#OnThisDay in 1917, two ships collided and caught fire in Halifax Harbor. As it became clear that a cargo of explosives would detonate, telegraph operator Vince Coleman stayed at his post, sending warnings to surrounding towns and holding all incoming trains.
Coleman's last transmission read, "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.”
At 9:04am local time, the ship exploded. It was the largest manmade explosion prior to the invention of the atom bomb. 10,000 Haligonians were killed or injured, and much of the city was leveled.
Coleman's warnings were passed down the line, eventually reaching a Boston banker on his private telegraph. Less than 12 hours after learning of the explosion, officials in Boston had loaded a train with doctors, nurses, and relief supplies.
As it headed north, the train picked up more supplies and personnel at every stop. But then outside Moncton, New Brunswick, the train stopped where a blizzard had blocked the tracks.
Although the reports from Halifax were jumbled, Canadian railroad workers knew the city was in trouble. They worked tirelessly through the night, shoveling aside a blizzard so Boston's relief train could get through.
The train arrived in Halifax that morning. By dinnertime, they had set up a 100 bed field hospital and were admitting patients.
The next year, Halifax sent Boston a Christmas tree as a token of gratitude. Since 1971, the Halifax tree has been an annual tradition.
After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the Nova Scotia government donated to MGH, saying "Massachusetts was there for Nova Scotia 96 years ago during the tragedy of the Halifax Explosion. Our hearts and minds are with the people of Boston now."
For more details about the tragedy in Halifax, Boston's response, and the bond between our cities, listen to the podcast we released for the centennial in 2017.
HUBhistory.com/57
HUBhistory.com/57
