to the suffering.; But soon the wounded were gathered into a score of regular and improrised hospitals and cared for by the hosts of physicians and nurses who came from near and far/ either as individual volunteers or as parte of organised medical relief corps. The quickness with which material relief was brought there by the American Red Cross in particular surpasses belief.; The cltiaens were Immediately organi.ed into a doaen departments for temporary relief , -which bodies acted, indeed, for

During the early days so many people were seen with bandaged heads and eyes that the rumor grew declaring Halifax a city of the blind.' On Dec. IB Sir Frederick fraser, Suoerintendent of the Halifax School for the Blind, telegraphed some of us that there were doubtless 600 made totally blind, and asked for help of any and all kinds.' This telegram' having been carried to the New England office at Boston of the American Red Cross, Miss Lucy Wright, late General Superintendent of the Mass.; Commission for the Blind, and an assistant were immediately despatched to Halifax with Instructions to investigate, help and report.; Her findings classified the eye sufferers - ani t&ere were over 600 of them, with only 41 known to be totally blind. But she had found 144 partially blind in both eyes and even more cases in one eye; and knowing by enperlence the suprene neea of follow-up work in oases of the kind after first-aid attention given by eye surgeons, she urged the innediate creating and sending to the spot of BOBe additional eye-saving agency.; Mr.- Persons, Director General of the Civilian American Red Cross, coming to Boston at this juncture, it fell to my lot to be consulted in the matter, and as a result he appointed early in January a joint coicmlttee of three Americans and three Haligonians to meet at Halifax and make report back to him as to what the Amerlo.. Be. Oroes .Ight .ell do .. regard, per.ene.t relief of the hlinoed. Bet the ooe.lttee ... e.po.erea to tete eech l.iedlate etepe ae eight Pe necessary to prevent further avoidable loss of sight.

» lodg a. seeded.. To re.oh e.er, orgeat oaae of e,e lepafreeat the oooperatlOd of the Vlotorfas Order of Ber.ea .as aeoured, asd as e.pert organiaer ana meaical social worker was sent for to manage tne campaign.- Actual work in behalf of this clinic was begun January 17 unaer the manageiss Lotta S. Rana of the Mass.- CoBmlsslon for the Blind, who

- alrectea the vieite of the five Victorian nursee engaged In this cause and of the resident nurse and the home teacher of the school,; Miss Rand also made up the only complete register of the eye cases there »as made or would have been made,l'he Victorian Order of Nurses equipped the clinic,' The em inent Dr, Sterling of Montreal, who had offered to come In his private capacity, arrived, and all was in readiness on January 30, However, on account of the protest of local oculists, who felt that outside intervention was unnecessary and a reflsctlon upon ealsting local agencies of relief, only four afternoon clinics were actually held, each under a resident oculist with Dr,; Sterling present as consultant,; Eighty cases wete treated in this manner vnd follow-up work for them instituted where adl.ter th, feaer,! Relief Co.el.slon .ppro.ee the holaloR of tpese epeol.1 cllnlce, the, .ere ooptlnoeh tor . .ee. ppjer th, e.per.lelon Of Dr.- ». Darrell R.r.e, of Pro.leenoe .. oop.ult.ot, .ith el.t,-nl.e petle.te.: Perhape the chief Pepetlt of these olloloe eppoep fro. the ppplieil, Rl.ea th, .hole affair asp the ..o.lehpe there,, plffpeea

»r. Van Clere ana I haa gone to Hallfa. .here I .aa ahle to re.aln for P fortnight. Thereafter for t.o .ontha Sir Fre.erlc. freeer sept the A.ericao .e.pera of the oo..lttee lnfor.ea of progress ana In late April .at place eight aays after the explosion, an organisation was formea, called the Halifax Blind Relief Coimittee, consisting of four neoibelB of the board of that school, four meinbers of its corporation, not meaiberB of the board ana with Sir freaericit Fraser, a meniber of our ooaiBDlttee, as chairaian.

This relief coimsittee has received to date about $17,000, nioat of which SUB is still unexpended-; It has inportea from the States and is employing Mr-: ana Mrs- Josepn Murphy of New YorU, two experts in blind matters, one an organizer ana one a home teacher, who write^, "We are carrying on very effective home teaching, getting into the home's ana instructing women in the performance of their daily taslts, housecleaning, care of children,^ cutting, saving, etc-;" Moreover, the federal commissioners are being -tept fully informed of progress-'

It appears that $9,000,000 are or will be available for covering the ®i:terlal losses of the Halifax people, which are conservatively estimated to be $15,000,000-; Assurances have been given that among those to be indemnified on the basis of military pensions the eye impairment victims will receive amounts of from $20 to $40 a month, according to degree of disabil- It,. But relief penelc.e to the hluj are of pueatlohahle .aloe hole., oocupetloh for .tea ana toa, la pro.laea alee.; Ihoae to he aa.lttea to the H.1U.. Bohool for the Bllna, the chief In.t.totlon of ft. U all C.n- -a, .hloh 1. a prl.ate hut Ihaaepuatel, enao.eu corporation, .u.t either he pro.laea for h, pro.lncl.l or clt, aupport In the ueual .a,, h, feaeral e let Cclaulon aupport. or other.lae. No. It la aohhtleaa the ae.lre of . feaeral cclaaloner. to ao all the, can, hut on pre.eutatlon of the -tar Of tultlonal pa, cent h, a co.ulttee of the hoara of the achool, uo aeeher. of our l.erlcan Bea Croaa Coohlttee. the cclaaloner. h the aaouht neoeaa.r,, t400 a year tor each pupil tor a aerl, of yearB, was too Large for then to aseume^' The coniolttee thus tears that, if the natter of creature cooifortb of these chiLaren is Lootea after by the Conujl sslon, little else can te excectea fron it, since aid, not rehabilitation, is its declared policy-' But rehabilitating the blinded is of paraaount necessity, for enforced idleness under blindness is harder to bear than blindness itself, and maHee of the condition a tragedy it need not be-' Hence, the need of assuring the eye victins of the Halifax disaster such school and vocational training as their age ana condition adniits and, after training, placement and occupation. This is the modern principle of curatl.e ocoop.tlon oontlcoousl, tpe esse of those .ho .ust retain Invallhs .Ithoht It.: The MarltUe Pro.lnoes, anh eten Ballta. Itself, ba.e as ,et little .ell supportea orgtstlsal Ion tor the plaoe.ent of their ollno, ano in.tru.entalltles of the sort are seal, neeoea In aost eoassnltle, to-' hey. hhy shoula not Hallfa. be put aaong the pioneers?

The ccalttee agrees that the school training of the ohilaren ... aasental ena shoulh be pro.laea for eceho.; that a te. of the .osen .oulu hecoae re.Uent pupils of the school, -In tact, four of thee are alreahy there,-ana that the rest .oula require inetruetton either there as aay pu- Pll. or at their ho.es by visitors .no.n as ho., teachers; that .ost of the -Oh eight .ell atten. the school u.y by Uay ah.,, alnce nearly all of the. -foee hl.n.neae ha. been hanc .or.ers la alatlnctlon to baa. .or.ara,, they - «o ao, there being a.ple roo. In Us shop oepart.eht; that, as

Nox obviously the carrying out of so ambitious a program as has just been indicated involves a very considerable sum of money.' »(hat ana ho* much the American Red Cross will ao, «e do not yet Knowf we feel convincea, however, that Mr.; Persons gives the matter sympathetic support and that this sympathy will be practical, resulting in scientific permanent foreign relief tc a bony of people whose condition is almost always mi sunaerstood ana, in fact, cannot be comprehended save by those who had experienced all that it really meanSs;

This morning I had the esqjected call from Mr. and Mrs. Murphy. Their report justified the course we have thus far pursued and confirms all I had written you. What they told me, however, should be heard by all three of us, if possible together. I called Mr. Burritt on the phone this afternoon and arranged with him either to come here tomorrow afternoon for a meeting with the Murphys or at Baltimore Thursday. They go to Baltimore Wednesday. Then I called you and was informed that you were *out of town - expected Monday." Thus it is settled that if we can secure a meeting it will be held at Baltimore Thursday morning. I hope you can arrange to come. If impossible,

I will go anyhow and try to see if the Murphy report can not be elicited for Mr. Burritt*s benefit in the same minuteness and frankness as it was given to me.

It is important, first of all, to know that their first intimation that all was not satisfactory as far as Sir Frederick's opinion of them was concerned came from me or at least from my manner. Again, it is important for us to know that Mr. Murphy, about July 16, before anything was said to him by Mr. Rogers about serving the Federal Commission, had formally reported to Sir Frederick the termination of their work and given notice they would leave August 15; that immediately after the Federal 'Commission had invited Mr. Murphy to return under its employ instead of the Relief Committee's he called Sir Frederick on the phone and reported to him the offer.

I elicited information that I hope can be given to you and Mr, Burritt, tho it came especially to me as one who knoTi'S the Murphys best. But the most valuable information was that only 37 are blind and this is likely to be the final total. Our estimate modified. Have you more than one copy of it? Mr. Burritt wants one, I have none. If only one copy exists I suggest that you bring that along to our meeting. I hope you can come. If you can't, last paragraph, "I shall depend more fully upon the members of your Cornnittee for information and suggestions." You doubtless have received and read this letter, for I understand you were sent copies of all correspondence. In view of Mr. Personas letter I feel that we must take some prompt action.

Copy

I communicated with Mr. Burritt and it was agreed between us that if practicable an opportunity should be made for you to make report in person of your work in Halifax to the American members of the American Red Cross Committee on Eye Victims of the Halifax Bisaster. Accordingly, we have asked Mr. Allen, our Chairman, to Join us for a conference with you at Baltimore on Thursday morning, August £9, 9 A.M. , at the Red Gross Institute for the Blind.

Pollowing your call, wj th Mrs. Murphy, at my office on Saturday last I com.nriunicated with Mr. Burritt and it was' agreed between us that if practicable an opportunity should be made for you to make report in person of your work in Halifax to the American members of the American Red Cross Committee on Eye Victims of the Halifax Disaster. Accordingly, we have asked Mr. Allen, our Chairman, to Join us for a conference with you at Baltimore on Thursday morning, August 29, 9 A.M. , at the Red Cross Institute for the Blind.

Your letter to Mr. Burritt and me with enclosure of letter to Sir Frederick gives me great satisfaction. It was very fortunate that you should see Mr. Persons. I wish to congratulate you upon your happy, wise, sympathetic handling of this difficult situation.

Roland Park. Baltimore, Maryland

I have read with interest lir. Allen's letter of Sept. 3rd and a copy of his letter to Sir ^'raderick Fraser. Fortunate, indeed, was the chance meeting with lir. -Persons. In that half hour, lir. Allen surely got the point of view of Ur. -Persons on the Halifax situation, as he could not by long correspondence. I am glad for his sake that he saw Ur. Persons and that the result of the interview has been the ability to sidetrack for the present the whole Halifax problan so far as it rests upon him and us.

The understanding, therefore, is that we have done our full duty as '.ve see it and that the next move will be on the part either of the Halifax people or the Red Gross through Ur. Persons.

The Halifax Relief Commission has taEen over the complete charge of the work for the explosion blind. we have five little children blinded by the explosion who are registered as regular pupils, and three men who are being trained in the Industrial Department.

I understand the Commission intend to appoint an advisory committee to supervise the work that is being done for the blind and to suggest any improvements that may be made. You will be interested to know that the Coioraission in the main is following out the schedule which wc outlined at v/atertown. Mrs. Murphy is at present visiting the public schools and making tests of oye sight. My only fear is that this beneficent movement win be very short lived. You win be particularly pleased to hear that the Commission and School Board have arranged to open a our school is steadily recovering from the various set-tacks of the past year and I hope by this time next year our pupil poiulation will te as large as ever. The work is progress- _ing most satisfactorily and the old spirit of optimism is making itself felt among staff and pupils. The repairs to tulldirigs turned out much more expensive than originally estimated. Our glass till, without considering labor, amounted to thirty-two .hundred, ($3200. JO), dollars and so far. the repairs are only half completed With an outlay of twenty thousand, ( ?2a ,aoo. jj ) . dollars.

In view of the nohle manner in which, in the first place, the American Red Cross appreciated the grave character of the Halifax disaster of 6th December 1917, and the remarkable promptness and efficiency, in the second place, with which it despatched workers and supplies to Halifax, the Executive of the Halifax Relief Committee,

This acknowledganent is tendered first to W. Frank Persons, Director General of American Red Cross Civilian Relief, Vv'ashington, who instantly set in motion the activities, which, by 10 P. M* on the evening of the disaster had despatched from Boston a special train with supplies and six expert workers on its errand of mercy to Halifax. These workers were Mr, John F. Moors, Chairman Civilian Relief Coraraittee of Boston, in charge, who during his stay gave most valuable assistance and advice to the Committee, Miss K. McMahon, New England directress of Case work, who is still with us and whose kindness and services can never be forgotten. Miss Marion Rowe, Mr,

In this place it is proper to state that every possible assistance and direction was given to the outfitting and despatch of these first relief workers by Mrs. Vto. H. Lothrop, Boston, Directress General, New England Division Civilian Relief American Red Cross.

At a later date Mr. Christian Lantz of Salem came to Halifax under the some auspices, and continues in a most generous and whole hearted fashion to assist and advise in the v/orlc of registration and rehahllitation.

Following in order, and within an amazingly short time of the disaster, came the Boston Red Cross Hospital Unit with Dr. W. S. Ladd at its head and comprising 22 doctors, 69 nurses and 14 civilians. This unit came hy special train with complete equipment for a 500 bed hospital.

On about the same date there arrived a special train of supplies from the Hew York City American Red Cross, Atlantic Division, Mr, S. Russell, who is still in Halifax, came in charge and with him were four trained workers.

Dr, E. A. Codman, an eminent specialist of Boston, with 10 doctors, 4 nurses and 9 covillans arrived about the same time and attached themselves to the American Red Cross.

It is not inappropriate that in this record it should also be gratefully mentioned tliat the State of Maine, tfeat portion of the great Republic territorially nearest us, promptly sent to the relief of the Halifax sufferers a Hospital Unit under Major G. M. Elliott, who with 12 doctors, 13 nurses and 11 civilians came by special train in the early days of the disaster.

Preliminary

On Deceaber 15,' 1917, sen i-otf icial i^ora caae iron Halifax that the nuactr of those tlinata in consecuence of the explosion v^as conservatively estinatea as 600; ana inaeea, as canla^ea eyes ixere then very coan.on alixt in hospital ana on the streets ana as there is nc»i recora of 528 actual eye injury cases, the early exaggerate! estinate of total tlinane-ss is excusable,' An ianeaiate effect of this particular ana aistressing news *>aE the bringing of it to the attention of the Aitericen Rea Cross through its office in Poston,' At a neeting callea there Dect'acer 1& by Mrs.' LothPop, Director of Civilian Relief for Nev. Englana, there ^ere present, besiaes several worKers nev.ly returnea fron. Halifax, Miss Lucy bright,, late General Superintenaent of the Massachusetts Connissior. for the Blina, ana Director Alien of the PerKins Institution,' As a result of the neetin.

Mr*' Persons having cone soon atter^aras to Boston to neet various oi his returning Haiiiax viOrKers ana to consiaer also the Diina situation, Mr*: Alien arev. his attention to the opportunity tor pernanent constructive reliet presentea ty the eye sutterers at Halitax ana urgea action ty the Aaerican Rea Cross*' Sinilar requests lollowea fron the stricKen city itself, ana on January 8 wora cant that the Antrican Rea Cross Coanittee on Eye Victins of the Halifax Disaster, consisting of three Anericans ana three Haligonians, haa been aefinitely appointea, whose functions were - clinic unaer governaental auepices, Baia clinic to te open all aay ana every iay as long as repuirea-' It vsas to be unaer 30vernn.ental auspices both because the loss of eyesight is a natter of public as well as private irasfortune, ana because gove r naent al attention ana interest v^ouia be welconea by the eye victins ana therefore proaisea a coanensurate result.' Ana for siailar reasons it was to be conauctea by an outsiae oculist Of recogniasea eainence.' Prenier Eoraen tele-graphea froa Ottawa his pro.lslooil .ppro.al or tto pl.n; the then heal of the local Meilcal Relief thogjhtlt on etcellent Ilea, if praotlcatlc; t.o .eaters of the just aPBolntel Feleral Relief Cclssion, tefore .ho. the chair.an or this so.- oppearei, see.el to eniorse It; am even on, or the local oculists toll sir Freierlo. Fraser It .ouli te all rlsht.' Dr.- J. stlrlu, then Offerel to oo.e at fro. Montreal am to ooniuct the cllhlo .Ithout Ptlpeni.- Be case, tut .Ithout official appoint. am sc .as at litert, to upholi t,he contention o. the local eye .en, conscious o, ha.lnj ions opienili ser.lce since the etplcslon,. .1.., that the ne. clinic .as iea tor ana its opening a reflection upon then,.' Nevertheless, they conaentei to a trial of four afternoons, each one of the local four -h-otin, a Clinic .1th Stlrlln, as consultant.- Seven., patents atten.el.- Pueitc opinion an. the local .e.ft-rs c. this cclttee

Totally, 08 Pbactically Blind

On Deceater 15,' 1917, sen i-of f iciai won cao.e fron Halifax that the nunter of those tlinaea in consecuence of the explosion was conservatively estinatea as 500; ana inatea, as Danlagea eyes were then very coinon alixt in hospital ana on tne streets ana as the're is now recora of 528 actual eye injury cases, the early e'xaegeratea estinate of total tlinaness is excusatle.' An inataiate effect of this particular ana aistressing news was the cringina of it to the attention of the American Rea Cross througn its Office in Poston.' At a aeeting callea there Deceaner 18 ty Mrs.' Lothrop, Director ot Civilian Relief for New Englana, there were present the use ot the writing toara,' ctc^! However, owin^ to the crowiea conaitione ur.aer which bo aany are living it is aitticuit to laae progrees,'" "The prociea. ot the care, re-eaucation ana inauttriai training ot these exploeion vict.ia.s is not cne to te j:ettie3 in wecKs or OiOnths; it will neea attention,! stuay ana wora i nae f i ni t ei y-' The newly tiina ana the seeing aiiKe in Halitax will neea to he eaucatea to Know what can ce aone ty one without sight.! It wisely lea ana thoroughly inetructea the tiina can accon.plish auch,. tut again I say,, the seeing nust also te preparea to accoapany then etep ty step, so that the aiviaing line tetweer then nay not te too narnea.'"

Bittea to the Heiitax School tor the Elina,, the chiel institution of its Kina in ail Canaaa, which is a private tut inaaepuateiy eniowta corporation,' B.UBt either te proviaea tor by provincial or city support in the usual way, ty Feaeral Relief Con.aieBion support,, or otherwise*' Now it is aouttless the lesire of t,he feaeral coaD,iBsloners to ao all they can, tut on presentation of the natter of tuitional paynent ty a coQ,D,ittee of the toara of the school, inclnain^ two nentere of our Anerican Rea Cross Connittee, the coani ssioner s state! that the aaount necessary,. it400 a year for each pupil for a series of years,' was too large for then to assuae*' Your C0B.aittee thus fears that,' if the natter of creature ccaforts of these chilaren is looKea after ty the Coc B.i ssion, little else can tc expectea froB. it, since aia, not rehabilitation,' is its aeclarea policy*'

But rehabilitating the tllnaea is of paranount necessity,' for enforce! ialenesB unaer tlinaness is haraer to tear than tlinaness itself, ana BiSKes of the cenaitien a trageay it neea not te*' hence, the neea of assuring the eye vlctiBs ot the Halifax aisaster such school ana vocational training as their age ana conaition aan.lts ana, after training,' placetent ana occupation*' This is the noaern principle of curative occupation continuously appliea in the case ot those who aust retain invalias without it The Waritiae Provinces, ana even Halifax itself, have as yet little wellsupportea organ! -x.ation for the placen.ent of their blina, ana i nst r utent alities of the sort are saaly neeaea in n.ost conn unities toaay*' Why shoula bot Halifax te put aB.ong the pioneers?

f*;/ this AB,ericar Rea Cross Coiiaittee on Eye Victins of the Halifax Disaster, which was hela in April of this year at Watertown, Vass*', four B.ea,ters being present*! The two others sent wera that they were unable to attena*' coBB.ittee agreta that the school training of the chilaren funaanentai ana shouia tc proviaea tor sonet.ov^; that a tei» ot the wonen »ouia tecoac resianet pupiie ol the school,- in tact, tour ot then, are alreaay there,- ana that the rest wouia rtcuire instruction either there as aay pupils or at their hooies hy visitors Kno*.n as hoae teachers; that n.ost of the nen oi^ht well attena the school aay hy aay ana, since nearly all ot then, tetore hlinaness had been hana t.oriters in aistinction to heaa worKers, they ought to ao so, there being anple roon. in its shop aepartnent; that, as there were several chllaren with inpairea vision who ought not to te BChoolea with tlina chilartn tut Kept with norn.al associations,

80 the opening ana continuance (ter a tew years, at least) of a class for seai-sightea pupils in the public schools is highly aesiratle ana guite in line with aoaern progressive iaeas..' Both the Inspector of Bchoole in Halifax ana the Superintenaent ot taucation of the Province of Nova Scotia have been approachea on this subject by this coanittee's chairaan in person ana have expressea thenselves greatly interestea in the project,' In certain

The connittee further agree! that a well-supportea caapaign for the prevention ot blinaness shouia te carriea on in ana about Halifax, both in the interests ot these victins of the aisastcr who still have sight to save ana in the interests ot the connunity; that, inasnuch as the conaition of blinaness is too often a aull ana nonotonous one an! tor that reason recuires the tonic of change, so the provision of special entertainaent ana anuseDcnts nust not te forgotten; ana that, finally,! provision tor the en- Ployaent at various occupations of all the re-eaucatea lust te naae as cap- Btone to the whole projectea eaifice,- all obviously to te guiaea ana Kept going ty the proper executive a.achlnery,'

Program

In conslaering ways ana aeans the coo,(iittte notes with satisfaction that the nunters ana conaitions ot the vielint. ao not call tor new bull- as given below, i ought to be net in the usual way out ot local tunas, the J80,000 estiaatea tor it can be aeauctea t ron the prograc; but t.he coanittee feels that it this aeiuction is naae the airect grant to the school hereinafter reconnenaea shoulo be increasea; for the school, through having to accept all its pupils at less than cost,' is having to araw continuously upon its principal ana is therefore growing poorer/ To n.cet this conaition it is now casing expectations upon raising the Enaownent Fur.a tor the Elina ct the liiaritine Provinces ana Newfounaiana, one half of the incoae ci which is to cone to the schools The printea explanation ot the oboect of this iuna,i with regulations,- is attachea to this report/ The tuna was institutea several n-onths prior to the explosion/

Sight-Saving Class In Public School

FoLiow-up ».orK for a possible 180 people,- 1 person at 3:1300 a year covering salary, oculists' services, clerical ana other expenses, tor 5 years,'

Executive

In vievk of all the facts above recoraea ana the aiscussions ana reflections of this three-aays' aeeting the connittee suggeste,' as the v^isest aia for continuing help:

First,' that a grant for re-eaucation ana rehabilitation of the victin;s Of the aisaster be n.aae,i to be unown as the Airerican Rea Cross Funa for the Relief of the Plinaea of the Halifax Disaster of Decen.rer 6, 191'', the aaount to not less than 5c00,000,' to b(- aaninisterea by the Trustf-es of the Elina Enaovnent Funa, a tuna begun in Aorii, liil'7, ana properly incorporatea unatr special trustees,' with the stipulation that any of the noneys now BO grantea renaining unt xpenaea for the specitic purposes tor which

The worn Is this; that,' at a ot'eeting of aeaLere of the coniLisEicL ani cotLiittees intfci-eBt,fca,! heia in haiitax l«:ay 13 laetji both the chairnan of the F'eieral Relief Conni eei on ana the ct£.irn.bn of the Maeeachuuetts Funa eaia that:,, after exaniaing the program,, they might unaertaKe to finance one or more of its Items*!

I Dib

The comaittee is convinced that the (general results of the two clinics, while by no means what it hoped and expected from the leisurely and sympathetic clinic planned for, were yet highly serviceable not only to the 14^' persons who came, even if only for the comfort and peace of mind it brought them to consult an eminent eye specialist, but also to the members of the Federal Relief Commission and to the co.iuninity in general, who thus and through the 982 visits made by the V. 0. nurses in the interests of sight- saving, had their attention drawn to the importance of follow-up work in cases of eye impairment, not so much as a matter of cliarity as od governmental self protection.

Then, too, the influence of kiss Rand' s presence for three months in the little city must have been great and lasting if it leads, as it seems probable it will, to the permanent employment of a similar expert worker and assistant to the Super intendent of the School for the Blind, an behalf of the prevention of blindness and of the amelioration of the condition of the olind, for she not only prepared the only complete register that there was or would have been made of the eye impairment cases of the disaster, but, besides, brought the whole matter to the attention of the local social workers and to many prominent people. Finally, she made careful history and vocational studies of 68 of these cases, entering them on specially prepared cards for the use of the committee.

Numbers And Statistics

hospital and on the streets &li tw and as there is now record of 528 actual eye injury cases, the early exaggerated estimate of total blindness is excusable. An immediate effect of this particular and distressing news was the bringing of it to the attention of the American Red Cross through its office in Boston. At a meeting called there December 18 by Mrs. Lothrop, Director of Civilian Relief for New England, there were present, besides several workers newly returned from Halifax, Miss Lucy Wright, late General Superintendent of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and Director Allen of the Perkins Institution. As a result of the meeting Miss Wright and her assistant. Miss Hamburger, medical social worker for the aforesaid Commission, were sent to Halifax, where they arrived December 21, or two weeks after the explosion. They remained twelve days, making a rapid survey of the eye situation, as well as giving evening talks on blindness to groups of other social workers. Miss Wright's graphic and full report, besides citing statistics of 330 eye impairment oases, including 205 of which there was doubt, and telling of the remarkable eye work that had already been done by local and visiting oculists alike, made clear the need of still further sight-saving endeavor and recommended the appointment of a committee to carry it out.

Mr* Persons having come soon afterwards to Boston to meet various returning Halifax workers and to consider also the blind situation, Mr. Allen drew his attention to the opportunity for permanent constructive relief presented by the eye sufferers at Halifax and urged action by the American Red Cross. Similar wed from the stricken city itself, and on January S word came that the American Red Cross Committee on gye Victims of the Halifax Disaster, consisting of three Amerioans and three Haligonians, had been definitely appointed, whose functions were -

2nd, to make report on the whole situation of the blind there, with recommendations for such action by the American Red Cross as seemed to them justified by the facte.

Five of the six committee members met in Halifax the 12th of January, where Mr. Van Cleve remained three days and Mr. Allen fourteen. The voluntary help of the Victorian Order of Nurses having been offered by Mrs. Hanington, Chief Superintendent of the Order, it was accepted, 4a clinical room at the School for the Blind^ fitted out at the expense of the Order, and five of the nurses began visits and systematic follow-up work on January 17 under Miss Lotta S. Rand, a trained agent of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, who had that day arrived, having been sent for by the committee.

The plan for sight-saving was this: To make a register of all eye impairment cases; to visit first such as the records of Miss Wright and Sir Frederick Fraser, Superintendent of the local School for the Blino, showed to be doubtful or needing attention; and to see that all urgent oases saw an oculist at once; meanwhile to arrange for opening the free sight-saving clinic under governmental auspices, to be open all day and every day as long as required. It was to be under governmental auspices both because the loss of eyesight is a matter of public as well as private misfortune, and because governmental attention and interest would be welcomed by the eye viotimes and therefore promised a commensurate result. And for similar reasons it was to be conducted by an outside oculist of recognised eminence. Premier Borden telegraphed from Ottawa, his provisional approval of the plan; the then head of the local Medical Relief thought it an excellent idea, if practicable; two members of the just appointed Federal Relief Commission, before whom the chairman of this committee appeared, seemed to endorse it; and even one of the local oculists told Sir Frederick Fraser it would be all right. Dr. J, W, Stirling then offered to come at once from Montreal and to conduct the clinic without stipend. He came, but without official appointment and so was at liberty to uphold the contention of the local eye men, whe were^ conscious oi having done splendid service since the explosion, the new clinic was uncalled for and its opening a reflection upon them. Nevertheless, they all consented to a trial of four afternoons, each one of the local four conducting a clinic with Dr. Stirling as consultant. Seventy-nine patients attended. Public opinion and the local members of this committee seeming to feel that the clinic, even as held, had not been without success and therefore warranted, and the matter of its continuance being tunred over to the Federal Relief Commission, that commission, with the approval of Dr. Stirling, reopened the clinic for eight afternoons, and it was conducted by the local eye men as before, but with Dr. N. Darrell Harley of Providence, R.I.,a8 consultant. Sixty-six persons attended this second clinic, and the fact that not all of them were explosion cases seems all the more to prove the existence of a popular desire for such agencies at this time.

The oommittee is convinced that the general result^of the two clinics while by no means what it hoped and expected from the leisurely and sympathetic clinic planned for, were yet highly serviceable not only to the 145 persons who came, even if only for the comfort and peace of mind it brought them to consult an eminent eye specialist, but also to the members of the Federal Relief Commission and to the community in general, who thus and through the visits made by the V.O. nurses in the interests of sight-saving, had their attention drawn to the importance of follow-up work in oases of eye impairment, not so much as a matter of charity as of governmental self-protection.

Then, too, the influence of Miss Rand's presence for three months in the little city must have been great and lasting if it leads, as it seems probable it will, to the permanent employment of a similar expert worker and assistant to the Superintendent of the School for the Blind, in behalf of the prevention of blindness and of the amelioration of the condition of the blind; for she not only prepared the only complete register there was or would have been made of the eye impairment cases of the disaster but, besides, brought the whole matter to the attention of the local social workers and to many prominent people. Finally, she made careful history and vocational studies of «8 of these cases, entering them on specially prepared cards for the use of the committee.

The following is a summary of the eg studies, which really covers all the oases that could be reached of total blindness or of impairment to the sight of both

It will be noted that many more women than men have eye injuries, due to flying glass in their homes. Already 4 of these women are at the School for the Blind, while 17, who are with their families, have little children to care for. Miss Rand writes of these:

"Under ordinary circumstances their time would be considered fully occupied with housekeeping and care of the children. As yet the need for occupational work has not been felt to any extent. Several have been semiinvalids, many having other than eye injuries, and the housing, living, relief and pension problems have been the questions they wanted settled first."

She further reports that "up to this date, April 12, the majority of eye sufferers have not been in a mental or physical state for re-education or industrial endeavor, yet a 'home teacher' from the school for the blind is visiting and giving instruction in reading by touch, knitting, the use of the writing board, etc. However, owing to the crowded conditions under which so many are living it is difficult to make progress."

"The problem of the care- re-education and industrial training of these explosion victims is not one to be settled in peeks or months; it will need attention, study and work indefinitely. Th^llnd and the seeing alike in Halifax will need to be educated to know what can be done by one without sight. If wisely led and thoroughly instructed the blind can accomplish much, but again I say, the seeing must also be prepared to accompany them step by step, so that the dividing line between them may not be too marked,"

The Halifax Blind Relief Committee

At the annual meeting of the Halifax School for the Blind, which took place eight days after the explosion, an organization was formed called the Halifax Blind Relief Committee, consisting of four members of the board of that school, four members of its corporation, not members of the board, and with Sir Frederick Fraser, a member of our committee, as chairman. This relief committee has received to date about $17,000, most of which sum is still unexpended. It has imported from the States and is employing two experts in blind matters, one an organizer and one a home teacher, who writes: "«e are carrying cn very effective home teaching.

getting into tbe homes and instructing women in the performance of their daily taslcs, houseoleaning, care of children, cutting, saving, etc." Moreover, the federal commissioners are being kept fully informed of pro- material losses of the Halifax people, which are conservatively estimated to be $15,000,000. Assurances have been given that among those to be indemnified on the basis of military pensions the eye impairment victims will receive amounts of from $20 to $40 a month, according to degree of disability. But relief pensions to the blind are of questionable value unless occupation for mind and body is provided also^^^^Those to be admitted to the Halifax School for the Blind, the chief institution of its kind in all Canada, which is a private but inadequately endowed corporation, must either be provided for by provincial or city support in the usual way, by Federal Relief Commission support, or otherwise. Now it is doubtless the desire of the federal commissioners to do all they can, but on presentation of the matter of tuitional payment by a committee of the board of the school, including two members of our American Red Cross Committee, the commissioners stated that the amount necessary, $400 a year for each pupil for a series of years, was too large for them to assume. Your committee thus fears that, if the matter of creature comforts of these children is looked after by the Commission, little else can be expected from it, since aid, not rehabilitation, is its declared policy. But rehabilitating the blinded is of paramount necessity, for enforced idleness under blindness is harder to betar than blindness itself, and makes of the condition a tragedy it need not be. Hence, the need of assuring tbe eye victims of the Halifax disaster such school and vocational training as their age and condition admits, and, after training, placement and oocupation. This is the fflodern principle of curative occupation continuously applied in the case of those who must remain invalids without it, The Maritime Provinces ipcludi-Bg Halifax, have as yet little well-supported organization for the placement of their blind, and instrumentalities of the sort are sadly needed in most communities today- Why should not Halifax be put among the pioneers?

Final Mfiting Of The Committee

All these matters were considered in detail at a three-day meeting of this American Red Cross Committee on Eye Victims of the Halifax Disaster, which was held in April of this year at Watertown, Mass., four members being present. The two others sent word that they were unable to attend.

The committee agreed that the school training of the children was fundamental and should be provided for somehow; that a few of the women would become resident pupils of the school,- in fact, four of them are already there,- and that the rest would require instruction either there as day pupils or at their homes by visitors known as home teachers; that most cf the men might well attend the school day by day and, since nearly all of them before blindness had been hand workers in distinction to head workers, they ought to do so,, there being ample room in its shop department; that, as there were several children with impaired vision who ought not to be schooled with blind children but kept with normal associations, so the opening and continuance (for a few years,- at least) of a class for semisighted pupils in the public schools is highly desirable and quite in line with modern progressive ideas- Both the Inspector of Schools in Halifax and the Superintendent of Education of the Province of Nova Scotia have been approached on this subieot by this committee's chairman in person and have expressed themselves greatly interested in the project. In certain cities of the United States such "sight- saving * classes have come to

The committee further agreed that a well-supported campaign for the prevention of blindness should be carried on in and about Halifax, both in the interests of these victims of the disaster who still have sight to save and in the interests of the community; that, inasmuch as the condition of blindness is too often a dull and monotonous one and for that reason requires the tonic of change, so the provision of special entertainment and amusements must not be forgotten; and that, finally, provision for the employment at various occupations of all the re-educated must be made as capstone to the whole projected edifice,- all obviously to be guided and kept going by the proper executive machinery;.

program, which was agreed to as representing on a conservative basis, carefully worked out, the estimated needs of about 100 persons already blind or who may reasonably be expected to become so as a consequence of the disaster:- ^

Prevention Of Blindness

Follow-up work for a possible 180 people, 1 person at $1300 a year covering salary, oculists' services, clerical and other expenses, for 5 years.

Amusement And Entertainment Employment At Various Occupations

(6oth head and hand) for about 20 men and women, average wages $9 a week, of which $3 a week should be provided as augmentation, for 50 weeks, each $150 a year, 10 years

First, that a grant for re-education and rehabilitation of the victims of the disaster be made to be known as the American Red Cross Fund for the Relief of the Sllnded of the Halifax Disaster of December 6, 1917, either as one sum of $200,000,^1^ in ten instalments as shown in the schedule above, to be administered by the 'Trustees of the Blind Endowment Fund a fund begun ln^/7y and properly inccrporated under special trustees, with the stipulation that any of the funds now so granted remaining unexpended for the specific purposes for which they are designated be at the end of ten years covered into the general treasury of the Blind Endowment Fund to be expended according to the regulations of that fund.

Second, inasmuch as, owing to war conditions, the Halifax School for the Blind is in straitened circumstances and by its very existence lends

Third, that, as the aforesaid Blind Endowment Fund of the Maritime Provinces and Newfoundland is in the judgment of this committee a truly wise and beneficent project for ameliorating for all time the condition of the blind of that part of Canada, including the blinded of the Halifax disaster, so we recommend that a sum of iB75,000 be appropriated and paid to the Trustees of the Blind Endowment Fund for the purposes of that trust as

The American Red. Cross Committee on Eye Victims of the Halifax Disaster met pursuant to call at 10.30 A.M., April 24 1918, at the residence of the Director, Perkins Institution ' Watertown, Massachusetts. '

Mr. Allen, having been named chairman by Mr. Frank Persons Director of Civilian Relief, American Red Cross, called the meeU Ing to order and requested that a secretary be named. On motion Mr* Van Cleve was chosen secretary*

The chairman briefly related the steps thus far taken to meet the situation created by the disaster and to fulfill the purpose of the Committee's appointment:

Frederick Fraser, being called on for a report on the ght-Saylne: work, spoke of Its high value, both as respects the public clinics and the efforts of the local oculists. To these oculists patients have been sent by the Blind Relief Committee and their services are to be paid for (at a reduced

The plan as developed by the American Red Cross representatives with Sir Frederick Fraser and Mr. Justice Harris was to secure a ' Government Free Clinic at the School. Dr. Stirling of Montreal came and donated his services for a clinic, hut local ouclists heinc unsympathetic this elinlc was closed after three days.

During the three days examinations of 80 patients were conducted bji the local oaulists with Dr. Stirling as consultant, public sentiment demanded a reopening and the Federal Relief Commission announced a free clinic under the local oculists with Dr. N. Darrell Harvey of Providence as consultant. This continued 8 days with an attendance of 67 patients, not all visitants being victims of the explosion.

Miss Lotta S. Rand was for 3 months in charge of the work of survey and follow-up. She made the only adequate registration of the eye cases that was made or would have been made and tliis service has had a profound Influence in calling public attention to the importance of this sort of special work. Public opinion now, in Sir Frederick Fraser's opinion, has been f onn ed favorable to a continuance of free service for sight saving as a matter s* not of charity but of Government self-protection (in view of prospective pension allowances which will vary with degree of vision or its total destruction). Complete registration may never be accomplished, but wlien the applications for pensions come in it is expected a considerable increase over Miss Rand's registration will be shown.

Net results of the attempt to conduct a Government clinic, in the opinion of the four members of this Committee present, while not so great in a direct way as hoped for and as they would have been had the Government clinic been established as planned, yet side results in satisfying the minds of those blinded that they had received satisfactory care and in providing systematic follow-up work have more than justified the effort, so that we feel sanguine of the results.

This Committee feels that it was a great misfortune that the Federal Relief Commission thought publicity in regard to the clinics and inviting patients to come was not warranted and so forbade It.

The Halifax Blind Relief Committee was established December 14, 1017, at the annual meeting of the Haldlfax School for the Blind, to consist of four members of the Board, four members of the Corporation not members of the Board, and Sir Frederick Fraser as chairman. This Relief Committee has received about ^:17,000, has paid for Incidental expenses and employed a few helpers to carry nut its purposes. It sitLll has most of its funds unexpended. The School has furnished free board or housing for some oP these helpers. The School's expenses and labors have been considerably increased as the result of tlie disaster, to say nothing of its losses renuirlng repair, ivltliout any reimbursement therefor.

victims will receive amounts of from !!!20 to $40 a month, according to the degree of disability. Those to he admitted to the Halifax Scfiool must he provided for either hy provincial and city support as In the case of pupils otherwise hllnd or hy Federal Relief Commission support. It Is the desire of the Commission to assume this. But on presentation of the stihject hy a special committee of the Board of the School, including two memhers of this American Red Cross Committee, to the Commission it was thought hy the Commission tliat the amount necessary (namely, $400 a year per pupil) was too large. Sir Frederick Fraser fears tliat the matter of creature comforts will he looked after to the exclusion of education. Aid, not rehahllitation, is the declared policy of the Relief Commission. Estimates of costs of measures for re-education and rehahllitation were discussed. A sum of $226,700, to he expended in from 1 year to 10 years according to the following schedule, was agreed on as representing on a conservative basis, the actual need of an estimated number of about 100 persons already blind or who may become blind as a consequence of the disaster!

(botli head and hand) for about 20 men and womenaverap:c wages, $9 a week of which SO a week should be provided as augmentation, for 50 weeks, each $150 a year, 10 years.

To produce such a sum a present grant of $200,000, to be invested so as to produce increase, seems necessary. Or annual grants in sums about as folloAvs;

It appears that $9,000,000 are or will be available for covering the material losses of the Halifax people, which are conservatively estimated to be $15,000,000. Pensions are promised, but nothing appears likely to be available for any rehabilitation work for any victims, including the blind.

Other than the blinded victims may be provided for at once and their problem solved, because simple and usual, as, for example, the person with an amputated limb may h ve an artificial one.

But the problem of the blinded is a continuing problem, very special and likely to be handled In the usual way, namely, as one of charity rather than one of real or permanent relief.

Effects on the Halifax School for the Blind as a result of the explosion have been serious, badly crippling the work and reducing tlie Institution's support. Pfiyslcal damages are estimated at $8,000, Irhlch may or may not be in part paid for out of relief funds; failure of pupils to return after the enforced holiday entailed loss of Income to the amount of $4,000; additional items probably bring up the total of loss this year due to the disaster to $15,000, while the war conditions of the past four years have caused a loss of $10,000, putting the School for the Blind behindhand approximately $25,000.

Recommendations; In view of all the facts above recorded and the discussions and reflections of this three-days meeting the Committee suggests, as the wisest aid for continuing help^ First, that a grant for re-educatvon and rehabilitation of the victims of the disaster be made to be known as the American Red cross Fund for the Relief of the Blinded of the Halifax Disaster of December 6, 1917. either as one sum of ^200, 000, or in ten Installments as shown In the schedule above, to be admiminstered by the Trustees of t?ie Blind Endowment Fund (now officially appointed), with the stipulation that any of the funds now so grajtted remaining unexpended for the specific purposes for w)ilch theV are designated be at the end of 10 years covered into the general treasury of the Blind Endowment i^'und to be expended according to the regulations of that Fund.

Second, that a sum of $25,000 be anpropriated and paid to the Board of Managers, of the Halifax School for the Blind to make good the losses incident to disaster and the war conditions.

Third, that a sum of $75,000 be appropriated and paid to tfiG Trust-GGs of thiG I31i.nd. EndowniGnt Eund for* the pur*pos0s of ;that trust as set forth in the statement of the objects and regulations thereof in order to elevate the condition of the blind in the Maritime Provinces,

The American Red. cross Committee on Eye Victims of the Halifax Disaster met pursuant to call at 10,80 A.M,, April 24, 1918, at the residence of the Director, Perkins Institution, Watertown, Massachasetts.

Mr. Allen, having been named chairman by Mr, Frank Persons, Director of Civilian Relief, American Ijed Cross, called the meeting to order and requested that a secretary be nsimed. On motion Mr. Van Cleve was chosen secretary.

The chairman briefly related the steps thus far taken to meet the situation created by the disaster and to fulfill the purpose of the Committee's appointment*

Sir Frederick Fraser, being called on for a report on the Sight-Saving workj spoke of Its high value, both as respects the public clinics and the efforts of the local oculists. To these oculists patients have been sent by the Blind Relief Committee and their services are to be paid for (at a reduced figure) since December 27, 1917, Public sentiment for some time showed a restlessness that all was not being done that could be done for sight saving. Since the holding of the clinics this has disappeared and there has followed apparently general satisfaction.

The plan as developed by the American Red Cross representatives with Sir Frederick Fraser and Mr, Justice Harris was to secure a Government Free Clinic at the School. Dr. Stirllno: of Montreal came and donated his services for a clinic, but local oucllsts being unsympathetic this ellnlc was closed after three days During the three days examinations of 80 patients were conducted bji the local ooullsts with Dr. Stirling as consultant. Bubllc sentiment demanded a reopening and the Federal Relief Commission announced a free clinic under the local oai lists with Dr. N Darrell Harvey of Providence as consultant. This continued 8 days with an attendance of 67 patients, not all visitants being victims of the explosion.

Miss Lotta S. Rand was for 3 months In charge of the wnrk of survey and follow-up. She made the only adequate registration of the eye cases that was made or would have been made and this Bervlco has had a profound influence in calling public attention to the importance of this sort of special work. Public opinion now. In Sir Frederick Fraser's opinion, has been formed fLorable to a continuance of free service for sight saving as a matter not of charity but of Government self-protection (In view of prospective pension allowances which will vary with degree of vision or Its total destruction). Complete registration may never be jccomrUshert, but when the applications for coS in It " considerable Increase over Miss Rand's registration

® direct way as hoped for and as tliey would have ^een had the Government clinic lieen established as planned results In satisfying the minds of those blinded that * they had received satisfactory care and In providing systematic victims will receive amounts of from $20 to $40 a month, according to the degree of disability. Those to be admitted to the Halifax School must be provided for either by provincial and city support as in the case of pupils otherwise blind or by Federal Relief Commission wupport. It Is the desire of the Connnlsslon to assume this. But on presentation of the subject by a special committee of the Board of the School, including two members of this American Red Cross Committee, to the Commission it was thought by the Commission that the amount necessary (namely, $400 a year per pupil) was too large. Sir Frederick Fraser fears that the matter of creature comforts will be looked after to the exclusion of education Aid, not rehabilitation, is the declared policy of the Relief Commission. Estimates of costs of measures for re-education and rehabilitation were discussed. A sum of $226,700, to be expended In from 1 year to 10 years according to tlie following schedule, was agreed on an representing on a conservative basis, the actual need of an estimated number of about 100 persons already blind or who may become blind as a coHsequence of the disaster!

(both head and hand) for about 20 men and women average wages, $0 a week of which $3 a week should be provided as augmentation, for 60 weeks, each $150 a year, 10 years.

To produce such a sum a present grant of $200,000, to be Invested so as to produce Increase, seetns necessary. Or annual grants In sums about as follows: y. ur annual

Recommendations t in view of all the facts above recorded and the discussions and reflections nf this three-days meotlne the Committee auR/jiosts, as the wisest aid for continuing help First, that a prant for re-education and rehabilitation of the victims of the disaster be made to be known as the American Red Cross Fund for the Relief of the Blinded of the Halifax Disaster of December 6, 1917. either as one sum of $200,000, or in ten Installments as shown In the schedule above, to be admlmlnstered by the Trustees of tlje Blind Endowment Fund (now officially appointed), with the stipulation that any of the funds now so jrranted rematnlnff unexpentled for the specific purposes for wlilch they are designated be at the end of 10 years covered into the general treasury of the Blind Endowment Fund to be expended according to the regulations of that Fund,

Second, that a sum of $26,000 bo appropriated and paid to the Board of Managers, of the Halifax School for the Blind to make good the losses incident to disaster and the war conditions.

the Trustees of the Blind Endowment Fund for the purposes of that trust as sot forth In the statement of the objects and thereof In order to elevate the condition of the blind In the Harltlme Provinces.

It Is tventy-four days since the explosion. In Phat short period, twelve emergency hospitals in Halifax, three in Truro, and one in New Glasgow, and twelve or more emergency dressing stations have been organized, and now, with few exceptions, disbanded or consolidaxed. More than twenty«flve eye specialists from various cities have come and now, very generally, gone. These specialists, with the help of other physicians and nurses, » and in the first da^r's - of any helpers who might be at hand, are generally thought to have cared for at least one thousand eye oases. Of these, five or six hundred were without doubt oases of cuts or bruises in which no question of enucleation or impaired vision existed.

Of the remaining four or five hundred cases of serious injury to the sight of one or both eyes, we have record of three hundred and thirty. Less then a third of these appear to be permanent injuries to or enucleations of one eye, with normal vision in the remaining eye, but it is evident from the way in which reports Oi one eye oases continue to come in, that there is no complete record as yet of this class of injuries. In even a short walk through the streets of Halifax from December 21 to January 1, it has been common to meet a half dozen adults and children with one ®ye closely bandaged. Thirty-eight recorded oases are known to be totally blind, as many as the total of blinded soldiers oonof war to the whole of Canada.

Of the remaining turo hundred and five, slxty-one appear to he serious conditions, hut the outcome is not yet knoisn, Tf7hile one hundred and forty- four are cases in which the doubt, whether to place them among one eye or two eye permanent injuries, comes from inadequate information as to the condition of the remaining eye. With few exceptions all records represent permanent injury to at least one eye.

In considering this or any report under conditions of the disaster, it is to be remembered that it represents only the best information that is available at this date, and may be open to considerable bhenge. No complete record exists or ever can be made of the work done in the first days following the disaster. jfor a large proportion of recorded cases still under treatment, the end results cannot be known for many weeks or months, end with a rapidly scattering population, only partly known then. Serious as the eye conditions are, they are overshadowed for the preseht, even in cases of total blindness, by crushing family tragedies. Several hs-ve died during the course of enquiry end others ere seriously ill from other causes than eye conditions.

2. That from the nature of the injuries, much of the future depends upon the amount of follow^- up work end after-care developed from now on.

5, That in spite of every effort, the blind population of Halifax has been at least doubled in a stroke, and perh8.ps trebled. Time only will tell which.

At the request of Mrs. Lothrop of the American Red Cross, Boston, two workers (Miss Lucy Wright and Miss Amy M. Hamburger) came to Halifax to prepare a report on the "Blind Situation", reaching here December twenty-first.

2. A request from Mr. E. E. Allen of the Perkins Institution of Boston, that the American Red Cross consider the needs of the Halifax School for the Blind, and

5, Newspaper reports to the effect that there were seven hundred totally blind and eighteen hundred partially blind in Halifax as the result of the explosion.

Miss Wright with Miss Rate McMahon, Director of the American Red Cross in Halifax, made the first errand here a conference with Sir Praderlck Praser of the Halifax School for the Blind. At this conference it was agreed that money and facte were the two things needed, end that Miss bright and Miss Hamburger could best spend their time in Halifax by helping to pool all available information in regard to eye injuries.

As there had bean no special rdport on the eye cases at the emergency hospitals at New G-lasgow and Truro, where four emergency hospitals had been opened at the time of the diS'- aster, Mies Wright and Miss Hamburger were advised to visit there promptly, end did so. They fotind a total of fifteen eye injuries, with loss of one eye in fourteen cases, and both eyes in one case. Additional cards for reporting were left with the eye specialists in both towns.

condition that seemed to require a follovr-up and was not clearly to be classed, either as "totally or prac-^ tically blind" or "one eye enucleated, other' eye normal vision",

List 1 (Alphabetical) was taken to the registration department to check for addresses or other information. List 2 was taken to each hospital for additions and up-to-date information, This work was handled by Mias Hamburger with the help of Medical-Social workers attached to the various hospitals, and Miss Mary and Miss Agnes Murphy of Halifax,

In the meantime, through the co-operation of workers of the He-habilitation Oommittee under Miss Bird, the Medical- Social workers under Miss Emerson, and the Nursing Service under Miss O'Brien, cards were placed in the hands of a large group of workers doing visiting in the homes. Cards were also placed in the hands of Mr, Dexter, who was sent by the Rehabilitation Conmittee to visit refugees in ell out- lying cities and towns.

A plan for district canvass had been proposed, but with so many patients still in hospital, and fifty or sixty nurses and visitors coming and going in the districts, it seemed best to try this plan first, and postpone, with questions of followup and after-care, the filling out by special workers of a fuller schedule relating to blindness. (See end of report). Many

In the meantlaie, impresaions of numbers and extent of Injuries -were to be gathered by conference with eye physicians and other. Mias Wright sew Dr. fred E, Stephens of Boston City Hospital at St. Mary's College Hospital; Dr. J. W. Patton of Truro, who was at Camp Hill Hospital immediately after the explosion end later at the Truro emergency hospitals; Dr. R. Evatt Mathers of 54 l/2 Morris Street, Halifax, who worked at the Victoria General Hospital and at a small emergency hospital at his own office; Capt, Swartz of the Hova Scotia Hospital and later at the Y. M. C. A, emergency hospital; Dr, Duffee of Providence, Rhode Island, who worked with the Bellevue Military Hospital and later at the Y. M. C. A. hospital, and Colonel Ring Smith of the Cogswell Street Military Hospital.

Eollowing is a letter from Dr, George Cox of Hew Glasgow, which gives an idea of impressions gained in this way. There seems to be a general rough agreement as to numbers and tncertaintles of outcome due to delayed care, refusal to have enucleation, questions of foreign bodies, euid the general uncerteinty as to results following these unprecedented causes of eye injury.

Two instances were reported in which individuals who had lost an eye earlier in life, lost the remaining eye in the explosion. One Instance occurred in which a glass eye was shattered and the remaining eye happily untouched. One physician showed a half-inch triangle of glass which he had removed froii an eye where it had penetrated to the optic nerve. Another showed a ha If- inch square of glass which he had removed under

"Of course I take it your enquiry applies solely to oases connected with the explosion. As to the cases with which I dealt aX Halifax, I have no records, I was there from six P.M. that Thursday until the following Tuesday, The first twentyta\iT hours it was ^ question of dealing as rapidly as possible with a huge mess of people at Oamp Hill where I was, I could waste no time that day on notes or records, if the facilities had been there. As to how many oases of loss of one or both eyes passed under my care the first two days, I oan therefore form no idea. Beginning Saturday afternoon, however, I was able to have a record kept and to begin a census of the eye cases on the lower floor of the Hospital which had been my private preserve, and these records were left at the Hospital, Meantime of course the cases were rapidly being dispersed so that as you now realize, it will be a matter of time and search and advertising to reach them.

final total. That will Include the number vho in the next feTT weeks, or months or a year may lose the sight of the remaining eye from S3nnpathetic ophthalmia, either from foreign bodies left in the eye or from the nature of the wounds of the Injured eye not removed but treated 'conservatively*.

"I have had, since T came home, to remove three -single' eyes from victims and enclose their cards; in each case there is no danger of impairment of the other eye,

"To amplify my remarks as to the numbers, it must be remembered th8.t not all the operations done on eyes were enucleations. There was no wild orgy of taking out eyes. In my own work I know there was a large number of 'repair jobs', iridectomies, trimming up prolapsed irises, suturing wounds of cornea and sclerotic, and so on.

"Many of these to my knowledge did well; others when I left Halifax were still in doubt; some had been desperate attempts to save a fraction of vision in one eye where the other had been tot8.11y lost. So that I fear some, perhaps quite a number, of these may prove failures and finally fall under the dread classification of 'Blind'.

"Pl^ease pardon this hurried letter. I am afraid I can give you little Information of service, but I know you thoroughly appreciate the problem by now, and have no doubt your organization will be able to afford a great deal of much rollo-wing ie the list of Eye Specialists so far secured. Later official reports from Colonel Bell's office will, vithout doubt, complete this and other records:-

M HAI^1PA.X. r>e«?en»lvfrr 16 - "Orve of 1 the saddest, effects of this, awful dK*^- l I aster." said Dr. X. D. Harvey last ; rrlg'ht, "will be the great number of (blind It will leave in- Halifax. Prob- -:ably two hundred children, will be - 1 R'trhtle.^'s and a deplorable nunrher of _ iadulitis."

I Dr. Harvey is the ovniUst in charge t*wlth the Rhode Island Red ('ross unit . I and is by Dr. Harry Mes.^etijger. He ks warm in his praUse o'f , fho work that was done by the Halifax civil aiul mllitarv doctors in- those . first awful hours of agony and It was ^ 'vlth a splendid splrU of wlUingness I came -to 'their a^^slslance 'f'or

» ^ /'A^ regrettable feature of the sltua- * t.on. sa-Id the doctor last nig'ht. "ie ^Ithe fact thfl,i there were maffy children , whoso eyeis were Injured who were n-ot - sent at once to the hospital-s for proj>er care. New oases are being discovered e.v«r>' day where If the oatienta had l>ee^n taken at once to the hotfH o.lals something might have bee.o done to !«ave their sight. It Is easy to tjndewjtand. how-ever, how the Injured . would prefer to »t<ay at horoe. thlrikir«g that they were making room ror more aerloua cases. Our unit Is oonducilng a careful and «vtftemtttlc in homos that should be attended to at th<i earliesr possible i indent. The headquarters of the unit are all the Halifax Inflrmarv." 1

Did Valiant Work

Dr. M. Darrell Harvey, son of the late John H. Harvey, South Park St., and one of the best known eye specialists In the United States, residing in Providence, R. I., on hearing of the disaster, fel/t tlhat It was his duty to return to his native city to lend what aid he could to tho distressed. He, with Major Hough, arrived late Saturday night, and in the storm Sunday they made a house-to-house visit to a large number of places In the North End attending to injured people. A simple Instance of their good work may be given. They met a little girl 1 in the street with her eye bandaged < up. Dr. Harvey made enquiriee of the f little girl and she said she had got a 1 piece of glass in her eye. The doctor t took her In a hallway, and removing 'the bandage, found the pupil if the eye protruding. He at once attended to the I little girl's injuries. Other medical people are here from Rhode Island, and the Lieut.-Governor of that State has offered et ery asslstauoe - to our people.

The group of 205 marked "doubtful" represents the group from which by follow-up we should in time be able to place each one in one of the three divisions :r. Totally blind in both eyes; blind in one eye, normal vision in other eye; or recovered sight in both eyes. There is little reason to expect that many who have been registered in this list will belong in this last group.

Of these 205 cases, 144- appear to have had serious injury, but there is not definite information enough to Judge outcome; 6l appear to have \mfavorable prognosis, but the final outcome is not yet given, probably not yet known.

The group "One eye blind and one eye normal vision" nmbers only 8?; all cases in which there was not a clear statement of normal vision in the remaining eye have been left in "doubtful". Of these 87 oases, 28 are males, 59 females. The age groups are as follows

The needs suggested by these figures are tiro; (1) Weed of adequate permanent provision for follow-up work and after-care especially for the 205 "doubtful" cases, ?2) Need for added resources for education and cere of both young blind children and blind adults, but especially of women who constitute seventy-five per cent, of the group from 21 to 40 years of age.

In addition to the evidence of eye speolalist as to uncertainty of outcome in many cases, the practical problem can best be illustrated by special instances as follows

(5) One of the emergency hospitals which may at any time be closed reports a child of 4 I/2 years with a perforating wound in cornea and iris, and a question of glass in the eye-ball. The child is to return to the out patient department regularly, and all is well until the hospital is closed.

(4) A' woman of 50 who has a jagged wound in the eye, was advised to have one eye enucleated; she is pregnant and frightened. Her feeling can be understood, but she risks losing both eyes.

(5) Another t3npe of case is represented by a family in which a child of 5 1/2 years had one eye enucleated during the early house-to-house canvass, but has had no medical care for a long time since. The father, who has had no medical cere at any time, has what appears to be a serious injury to the knee-cap; the family appears to be still in a state of shook and to need follow-up in every sense

The particular cases cited here will get attention because they are now known. They are given here only by way of illustration of types of need, upon provision for which eo much of the future for eye cases depends. The importance of considering these needs is especially clear when we realize that Halifax is a City without a permanent Eye Clinic, end with only six or seven eye specialists, of whom not all are active.

For the moment, the situation is covered by the emergency hospitals and the large number of nurses and social workers in the districts. Through group meetings an effort has been made to acquaint ell now in the field, both social workers and nurses, with the facts here outlined, but in view of the habit, in all times, of delay in going to the doctor, and the fact that eye conditions, as only one of the causes of suffering of refugees, may easily be neglected, it is imperative to have a definite understanding how after-care is to be managed in Halifax from now on. It is to be remembered tbit the "follow-up" idea from a preventive or public health point of view, has not been developed in Halifax up to the present time. The need is, however, so clear, and the response to the suggestion has been so prompt, that it seems practicable to carry out, if an acceptable plan can be made , In making a plan, the character of the refugee families of Halifax should be kept clearly in mind.

They represent a group of self-directing citizens, economically Independent before disaster. They have been accustomed to making their own plana and not to being planned for. Whatever arrangements are made should be wholly acceptable from their point of view. Nothing has been more impressive in Halifax than the unfailing recognition of this fact, as shown in the attitude of more fortunate citizens of Halifax towards their suffering neighbors. Inevitably this is not as keenly sensed by strangers who have developed efficient plans of work often adapted to the needs of an utterly different population.

Eye specialists make clear that the slightest pain or inflammation when there is question of a foreign body like glass in the eye, is to be instantly heeded.* They ass'Jire us that many eyes were lost in the district because of the delayed treatment. This is to be empha.slzed and re-emphasized. It is to be remembered, too, that eyes have never before been put to the terrible teste that characterize this disaster. Several physicians have suggested the possibility of simple printed directions for wide distribution, advising that heed be paid to s3nQiptoms, and the advice of the nearest oculist sought. If approved by medical authorities, some such notice as the following might be tried;?-

Prqmpt Tocpbht Pare Saves Sight

If you or any of your family or neighbours who suffered by the explosion of December 6, notice the least pain or inf lariimatlon of the eye, be sure to seek the advice of the nearest eye specialist at oncel Many eyes are lost through delay. Eyes have never before in the world been so endangered by glass as in this explosion, and the greatest care is necessary that not a. single one may be needlessly added to the blind population. The greatest dangers are;-

Your Eyes Are Your Bread Winmers, Take Care Of Them

Printed material of some such kind, supplemented by a list of eye specialists and clinics, temporarily or permanently available, xaay be distributed through many sources. For work in individual cases, it seems probable that a special nurse attached to a permanent district nursing staff to devote herself to eye problems in co-operation with special after-care workers attached to the School for the Blind, might be the means of working out the whole problem.

Heed for provision of special care for the blind falls in two lines; (l) The immediate need of an experienced after-care worker, recogniaed especially at the Hospitals, and, (2) need of funds for special resources for training and cere, more particularly of women and chilaren.

ihe immediate need of an experienced after-care worker, preferably attached to uhe Hchool for the Blind, to whom cases reedy for discharge from the Hospitals or already die-

This ia as urgent as preventive work, I'lot only because reassuring care is needed for the newly blind through some one who knows what life in the dark means, and has confidence in the use of other senses then that of sight, but because persons blinded in this disaster have endured other sufferings which increase immeasurably what has in itself, heretofore, been considered tne most tragic physical deprivation in human life, Patients in hospiLals are beginning to be ready for the "curative occupations" that may help them ^o face what is before them.

Some of the individuals now in hospital, nearing the time of discharge, who need e kind of care for which few communities have special provision, are as follows;-

(1) A woman of $1 now totally blind is a patient in one hospital, while her little daughter, § years of age, totally blind, is a patient in another, iVo other children of this mother were killed in the explosion and two were badly cut, but 7/ill recover. The husband and father was killed at his work. This mother wanted to be told about what blind women may do, and felt that there v/ould be real chances in life for her little blind daughter, but few for herself.

(2) In another family, the mother, years old, is totally blind, the father has lost one eye, and a child, aged 5, is totally blind. There were seven children in all

(^) In another family, the mother was killed. The father, a discharged disabled soldier, who has lost one leg, was not injured in the explosion. When their two children, lixtle girls, wore seen in one hospital, cne, about 2 1/2 years old, lied had one eye enucleated, a Jiand nearly severed by cute, and bad cuts on face; the otner child, about 20 months old, had had to have both eyes enuoleated. The visiting w-orkers met the volunteer, heretofore inexperienced in nursing, who had, the night of the disaster, held these children during the operations.

is suffering from other serious injury, and one is totally blind. The father was probably killed, as he has been missing since the explosion. The child of their married daughter is also totally blind and badly mutilated,

(6) A mother of 59, totally blind, had a child of 1C totally blinded in tiie explosion, who has since died. A second child, aged 12, has lost one eye. The husband; a soldier, is in the trenches, overseas.

Ko recommendation can be made for appropriation of money, or offer of service for the blind of halifax, without an xmderstending of local provision for care of the blind. Halifax is the one community in Canada equipped wi^h a School for the Blind of international reputation, which ceres for both children and adults. It is the School for the Maritime ProTinces. (See accompanying Annual Heport) , There is Government provision for payment to the School of an allowance for education for ail blind persons from six to twenty-one years of age. There is also provision for appropriation for the special training of adults recommended as suitable candidates. The School has also taken pert in the training of a small group of soldiers disabled by blindness. Since the war, the finances of ^his School have naturally been affected as have those of other institutions. It is a difficult problem for any Institution in a community doubly taxed by war and disaster to face suddenly the needs of e blind population, - at least doubled, end an increase in the blind population in an entirely new direction, » notably of women between the ages of 21 and 4-5. bork for the blind is in any case expensive, and in case of provision for women to whom few and ill-paid occupations are open, and in this instance of women deprived of their natural means of support as well as their sight, the cost will inevitably be great. Vftiatever action the Government tahes, it is sure to be delayed by complex questions involved in settlement, ajid it is wholly conceivable that the form of relief decided upon may not touch the questions of shelter and curative occupation that are so immediate, 1'ho privilege of assuming a share in bearing this burden is open to the American Ked Gross.

Sir Frederick and Lady Eraser have already opened their owTi apartments for the care of blinded infants when they are ready for discharge from the various hospitals and have passed the need for medical and surgical care.

Sir Frederick and I.adv Fraser have offered their little son's nursery to all the children who as the result of the great cataatro phe have lost the'r sight - most piteous fate! Master Fred la very keen indeed to h-ve the small sufferers eorne in and very eager to do his hit to make them' hanpy. Sir Frederick, eve- on the alert to fsecure for the I)Fr.-l the fuHrirt possible rdvaijtage both in the mat, ter of skil'ed medical attee-itlon Slid, tl'e edncetion. which takes svcay the chief terror of blindness fdenerdencel. has been profound-' !lv stirred, as has Lody Fraser, by the wide spread iniiirv -to eves, and, both in conve-sntion with The Herald expressed the hope that suffering little children would be brought to the nuraerv. where they vfill he given the tenderest care.

To Open Nursery

Arrangements have been made to open a Nursery in the Superintendent's apartments, School for the Blind, for babies blinded by the explosion, where the little ones will be tenderly cared for. Appli* I cations for the reception of ' all children under six years of age should be made to Lady Fraser, School for the Blind.

ffrom the Board and Corporation of the School for the Blind, a Committee was appointed on December 15th as follows, for Halifax Blind Helief work.

Upon leaving Halifax January 1, the two wonijc^rs Bent by Mrs. Lothrop, with the approval of Mr. C, 0. Ceretene and Miss Mcliahon turned over to Sir i'rederick i'xaser ListaB 1 and 5 - the alphabetical and classified lists of eye injuries, and left with Mr. Carstens List 2, the BBUie cases arranged by hospitals

In discussing this question of eye injuries at Halifax, three questions usually come up; do you account for the early reports of numbers? How do you account for the large proportion of women? What is your estimate of the final results? Answers to these questions can be based partly on fact, partly on impressions.

In hospitals and on streets, the obviously large numbers of bandaged eyes still leave you with the feeling that figures of any size might be true. If you did not know that patients were often transferred from one hospital to anotiier and counted three times, that two physicians who worked on the same case each reported it, and that e very large number of injuries were outside the eye rather then injury to the eye itself, you might still believe some of the higher estimates.

Ihiowledge of individual histories leads to the belief that the large number of women is accounted for by the fact that the men of these families were in many cases killed at their work; the children in many cases killed at their school; while the mothers in a large nvunber of homes, survived with injuries from blows and from glass.

P. not a temporary ona. .van If the nunher. of bll,a> are aue- -Untlally leee ton early report,, gave ua. it la to e. re.ilaed hut W -Ituatlona and the ertreiaty of to.odlate .leede raeultrom eye injuries cannot be exRg.;e rated.

As to final results -- that is a matter partly of facts, partly of impressions. The facts so far recorded, and the estimates of several physicians who have been close to the situation from the start, point to one hundred as the probable list of ''totally or practically blind in both eyes". The conditions that make this a minimxim estimate and make 15*^ - 2U0 quite conceivable, are that uncertainty of outcome is greatly increased by the neglect in~ oidental to an ill-protected population, suffering from many other than eye injuries, and often dispersed far from the care of the eye specialist. (bee page 22-a for Sir Frederick Eraser's estimate.)

1. That, without delay, the expenses of a small staff to be attached to the School for the Blind, consisting of a nurse, an after-care worker or workers, and a clerk, be authorized. The nurse, whether attached to the Bchool or to a permanent local district nvirsing serviee, will devote herself to follow-up for preventive work; the after-care worker, or workers, will take -up oases discharged from hospitals, and provide curative occupations wherever needed; the clerk will keep up the register. iMi, Oarstens has wired this plan to Mr. Persons for approval, register now in the hands of Sir Frederick Eraser.)

2. That, a joi^t committee of three Canadians and three Americans be asked to serve as advisers to the Halifax School for tne Blind and the American Red Cross, in formulating further plans for care of the blind in Halifax, (i'he three persons named for the Halifax School for the Blind, are Mr. Justice Harris, Cr. S. Ternan, end Sir Frederick Breser. Mr. Car- 8 tens has vrired Mr. Persons about this.)

5. That all tentative plans so far discussed for taking care of the increased number of blind children in excess of school accommodations, and for the cere of adults, especially of women, be held subject to the development of further follow-up work and to the counsels of the committee provided for above.

Support

- In case of **partiel'' blindness learn, if possible, phj'sician's estimate of mamaining fraction of sight after all possible medical care and with the best glasses obtainable. State whether patient

Mrs. James Cooper, Hftwthorne street, \vas thOj^nly re«ld<*nt Vn south end of Dartmouth who we killed. When the first rumble of the explosion came, she frantically grabbed her babe and a second later was blown thru the window, severing an artery in her throat, and bleeding to death. Her husband was away to work and before the neighbors could get medical aid. Mrs. Cooper was dead. The baby has since died as a result of Injuries suffered when it was blown thru the window huddled in its mother's arms. A husband and one child survives.

Several well known Dartmouth women have lost the sight of both ey-es, while a number of o-ther have ..suffered the loss of- one eye. Mrs. William Dumeiesq, who resided at Tuft s Cove had both eyes gouged out by coming in contact with broken glass. Her husband , was killed at the plant of the Halifax Breweries. His body was found on the railroad track soon after the explosion. He was a county constable and had frequently worked at painting. His wife and two children had a miraculous e^ape from death. The three are badly cut. They were in the house at the time of the explosion and because of the way in which it w'recked all means of escape except by jumping from the bedroom window a distance of twenty-five feet w«s cut oft.

hcrrtcallr. rested: her and her two children. . After seeing that she for he arched thi neighborhood tor over two hours for his wife - and family. Thev

It is believed that Mrs. G. A. Crathorne has lost the sight of both >>0080 at explosion and was shelled by broken glass. Her house is located near the shore and I at a point almost opposite where I the munition ship exploded. The was removed to the home of her father Dr. Morris of Middle Musquodoboit. Her husband was cut about the face, but not seriously ana is able to do relief work. Miss Irene Wentzell, Albert street, lost one eye. and was severely cut about ttie face.

i'^Irs. W. C. Bishop will likely lose one eye. She is progressing as well as can be expected. Mr. Bishop's house on pleasant street, north, was badly damaged, but is not beyond repair. f-'Veorse Ferguson, Jr., motortruck driver tor the Conmimer's Cordage Company, has lost one eye and may lose the sight of the other. He was at the works when the explosion occurred and was looking at the fire from the business office w-mdow. Leo Graham manager of the works had to have one eye removed and he may yet lose the I sight of the other.

Some Who Tjost An flye - Among I those who lost on-e of their eyes s in the explosion were Uussel Ward. L the well known athlete and an [ employee at Gland's brewery; Miss Evelyn MacDonald. Maynard afreet; kJjCO Hanlon, North Street Station News Stand: i/Mrs. James F. Hanlon and Miss Mary Mulcahy, nurse at the Infectious Hospital. ^These are only a few of those who ^ were bo unfortunate as to lose one J of their eyes. The complete list l^wIM contain the names of about four hundred people.

Mrs. Archie Fraser, Windmill Road IS recovering from her wounds. Bffly two children suffered severely. One child has lost the sight of both eyes wMle the other has lost one eye.

Mrs. Owen Sawlor, Polzant Street, has lost the sight of both eyes. Mr. ba,wlor is safe and the son is recovering from cuts. Their home was des^oyed. Fire finishing what the explosion left.