The Reformed Home Schooler

Over 1600 Dead - Read More Dec. 6, 2007

On December 6, 1917, the wartime port of Halifax was shattered by the most powerful man-made explosion before the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945.

If you have never heard about the Halifax Explosion I implore you to read up about it.. Follow the links I've provided search more on google.  It's a tragic story.  Anybody who's family was in Halifax during that time has stories about it.  It's a story of devastation, triumph and survival, there have been some bad movies made for Canadian TV I'm surprised a US Studio hasn't done a major motion picture of it.

The Following was taken from the Nova Scotia Archives website on the Halifax Explosion

December 6, 1917 is a day indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of the citizens of Halifax and Dartmouth. On that Thursday the Norwegian vessel SS Imo, carrying Belgian relief supplies, and the French freighter SS Mont Blanc, carrying munitions, collided in Halifax Harbour, thereby creating what was then considered to be the worst man-made disaster in the world's history.

A few seconds before 9:05 a.m., the Mont Blanc, carrying 2500 tons of high explosives and with a deck-load of monochlorobenzene, blew up, shattering the 3000-ton vessel and spewing destruction over 325 acres. The explosion killed more than 1600 people instantly and injured over 9000 others, in a metropolitan area of 65,000 people. More Nova Scotians were killed in the explosion than were killed in World War I. The catastrophe resulted in over $35,000,000 damage.

Schools, churches, factories and private homes were swept away by the force of the explosion. Then hot furnaces and upset stoves ignited the wreckage and large areas were reduced to charred ruins. The principal Halifax district to suffer damage was Richmond. No maps, plans or descriptions have been identified that precisely define this area. For the purposes of this exhibit, the boundaries have been defined as Bedford Basin, Halifax Harbour, Russell Street, Robie Street and Kempt Road. The area destroyed and damaged was, however, considerably larger than the area known as Richmond, and included the rest of north-end Halifax as well as isolated damage to buildings farther south. In Dartmouth, the thinly-populated north end was severely damaged, while central portions of the town sustained isolated damage as well.

Links

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/education/firstworldwar/05180202/0518020203_e.html

http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he7_teachers/index.html

http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-70-971/disasters_tragedies/halifax_explosion/

http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/explosion/

http://www.halifaxexplosion.org/

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Arby - 1:28 AM - Dec. 8, 2007