Today is the 105th anniversary of the tragic Halifax Explosion of 1917 that made headlines around the world.
It was the largest human-caused explosion in history until the Second World War when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
As a longtime collector of antique photographs, I sometimes stumble across historically significant images such as these.
These photos, of which there are 12 in total and have never published anywhere before now, were found in a family photo album that belonged to an unknown Canadian soldier serving in the First World War and had likely arrived in Halifax in the days after the explosion occurred on Dec. 6.
Sadly, nothing is known about this man, who is pictured holding a camera in one of the images, and in his uniform in another.
It must have been quite shocking for him as he arrived on the scene, presumably by troop train, and witnessing the massive devastation in a large part of the city.
The blast had destroyed buildings over an area 1.6 square kilometres (400 acres) in size.
An 18-metre (60-foot) tsunami also added to the destruction and destroyed a part of the city of Dartmouth as well.
The explosion was caused by two ships colliding just offshore in Halifax Harbour. One ship, the SS Mont-Blanc, was packed with explosives and ammunition, headed overseas for the fight against Germany. The other one, the SS Imo, a merchant steamship, was on a war-relief mission and had arrived from New York City, as had the Mont-Blanc.
More than 1,700 people were killed in the blast, along with an estimated 9,000 injured.
The photos in this album clearly show the power of such an explosion.
One is especially haunting, as it shows a schoolhouse destroyed, with the simple caption “200 killed.”
An article on the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design website clarifies the tragic loss: “The first Richmond School, nearby on Roome Street, had been destroyed in the blast. On that morning in 1917, two children died inside the Roome Street School, and 87 of their classmates died on the way; many were drawn to the waterfront to see the Mont-Blanc on fire at Pier 6.”
Silhouettes of searchers can be seen in the photograph as they undertake a heartbreaking task of recovery in and around the school.
Two of the photos show the destroyed St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. When the Halifax Explosion occurred, more than 400 parishioners, representing approximately half of the entire parish, were killed throughout the area.
The image of the destroyed brewery is likely that of Oland & Son’s Brewery. Seven of its employees perished, including a family member. The family saw no future in rebuilding, so they moved on to Saint John, N.B., and later started the now iconic Moosehead Breweries brand.
One photo that shows the raw power of the blast is labelled “One mile away.”
At the moment of detonation in the centre of the blast, temperatures are estimated have reached 5,000 Celsius, and hurled parts of the ships, such as a cannon and anchor, as far as 5.6 kilometres away.
The resulting smoke cloud rose to nearly 12,000 feet into the sky.
White-hot molten iron rained down across the city, causing even more damage and more injuries.
Not all the photos are as depressing. The last photo in the series in the album shows a young survivor in a hospital, smiling at the camera while a nurse stands over him.
The massive explosion made headlines around the world.
Halifax and its environs would immediately rebuild on the foundation of the destruction and become the world-class city it is known as today.
And as I stumble across pieces of history, such as these one-of-a-kind photographs, it is a great joy for many collectors like myself and is why I search long and hard.
It gives me an opportunity to witness history through the eyes of that person, at that important moment in time, now long gone, and I now get the opportunity to share these never-before-seen images, tucked away in dusty attics and garages for decades, for the rest of the world to see, so many years on.
Kevin Lamb is a Barrie-based photojournalist whose work often appears on BarrieToday.
