| Show ADVENTURERS' ADVENTURERS CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF Death Was Confused used By FLOYD GIBBONS Famous Headline Hunter 0 HELLO ELLO EVERYBODY 1 1 As a rule it doesn't pay to rook Took too much like someone else You know how embarrassing it is to have some dizzy dame rush up to you gushing Why Tom Waters where on earth have you been I haven't seen you for ages hows how's your dear mother moth moth- er etc Your name has always been Henry Jones and you dont don't know the gal from Adams Adam's off ox but you stand there like an oaf wondering how you youcan youcan youcan can correct the mistake without hurting her feelings Some have been pointed out as robbers and murderers served terms in prisons and even paid with their lives for looking like someone else It never happens that someone walks up to you and says Well if it it aint old Joe Doakes himself Heres Here's that five hundred bucks you loaned me twelve years ago But luckier very much luckier things than that have come to a avery avery avery very few men because they were thought to be other persons One of them is William H H. H D. D Bence of Laurelton L L. L I. I who sent me today's adventure In 1917 Bill was where most Canadians were were were-in in the Canadian army and on December 6 of oC that year he was at Wellington barracks Halfax Halifax Halifax Hali Hal fax Nova Scotia At 9 o'clock in the morning on that awful day in Halifax Halifax Hali Hali- Halifax fax Bill was standing inspection in the barracks yard The commanding officer was just in front of Bill looking over his equipment with an eagle cagle eye when all at once the nir air seemed to quiver there was a dreadful dreadful dread dread- dreadful ful deep sigh followed by a TERRIFIC EXPLOSION The officer was w-s hurled violently against Bill and they both went down together The officer swearing a blue bine streak got to his feet Bill sat up and saw that every man in the battalion on parade had been blown flat fiat like a pack of or cards instruments of the band were scattered scattered scattered scat scat- and the bass drum was bowling across the yard like athing a athing athing thing possess possessed cd The air became thick and yellow as a London fog and carrying through it was the rumble of falling masonry Through the murk the soldiers could see the solidly-built solidly barracks building melting away as they settled inwards Panic in the Wrecked Barracks With the cry The magazine is going up run up-run run for your lives there was a mad rush for the main gate But above the shouts of the men and the roar of falling faIling masonry came the screams of women and children trapped hi in m the crumbled married mens men's barracks And at the i C Bills Bill's Legs Were Vere Pinned Between Two Beams gate with outstretched arms and blood dripping from a cut over one eye stood Private McClellan a rather irresponsible soldier who often as not was in the guard house We Ve cant can't run awa away boys he shouted Theres women and children in there Lets Let's be Scotsmen Plowing through that mass of men he led them back on the double They found that one ore end of the married quarters had fallen in and rest of it was slowly Women collapsing and children who had escaped were tearing frantically at the debris to reach those who had been trapped The soldiers went to work more systematically and soon had a truck filled with children Bill Bence grabbed a n baby from under a pile of rubbish and forced it into the trembling arms of a girl Then he realized the form was limp and saw the back of the skull was crushed Bill he lIe must have bave little off says gone a at that discovery But Cut he began working his way into the Ule wreckage to reach those whose screams of pain and fear made a nightmare of the morn morn- ing From beneath a heap of bricks he saw a pair of mens men's boots and a hand that moved feebly As he stepped into the room the whole world seemed to fall on him and everything went black Slate Roof Was Vas Coming Down on Him When he came to Bill was on his back his legs pinned between tw beams on which was waD heaped a ton of bricks Struggle how he would Bill could not free his legs Then as he lay and looked up he got the shock of his life There directly over his head hung half halt the slate roof that was held only by a thin lath that had become wedged at a key point but was SLOWLY SLOW SLOW- L LY Y BUCKLING The mass was already stirring and dust trickled onto his upturned face Bill raised up and began tearing like the ton inn belm rr th flint t him r T io nr t. t t oU 1 u 1 L I- I a madman at u. u r n u l o tU b 4 Ise lor Soon exhausted the dust-covered dust man lay back waiting for the end Perhaps he fainted Anyway Bill says it was as in a dream he heard a womans woman's voice Praise be to the saints hes he's here See the stripes and crown on his sleeve Here Katie get hold of this beam and pull pull the only thing holding him down A tall taIl strong woman and a husky girl in her teens heaved and pulled until they had that top beam to one side Then their strong fingers fin fin- fingers gers clutched the collar of Bills Bill's coat and pulped him outside And only in the nick of time for with a great roar and a blinding cloud of dust the roof came down They Thought He Was Vas Their Dinn Dinny Y Bill was unable to stand The two women supported him all three coughing from the choking dust and mother and daughter took turns in kissing him frantically And then heaven preserve us mother and daughter realized the man they had Saved from certain death was not their Dinn Dinny Y Who were you looking for Bill gasped The woman screamed at the sound of or his voice the more practical daughter wiped wiled the thick coating of dust from front b his face Company Ser Ser- Major geant-Major OHara O'Hara she answered He He was off duty this morn morn- uru ing wasn't ing-wasn't wasn't he hc in there Bill only shook his head He did not have the of those two boots and the feebly moving hand For courage whatever to tell teU We life then that I was then in the buried Company Sergeant-Major Sergeant OHara O'Hara had been out by t the he fat falling faIling ling roof Bill had been pinned down in O'Hara's crushed And the crown and room StripeS Were worn by both a major mw O OHara O'Hara Kara and a company sergeant sergeant- company ser quartermaster sergeant quartermaster g Bill Bill was not long in in learning what had knocked over the battalions battalio parade like so many toy soldiers A ship loaded with high explosives had been in a collision in the harbor and had been blown a tidal al wave and started to bits bite caus causing fires firos that destroyed third one-third of the 80 persons Th There re were 1226 dead and more were city of missing Th There were of course ourse thousands and thousands injured assigned to Dartmouth and Bill was i immediately imme- imme mme mme- hospital for duty Things he are better left untold saw there e Service |
