Halifax Explosion Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

The Halifax Explosion occurred on December 6, 1917, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was one of the largest man-made explosions until the first atomic bomb test explosion in 1945.

At 8:45 on the morning of the 6th a French ammunition ship, the Mont Blanc and the Norwegian cargo ship Imo collided in the narrows of Halifax harbour. Vapours from the benzol, which was stored on the deck of the Mont Blanc, had spilled over the side and was set afire by sparks from the collision. The Mont Blanc was shipping large quantities of munitions to Europe because of World War I. The hold contained over 2700 tons (2400 metric tonnes) of explosives, including TNT, guncotton, and picric acid. As the fire spread it blocked the crew from reaching fire-fighting equipment and they quickly abandoned ship upon the Captain's orders. They rowed to safety in two rowboats and reached safety on the Dartmouth shore as the burning ship continued to drift toward the Halifax shore.

Mont Blanc cargo:

• 5 tons (4.5 t) of benzol
• 300 rounds of ammunition
• 122,960 pounds (56 t) of gun cotton
• 2300 tons (2300 T) of picric acid (explosive)
• 4,661,794 pounds (2,115 t) of TNT

At 9:04:35 a massive explosion ensued. The Mont Blanc was instantly fragmented, with much of it vapourizing in the giant fireball that rose over a mile into the air. Over 2.5 km² of Halifax were levelled and windows were shattered as far as Truro, Nova Scotia, 100 kilometres away. An anchor from the Mont Blanc was found five kilometres from the harbour. The disaster resulted in approximately 1635 deaths (approx. 1000 died instantaneously from the blast), nine thousand injured, of these six thousand were seriously so, and, according to one conservative estimate, approximately 30 million dollars in damage. 325 acres (1.3 km²) of urban/town area was destroyed. 1500 people became homeless as a result of the devastation. A detailed estimate showed that of those killed, 600 were under the age of 15; 166 were labourers; 134 were soldiers and sailors; 125 were craftsmen; 39 were workers for the railway. Many of the wounds were also permanently debilitating, with many people partially blinded by flying glass. The large number of eye injuries led to great efforts on the parts of physicians, and a collaborative effort managed to greatly improve the treatment of damaged eyes.

The following day a blizzard hit the city, crippling recovery efforts. Immediate help rushed in from around New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. In the following week, more relief from North America arrived and donations were sent from around the world. The most celebrated and most complete effort came from the Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee. To this day the citizens of Halifax still donate a large Christmas tree to Boston each year. The friendship also explains why even today many Nova Scotians are Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox fans.

Much local folklore has stemmed from this event. One tale includes that of a window on the leeward side of the harbour in St. Paul's Church in Parade Square. The hole made in the window by the explosion resembles the bust of a priest. A piece of debris from the disaster is still embedded in the foyer wall above the entrance to the sanctuary.

The explosion and aftermath were the inspiration for Hugh MacLennan's novel Barometer Rising and Robert McNeil's novel Burden of Desire.

External links

• Halifax
• Map of Halifax as it existed in 1915 available in "The Atlas of Canada" archives
• Halifax Explosion
• CBC: Halifax Explosion
• Link to Museum on Halifax explosion
• Canada National Archive on Halifax Explosion, with a map detailing on the Ground Zero of the explosion and the city

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