Explosion survivors recall deadly blast that rocked Halifax 90 years ago

[Praxius]

Not sure if this should be in society or breaking news.... it's not new news per say, although today has been 90 years since the larget pre-atom explosion humans ever experienced, and the news is from today, therefore breaking:


The aftermath of the Halifax Explosion is shown in this 1917 file photo. Gordon Collins of Halifax vividly recalls the morning 90 years ago when a burst of fire, smoke and shrapnel ripped through this port city. But the 99-year-old says he fears the legacy of the Halifax Explosion will fade when he's no longer able to share his memories. THE CANADIAN PRESS

Explosion survivors recall deadly blast that rocked Halifax 90 years ago

HALIFAX - Gordon Collins of Halifax vividly recalls the morning 90 years ago when a massive burst of fire, smoke and white-hot shrapnel ripped through the port city's north end, killing more than 1,500 people. But the 99-year-old says he fears the legacy of the Halifax Explosion, one of the worst disasters in Canadian history, will fade when he is no longer able to share his memories. "Younger people should be taught about the explosion because it was a critical event," says a soft-spoken Collins, who was a young schoolboy on Dec. 6, 1917. "I don't think it will be (important) anymore because by the time it reaches 100 years, all us survivors will have gone." The explosion - the largest man-made blast before the advent of the atomic bomb - was triggered after the Imo, a Belgian relief vessel, collided in the harbour with the Mont Blanc, a French freighter laden with munitions, including 200,000 kilograms of TNT. At 9:04 a.m., about 20 minutes after the impact caused a fire aboard the Mont Blanc, the morning's calm was shattered by a violent, deafening blast. Hundreds of people, including bystanders who had gathered to watch the vessels burn, were killed instantly. Another 9,000 were injured or blinded by shattered window glass or scalding hunks of jagged metal that fell from the sky. The explosion levelled everything within two kilometres of harbour's edge and hurled the Mont Blanc's anchor more than three kilometres inland. Some 1,600 homes were destroyed, and in the days after the blast, hundreds of badly maimed people would succumb to their injuries. The final death toll reached 1,951. Collins, then a nine-year-old boy, recalled walking to his desk at his north-end school when the blast rang out. He says something struck his head, knocking him unconscious and breaking his nose. "I learned later that the building was pretty badly smashed up," says Collins, who lived with his mother and brother at the time. "While I was unconscious, I must have gotten out of the building, got out on the street and got home to my own backyard. I guess my brain took me home." When he arrived, he found his younger brother safe in his bed, but buried beneath plaster. His mother also survived. Jim Simpson, a local researcher dedicated to preserving the memory of the explosion, says this year's anniversary could be the most difficult yet. He says some of the surviving victims are no longer able to attend commemorative events, including the one held every Dec. 6 at the Memorial Bell Tower in a city park not far from the waterfront. "The survivors are quite old," he says. "I would like to see more people come out to different things. I'd like to see younger people." Simpson, who gives lectures on the explosion at schools, says he believes there are only about 10 survivors left in the Halifax area. A decade ago, upwards of 50 came out to memorial events. Years ago, Edith Murphy-Hartnett, 97, used to speak to students about her recollections of the explosion. The Halifax woman, who suffered a stroke in recent years, no longer speaks to audiences, but says she remembers the blast "like it was yesterday." "It burnt my mother's house right to the ground, all the homes in the north end were mostly on fire," says Murphy-Hartnett, wincing slightly as she remembers the blast that left her sister blind. "I was lucky. I only had a little cut over my right eye, I was very lucky. Some kids had a lot of cuts." Nine decades have done little to ease Murphy-Hartnett's mind when she sees activity in the harbour. "We get scared when we see a lot of boats, because (in 1917) my aunt went upstairs and she said,'There's two big ships in the harbour,' " she recalls. "And that's when they banged and the explosion went." Relief and medical personnel arrived by train from Boston shortly after the disaster. The city held community relief drives, while the Boston Symphony Orchestra organized a fundraising concert. Every December since 1971, Halifax sends a huge Christmas tree to Boston as an enduring token of thanks. Simpson, meanwhile, is doing his part to ensure the disaster is not forgotten. He gives walking tours of the areas devastated by the blast, and in 2006, he organized a memorial service for a young explosion victim at Halifax's Fairview Lawn Cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place for many victims of the blast. Simpson says he feels compelled to keep the memory of the explosion alive. "You look at all the people that suffered, a lot of children died," he says. "It's just something that I think we should keep as a main part of our history."

Yeah it's certainly something I can't forget. I of course wasn't there, but considdering I currently live and work a short drive to ground zero of the explosion of this magnituted, one can only imagine experiencing this first hand at a time when there was no tv, during WWI, and most civilians of the time never seen an explosion before... heard and described. Maybe a couple of photos here and there....... but a city sized explosion almost smack dab in the middle of the harbor....

http://www.firstworldwar.com/photos/...fax_exp_01.jpg
15 seconds after the explosion.


they used to be 2 story buildings and houses.... some still exist today downtown that didn't get too destroyed.

Shortly after the explosion, there was a pretty bad snow storm which they didn't mention, not to mention the shockwave was felt as far as Antigonish (You can map the two)

So thanks again Boston, enjoy the tree.

[Nono]

I remember my Great Uncle Billy telling me about seeing the state of the harbour-front not that long after the explosion, when he was returned through Halifax having lost a leg at Passchendaele.

Of course it was just a wee taste of what he'd seen in France and Belgium. Which is sort of the point what with a ship full of munitions...