Day 4 - 340 -- A Somber Anniversary

One hundred years ago today two ships collided in the Halifax harbour. One was a munitions ship -- it was WWI. When the fire began, many people on their way to work and school paused to watch the conflagration -- something out of the ordinary. At 9:04 AM the ship exploded. Of the 2000+ who died, most died within the first second while the shock wave took a few seconds more to reach the others who died instantly. Many others were injured with burns and eye damage being high on the list of injuries. North end Halifax was devastated -- flattened -- with fires from molten debris that flew farther from the waterfront. At least two survivors had been thrown about 800 metres. A major tidal wave washed away a Mi'kmaq settlement on the Dartmouth side. Windows shattered in Truro, just over an hour drive away today. The new memorial park at Fort Needham states that 1 in 25 residents died that day with 1 in 5 injured. There were those who saved lives while losing their own. Vince Coleman is a name familiar to many Canadians from the history vignettes aired on television. He was a train dispatcher located at the harbour. He lost his life with the explosion, but recognizing this was going to happen, he sent a telegraph to an incoming train warning them to stop. He also noted it was his last message. The train received the message, which saved the lives of hundreds of passengers. Firefighters and first responders heading to deal with the original fire were killed that morning, too.

Weather played a huge role in the aftermath. By evening, a major blizzard had arrived bringing extreme wind chills. This was followed by rain a day later which caused black, sooty water to run through the streets. The temperature then plummeted again freezing everything. For the rescue and recovery workers and the many stranded and homeless people, the weather created barriers. The relief train from Boston encountered weather problems getting to the city, yet arrived within two days. Many relief workers arrived later that day by train from around the region to help the people and with cleanup. The city rebuilt but scars are still present on some buildings in the north end and with cemeteries in the city. It isn't forgotten. At the time it was the largest man-made explosion ever -- it was until the advent of nuclear explosions. Today, at the memorial ceremonies at Fort Neeedham the scene was one of umbrellas and speakers stood in the rain to pay tribute to those lost that morning.

A song for the day took some thought. Once I settled on the song, I looked for a version that would fit well with the theme of today. The video shared is from 2010. The singer is 10 years old and is backed by adults -- that spoke to me knowing that so many children were on their way to school or were orphaned the day of the explosion. The lighting for the televised performance seemed perfect to me, too - symbolic in a way. I hope you agree. Enjoy!

Silent Night -- Jackie Evancho with the Canadian Tenors