Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 25 It was about four-thirty in the afternoon when the cyclone struck Regina. In a few moments the air was full of dust, flying pieces of timber, and all kinds of debris from the houses. Sud- denly it became perfectly dark. My sister, her friend and I were in my bedroom, and were not able to get out of it before we heard the windows crashing downstairs. I shouted to the girls, but they could not hear me, so I took hold of them, and dragged them into a clothes ' closet in the room. The roar was deafening. The house seemed to rock on its foundations. Then it flashed on me that probably the house would collapse, and we should be buried in the closet, and per- haps smothered to death ; I turned suddenly and shoved the door open. The worst of the storm was over, though only a few min- utes had elapsed, but it was still quite dark, and the remains of blinds, curtains and glass, blew into the room with every gust of wind. The air had a peculiar odor and the rain came pouring down. As we ventured out of the room we discovered that the door was smashed to slivers, and there was quite a pile of boards in the hall. We went on down the stairs. All the windows were broken, blinds, curtains, and screens, were ruined, pictures and many other things were missing. We were not alone long, as many of our friends, who knew that just the three of us were at home, came to see if we had escaped. They brought us accounts of other people who were very much worse off than we were. Some houses were badly damaged, some upside down, and others razed to the ground and their occupants buried beneath the ruins. The after-experience was worse than the actual three min- utes of the storm. People with their faces cut and bleeding, rushed up and down the streets, calling for axes and saws to begin the work of releasing those who were buried beneath the collapsed houses. Ambulances were lined up t)TL the side streets ringing their bells to direct the rescuers carrying the injured or dead from the scene of the disaster, church bells tolling and fire whistles blowing, all added to the horror and confusion of the scene.

Page 26 text:

24 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN I ' tstnm Wnnt (BnutU Wtan. La montagne, contre laquelle notre nuage alia se heurter etait terriblement froide. J ' etais iin atome de vapeur, et a ce contact je sentis frissonner tout mon petit corps. Je savais que je possedais des qualites de liquefaction, mais maintenant que ce changement se faisait en moi si soudainement, je ne pouvais m ' empecher de laisser tomber plusieurs grosses larmes. Bientot, je me trouvais entoure de beaucoup de mes amis, dans une petite riviere qui coulait au pied de la montagne-. La, nous passames quelques jours charmants, jouant gaiment avec les rayons du soleil qui venaient se mirer dans notre eau claire. II faisait un temps superbe, et les journees semblaient etre des minutes, mais pen a peu je remarquai que tons mes amis, dispar- aissaient, et que j ' etais presque seul. Cela me rendait triste et solitaire, et lorsque je voulais pleurer, je ne pouvais pas, parce qu ' un petit rayon avait vole mon coeur et mes larmes. Quelques semaines apres, nous entendimes des hommes se disputer et se tuer entre eux. Je crois qu ' on appelle tout cela la guerre, que les hommes veulent pour I ' honneur de leur patrie. Certainement, je prefererais la vie de mes freres a I ' honneur de la patrie, si j ' etais homme, mais une petite goutte d ' eau ne pent guere comprendre les actions humaines. Je sais seulement que quelquefois notre riviere fut terriblement souillee de rouge. Un jour deux soldats vinrent pres de moi et parlerent d ' une grande victoire, mais ils parlaient a voix basse, pour ne pas troubler dans leur repos tons les blesses qui les entouraient; et pendant que je me demandais ce que c ' etait qu ' une victoire, on me prit avec plusieurs de mes compagnons pour refraichir les levres fievreuses d ' un soldat mourant. Ma misision sur la terre etait accomplie, j ' avals; apporte un bienfait ; et un rayon de soleil me remporta au ciel. MABELLE MARLING.

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26 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN One is struck with amazement as one walks through the wrecked portion of the town to-day, that many, many more were not killed. How miraculous must have been the escapes from death ! It will take only a few years to make the place itself look as it was, indeed much improved; but a lifetime will not serve to blot out the sorrow which many sustained by the loss of loved ones ; and the experiences of some of the survivors will never be forgotten. BEATRICE BAKER.