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