| On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic, | | | | freighter arrived at the Halifax harbour, |
| a brand-new and supposedly "unsinkable" ship, | | | | waiting to be let into the port. Fatefully, |
| was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, | | | | it was carrying thousands of tons of |
| England, to New York City. The ship, the | | | | explosives including benzol, nitrocellulose |
| largest and most luxurious ocean liner of the | | | | and TNT. A Norwegian ship, the Imo, was |
| day, was carrying about 2200 passengers and | | | | trying to depart through the right harbour |
| crew when the ship collided about 11:30 pm | | | | channel, but another ship was blocking its |
| with an iceberg. The Titanic carried enough | | | | way, so the Imo veered to the left, directly |
| lifeboats for just about half the number of | | | | into the path of the Mont Blanc. Both ships |
| people which surprisingly was in compliance | | | | refused to yield, leading to a collision at |
| with legislation in force at that time. Many | | | | about 8:45 am that ignited the benzene that |
| of the lifeboats were lowered into the | | | | was stored on deck of the Mont Blanc. With |
| ice-cold Atlantic only half full, and at | | | | the fire out of control and knowing their |
| about 2 am in the morning of April 15, 1912, | | | | cargo, the ship's crew immediately abandoned |
| the unfathomable happened: the ship's stern | | | | the ship while hundreds of people were drawn |
| rose up and the world's first unsinkable | | | | to the harbour to watch the fire. At about |
| ocean liner went down into the cold depths of | | | | 9:04 am the Mont Blanc finally exploded, |
| the North Atlantic. Of a total of 2,223 | | | | instantly vapourizing the ship in a fireball |
| people, only 706 survived while 1517 | | | | that rose over one mile into the air. The |
| perished. Some of the famous victims included | | | | force of the explosion triggered a tsunami |
| John Jacob Astor IV and most of the ship's | | | | that reached up to 18 meters above the high |
| crew, including the entire orchestra who had | | | | water mark. The explosion could be heard as |
| played tunes on deck until the ship's | | | | far away as Charlottetown, Prince Edward |
| sinking. First class passengers had a much | | | | Island, about 175 kilometers away. Not a pane |
| higher rate of survival than second and | | | | of glass was left intact in the city and |
| especially third class passengers. Some of | | | | 6,000 people became homeless. The pressure |
| the exits from the lower decks for the third | | | | wave from the blast could be felt as far away |
| class passengers were even locked, preventing | | | | as Cape Breton Island, about 205 km east of |
| many of those passengers from accessing the | | | | Halifax. A large portion of Richmond, Halifax |
| lifeboats. In the aftermath of the disaster, | | | | and Dartmouth were leveled to the ground, and |
| at about 4:10 am, the RMS Carpathia picked up | | | | the death toll reached 1900 people. Thousands |
| the first lifeboat and continued to rescue | | | | more were injured, many seriously, and |
| survivors. The survivors were eventually | | | | countless people were blinded due to the |
| taken to New York City while a total of 328 | | | | glass shrapnel that was propelled through the |
| bodies were eventually recovered. Many of | | | | air. Allen also mentioned the story of a |
| those were taken to Halifax where they were | | | | local hero: Vince Coleman, a dispatcher for |
| meticulously registered with all descriptive | | | | the Intercolonial Railway. Minutes before the |
| features and personal possessions stored in a | | | | explosion he telegraphed two trains that were |
| canvas bag. Halifax therefore became a key | | | | bound for Halifax, and told them to stop at a |
| location in the aftermath of the Titanic | | | | safe distance from this area. Vince himself |
| disaster. 121 of these victims were buried at | | | | was killed in the blast, but were it not for |
| the Fairview Cemetery while 29 other victims | | | | him, several hundreds more could have died in |
| were buried at the Roman Catholic Mount | | | | the explosion. The reaction in the aftermath |
| Olivet Cemetery and the Jewish Baron de | | | | was swift. Communities from all over North |
| Hirsch Cemetery. Our final stop on this city | | | | America pitched in and sent aid, especially |
| tour was the Fairview Cemetery which is the | | | | tents, blankets and supplies to Halifax. |
| largest burial ground of Titanic victims in | | | | Boston, in particular, was extremely generous |
| the world. Allen took us to a corner of the | | | | and sent an entire train of supplies and |
| cemetery where there were three lines of | | | | medical personnel to help the victims of this |
| white gravestones, all arranged in lines of | | | | enormous explosion. As a result, every year |
| different curvatures that symbolic reflect | | | | at Christmas, Nova Scotia donates a large |
| the shape of an ocean liner on the top deck, | | | | Christmas tree to the City of Boston to thank |
| the waterline and under water. Allen | | | | and remember Boston's help in this major time |
| explained that the gravestones were erected | | | | of need. My trolley tour provided by the |
| by the White Star Line, the company that | | | | Company with the Kilts had come to an end. |
| owned the Titanic. The gravestones are very | | | | But as we arrived right in front of the |
| small and simple, and Allen added if people | | | | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, I decided to |
| wanted a larger gravestone they would have | | | | make a quick stop in this museum since among |
| had to pay extra for a larger version. He | | | | many other things, it features two major |
| pointed out the grave of the "Unknown Child", | | | | exhibits: one about the Titanic Disaster and |
| the youngest victim recovered who remained | | | | another one about the Halifax Explosion. I |
| unidentified. The headstone reads "Erected to | | | | decided to educate myself more about these |
| the memory of an unknown child whose remains | | | | two significant historic events. The exhibit |
| were recovered after the disaster of the | | | | about the Halifax Explosion features |
| "Titanic" April 15th 1912". Allen recounted | | | | historical photographs, newspaper clippings |
| various speculations that surfaced over the | | | | and explanations about this enormous |
| years of who this unknown child might have | | | | disaster. The Titanic Exhibit upstairs |
| been. In 2002 finally it was determined | | | | actually features dozens of photographs and |
| through DNA evidence that the unknown child | | | | 20 authentic artifacts from the Titanic, |
| was actually Eino Viljami Panula of Finland | | | | first and foremost the only known intact |
| whose mother and four brothers had also died | | | | Titanic deck chair in the world. This chair |
| in this disaster. Allen also mentioned that | | | | had actually been given to the minister who |
| the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered in | | | | had performed so many of the burials at sea |
| 1985 by an American-French expedition. The | | | | and was donated by one of his grandchildren |
| wreck had broken into two pieces on the ocean | | | | to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. |
| floor, with the stern section lying about 600 | | | | Another exhibit features the Shoes of |
| m from the bow section and facing in the | | | | Titanic's Unknown Child which feature the |
| opposite direction. What was really | | | | pencil inscription: "SS Titanic victim boots |
| significant was that when scientists compared | | | | worn by only baby drowned". One poignant |
| the geographical orientation of one of the | | | | display illustrates that fact that passenger |
| wrecks with the orientation of the graves at | | | | class made a huge difference in the survival |
| the Fairview Cemetery, they were positioned | | | | rate of passengers. For example less than 4% |
| with almost the same geographical | | | | of first class female passengers perished, |
| orientation. Hearing this sent shivers up my | | | | while around 12% of second class female |
| spine, when I realized that the wreck of the | | | | passengers died and more than 54% of third |
| world's most famous shipping disaster could | | | | class female passenger did not survive. I |
| coincide so accurately with the positioning | | | | did not have time to explore the rest of the |
| of the cemetery holding its greatest number | | | | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which |
| of victims. Things like these are almost too | | | | features a whole host of additional |
| much of a coincidence. On our way back from | | | | interesting exhibits such as the Days of |
| the cemetery, Allen enlightened us about | | | | Sail, Shipwreck Treasures and Age of Steam |
| another Halifax disaster: the 1917 Halifax | | | | Gallery, to mention just a few. Now it was |
| Explosion - the largest man-made non-nuclear | | | | time for a quick lunch and then my next stop |
| explosion in human history which occurred on | | | | at Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum and a |
| December 6, 1917. During the First World War | | | | National Historic Site, and the entry point |
| many ships used Halifax as a strategic port | | | | form more than a million New Canadians |
| for their ocean voyages to Europe to partake | | | | between 1928 and 1971. |
| in the War. On this fateful day many ships | | | | |
| were lined up in the Bedford Basin to leave | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web |
| the harbour to start the voyage while other | | | | portal for unconventional travel & |
| ships were entering the harbour from the | | | | cross-cultural connections. |
| other direction. The Mont-Blanc, a French | | | | |