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Halifax Disaster Record Office
Chronicle Building
Halifax, N. S.

the hospitals till 7 p. m. and then to the American Hospital Ship "OLD COLONY" lying at the DockYard. Captain Harrison went to the Furness, Withy wharf, got into motor-boat, and ordered the man in charge to take him to the "PICTON", climbed on board fifteen minutes later by means of rope-ladder. A cook and another man helped him. (Inaccurate Found naked bodies lying all over the deck to the number of sixty.) There was rub bish on deck, burning with a think,black smoke. The danger of fire and explosion was from the fire on shore, of the Sugar Refinery. Capt. Harrison got an axe and hacked at the steel hawsers until they parted. It was about an hours hard work and the heat from the burning building on shore was severe. As the "PICTON" drifted away Capt-ain Harrison hailed one of G. S.Campbell's tugs. It came and assisted in towing the "PICTON" into the stream. The rubbish on deck was still on fire. Captain Harrison had great difficulty in getting the motor-boat crew to put him on board. The motor-boat then stood off, watching him although it was in a dangerous position. Captain Harrison got on board about eleven-thirty. It was four by the time she was anchored in the stream. Then men helped him to put the fire on the deck out, by throwing the burning rubbish overboard. Later Captain Harrison was ordered to tow the "PICTON" to the Eastern Passage, as far as possible. This was done with great difficulty. In going through the Submarine gate at George's Island met a ship coming in, which seemed almost determined to ram him, and he was forced to alter his course in order to get clear. "Never had greater difficulty" in avoiding collision. He obeyed the order and anchored the "PICTON" in the Eastern Passage. In spite of the state-ments in the paper that the sea cocks were opened, she was not sunk. (As Engineer Lieut. Bannatyne said "It would be a pity to sink her.