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The Great ExplosionOn December 6, 1917, at 9:04:35 am, the Mont Blanc, a French munition ship, and the Imo, a Norwegian ship, collided. The French ship was transporting 2,300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT), and 10 tons of cotton with drums of benzol. The collision sparked a fire on the French munitions ship, which then exploded. It is still recorded as one of the largest non-nuclear man-made explosions, which projected debris about five km from the ship. The explosion killed 2,000 Haligonians, injured 9,000 and left thousands homeless.
Recovery efforts were halted as the next day a blizzard hit the city. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the rest of Nova Scotia rushed to Halifax's aid almost immediately. Help continued to pour in the following week from all parts of North America and donations were sent from around the world. The following reshaping of the city was a very important change for Halifax. The North End neighborhood was recreated, Hydrostone, a progressive housing developement was created and railways were extended to the South End of the city. Halifax might have suffered from the explosion, but it also gave it an opportunity to upgrade the city. |
The TitanicOn April 14, 1912, 11:40 pm, the Titanic was carrying over 2,200 passengers and crew when it hit an iceberg. By 2:20 am on April 15, the "unsinkable ship" had sunk, becoming one of the greatest marine disasters in recorded history. Four Canadian vessels were sent to retrieve the deceased bodies. Two of these ships, the Mackay-Bennett and Minia came from Halifax, recovering 323 victims of the disaster. 150 unclaimed victims were buried in a new Halifax cemetary, specifically dedicated to the horrific events that took place on April 15, thus linking the city forever to the tragedy.
The Cemetery where the unclaimed victims lay is called the Fairveiw Lawn Cemetery. The Haligaonians respect those lost with memorial monuments, preserved ragments of the vessel, original photographs and the stories that are passed down from generation to generation. The lives stollen by the Titanic tragedy will never be forgotten in Halifax. |