Quote:
Originally Posted by mr.mud1
yes sir,it was today in 1917.a terrible time.all the best to you and yours.Greg
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Wow, wasn't even cluing into the fact that it was the anniversary. Even today it's an unimaginable tragedy and even more so because it was so highly preventable. Greg, my best to you and your family as well in this season.
Very cool that Boston's official Christmas tree is sent there every year in appreciation. I also saw that Massachusetts was a major donor of funds for reconstruction. For anyone interested, here is the Wikipedia link:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion
There are many interesting and tragic facts. Here are a couple that stood out to me - spoiler alert -
The last victim was recovered in the summer of 1919 - two and a half years after the explosion.
Two US ships at sea saw the debris cloud from the explosion and came to Halifax to help in the rescue and medical treatment efforts.
The explosion expelled so much water that it exposed the bottom of the harbor. The water flowing into the void created a 60 ft tall wave. The wave was responsible for much of the destruction and wiped out the remainder of an Indian tribe which had a settlement in a nearby cove.
The Halifax Relief Commission was in operation until 1976, providing care for victims and pensions for survivors.