BOOM and GLUG-GLUG

Changes of Plan

The little bit of the Highlands we got to see of Cape Breton were magnificent. 

There is a very new gondola which provided great vistas.

From the Top of the Gondola

We have aborted our trip to Cape Breton National Park due to disconcerting noises from the car. The nearest Tesla service center is in Halifax. Fortunately there were appointments available. We dropped off the car and got a loaner Model 3. The rear power drive, covered by warrantee, needs to be replaced. Turns out the nearest part is in Quebec, so we will be in this area for a few more days. No problemo. New adventures.

Now, for the history quiz. Two very famous maritime incidents involved Halifax. Any guesses? 

BOOM!

During WW I before the US entered the war, Halifax was important in shipping supplies to Europe. Two ships collided in the harbor. One ship was for humanitarian aid, the other ship was transporting munitions and fuel for the war. The fuel caught fire, the crew abandoned ship, and then the ammo went boom at 9am. It was (and may still be, there are arguments) the largest man-made non-nuclear explosion in history, estimated to be about 3 kilotons. In comparison, Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. 

The death toll was 1,782 people, with about 9,000 wounded. Photos of the total devastation resemble those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Heavy pieces of metal were blown miles; the 1140 lb anchor was found two miles away. 

One of the heroes was Vincent Coleman, a telegraph operator for the railroad. He was about to leave work, saw the fire on the ammunition ship, and ran back to the office. He knew a passenger train (with hundreds of passengers) was going to enter the station in a few minutes. He sent out “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys.” 

The passengers survived; he did not. As his message was sent from telegraph station to telegraph station, the news got out. Six trains of doctors, supplies, firemen, and blankets arrived that same day from nearby towns.

The news reached Boston with this single, cryptic telegram: "Organize a relief train and send word to Wolfville and Windsor [towns near Halifax] to round up all doctors, nurses, and Red Cross supplies possible to obtain. Not time to explain details but list of casualties is enormous.”

Governor Samuel McCall in Boston organized and sent a train out that very night. Much more assistance came in many more trains. The US government did not recognise Canada until 1926, and apparently was totally uninvolved. 

The following day a blizzard dropped 26 inches of wet snow on the devastated city.

Boston continued to raise money and send aid. In show of gratitude, Halifax still sends Boston a huge Christmas tree every year for the Boston Common.

I knew about the Halifax Explosion and it was an important reason for me to visit. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax has a great exhibit on the explosion.

Dr. Clement Ligoure was an interesting figure. Born in Trinidad, he was the first black doctor in Nova Scotia. In 1906 he started studies at Queen's University in Ontario, earning his Bachelor of Medicine Degree in 1914 and a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1916. In 1918, the university banned Black students from attending its School of Medicine. Dr. Ligoure was refused medical privileges at all the hospitals in Halifax. He opened his own 15 bed clinic. After the explosion he treated over 200 patients a day for three weeks after the explosion with almost no assistance.

Probably only a few readers knew about this, right? Then how about this:

GLUG-GLUG

In 1912, seven hundred miles east of Halifax a boat hit an iceberg and sank: the "unsinkable" Titanic. All the survivors were brought to Halifax. All the search and rescue boats were from Halifax. All the recovered bodies and floating materials came back to Halifax. The Museum also has an interesting exhibit on Halifax's role with the Titanic.

Happy Trails

Krem and Barbara