Coleman's final telegraphed message — "Munitions ship on fire. The survivors. If you were walking around Halifax, Nova Scotia, on this day back in 1917, you'd have been among the lucky ones. The mistreatment of African-Nova Scotians in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion is, by now, well-known. Maritime Museum of the Atlantic - Halifax Explosion. Coleman's telegraph key, watch and pen are on display in the Halifax Explosion exhibit at Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. In reality the Richmond Station was surrounded by freight yards. Finlayson's mother and other siblings were sent to live with their grandmother on Edward Street and then with other family members in Pictou. They were very treasured by my grandmother.". [5] After sending Lovett's message, Coleman and Lovett were said to have left the CGR depot. More subtle century old articles about early concerns over fresh air and water that would give rise to movements decades later. Finlayson's grandmother Frances and her aunt Eileen, a baby at the time, had serious injuries that would take many months to heal. The vessel drifted from near the mid-channel over to Pier 6 on the slack tide in a matter of minutes and beached herself. Survivors not only lost friends and siblings, but would forever carry the physical and mental scars of that day. "He stopped the train but he didn't have enough time to get away from the area, and he lost his life as a result." It would be the biggest and most devastating explosion in history until the invention of the nuclear bomb. Nearly 2000 people died from the Halifax explosion, many killed instantly from the blast. Though she had been given clearance to leave the port on 5 December, Imo's departure was delayed because her coal load did not arrive until late that afternoon. On Dec. 6, 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax harbour, creating the largest man-made explosion in history at the time. But Halifax has not forgotten, and every Dec. 6, just before 9 am, there is a service by the Memorial Bells at Fort Needham, close to where SS Mont-Blanc exploded. [13][14], Nova Scotia Vital Statistics, Birth: Registration Year: 1874 - Book: 1811 - Page: 5 - Number: 92; Death: Registration Year: 1917 - Page: 102 - Number: 613, Investigation into the Halifax Explosion, RG 42-C-3-a, vol. Ships from its harbor carried troops and supplies to the armies in Europe. Goodbye." Stop it. Cars were left in twisted masses. "My mother said the street was on fire, houses were burning and people were running up the Russell Street hill, they were all running. The Halifax Explosion started when two ships collided in the harbor of … Patrick Vincent Coleman. When an explosion off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, devastated much of the city on December 6, 1917, doctors and nurses in Boston were quick to act. My 10-year-old son uses his LEGO to re-enact the events of the Halifax Explosion of December 1917, when two ships collided in Halifax harbour, creating the largest man-made explosion … As a result of the blast, the Imo was found beached on the Dartmouth shore, lifted there by the massive tidal wave. A condominium near Mount Olivet Cemetery on Bayer's Road is named The Vincent Coleman, also in his honour. The family finally reunited a year and a half later. "The horrific day that changed not only their lives, but the lives of thousands of people in north-end Halifax.". He had risen in the firm of Hornblower & Weeks from the position of clerk to partner on the strength of his hard work. The survivors. However, the dispatcher returned to the telegraph office and continued sending warning messages along the rail line as far as Truro to stop trains inbound for Halifax. The barrel of one of Mont-Blanc's guns landed 3.5 miles to the north while part of her anchor landed 2.0 miles to the south. "They were kept in a very safe place. From there, trains were controlled on the mainline into Halifax. "After the collision the Mont-Blanc was grounded at Pier 6 and 20 minutes later kaboom! The record is unclear. HERITAGE MINUTES. [7], Although historians debate whether Coleman's initial message actually contributed to stopping the No. She remembers growing up hearing the story of Coleman, who was working as a train dispatcher at the station in the Richmond Depot just before two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. First, we watched a couple of videos – including the short Heritage Minute that showcased the efforts Vince Coleman, a train dispatcher who ran back to the office to message an incoming train full of passengers to stop them from arriving just as the explosion … She can be reached at amy.smith@cbc.ca or on Twitter @amysmithcbc, Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 10's Conductor Gillespie reported to the Moncton Transcript that although running on time, "his train was held for fifteen minutes by the dispatcher at Rockingham."[8]. People screaming and yelling.". Dan Conlin, "Vincent Coleman and the Halifax Explosion", "They've been acknowledged: Vince Coleman, Rita Joe chosen as new Halifax ferry names", "He loved the railway and he loved his job': Halifax ferry dedicated to Vincent Coleman", Google Maps location of Vince Coleman's burial site, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vince_Coleman_(train_dispatcher)&oldid=993117688, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 December 2020, at 21:51. It destroyed much of the city and must have remained a horrific memory for those who survived. White-hot shards of iron rained down on Halifax and neighboring Dartmouth. Faced with a choice to run for safety or risk his life to save people bound for Halifax, the dispatcher put others first. Minutes later came a dull rumble from the east, like a distant thunderclap, as the largest man-made explosion in human history until that time levelled the city of Halifax. After spending more than a decade as a reporter covering the Nova Scotia legislature, Amy Smith joined CBC News in 2009 as host for CBC Nova Scotia News as well as Atlantic Tonight at 11. The explosion was a cargo explosion on a ship that led to nearly two thousand deaths. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 15 November 2017 , ... tapping out a message on his telegraph key, warning stations up the line to stop any trains from entering Halifax. The Halifax Explosion of 1917. #PARTOFOURHERITAGE. ... An incoming passenger train was stopped outside the … That’s when, on the morning of December 6, 1917, a massive shock wave, often called the largest manmade explosion before the atomic bomb, stopped the clock. 10 from Saint John, New Brunswick, carrying nearly 300 passengers, was due to arrive at 8:55 a.m. Before leaving the office, Lovett called CGR terminal agent Henry Dustan to warn him of a burning ship laden with explosives that were heading for the pier. Steamers were slammed against the docks. Despite being one of the most tragic and devastating man-made disasters in North American history, the Halifax Explosion remains largely unknown.On Dec. 6, 1917, the collision of a Norwegian supply ship with a French freighter hauling high explosives in the narrow waterway between Halifax, Nova Scotia's Bedford Basin and the Atlantic resulted in an explosion unprecedented until the … If you were walking around Halifax, Nova Scotia, on this day back in 1917, you'd have been among the lucky ones. 596 and Appeal Book and other records, RG 42-C-3-a, vol. A cloud of smoke rose 20,000 feet in the air while over 400 acres was completely destroyed by the explosion. He managed to stop the train just short of the damage zone but lost his life in the explosion. On May 22, 1868, they stopped a train near Marshfield and beat a guard with pistols and crow bars before making off with $96,000—which was more than the James gang ever managed to score. And that is how Ann Finlayson remembers him — an ordinary family man who gave his life on an extraordinary day. Directed by Richard Ciupka. According to MacMechan, the train was past the point where it could be stopped because it had already passed the Rockingham station, the last station before Richmond. Halifax was rebuilt and international rules about identifying dangerous cargo were strengthened. But Vince Coleman was killed when the Mont Blanc exploded, as were nearly 2,000 other people. Coleman was an experienced dispatcher who had been commended a few years earlier for helping to safely stop a runaway train.[2]. Making for Pier 6. The train was halted at Rockingham Station, on the western shore of Bedford Basin, approximately 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) from the downtown terminal. The blast was the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic age. "He was an ordinary man, a family man, and he just went to work that day never assuming anything special was going to happen," Coleman's granddaughter, Ann Finlayson, said in an interview from her Ottawa home. Twentieth-century wartime activity (1914-18 and 1940-45) again heightened Halifax's enduring strategic role, as the city became a major port for shipping supplies to Europe. A street is named after him in the Clayton Park neighbourhood of Halifax, and in 2007 a section of Albert Street near his old home was renamed Vincent Street. An accepted version of Coleman's Morse code message reads as follows: Hold up the train. The line ran along the western shore of Bedford Basin from Rockingham Station to the city's passenger terminal at the North Street Station, located a mile to the south of Richmond Station. "Dan Conlin, "Vincent Coleman and the Halifax Explosion", "Vincent Coleman and the Halifax Explosion". Dec. 6, 1917. 9000 others were injured and 6,000 were left without shelter. [11] A Halifax harbour ferry was named Vincent Coleman, by popular vote in the spring of 2017. After the telegraph lines to Halifax went dead, Vincent Coleman’s last message out had flashed from station to station along the Eastern Seaboard (Mac Donald, Curse of The Narrows – The Halifax Explosion 1917, p. 103). Making for Pier 6. Halifax, Nova Scotia is a busy, fast-paced city with something exciting always going on. On the morning of 6 December 1917, the 45-year-old Coleman and Chief Clerk William Lovett were working in the Richmond station, surrounded by the railway yards near the foot of Richmond Street, only a few hundred feet from Pier 6. Two men on the Halifax side who had learned that an explosion was imminent were Vincent Coleman, a railway dispatcher in the nearby railway yards, and William Lovett, chief clerk of the yards, who was warning people in the yards about the Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo. Train No. The devastating Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made detonation before the creation of nuclear weapons. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. And they saw clouds coming up from the harbour. The line ran along the western shore of Bedford Basin from Rockingham Station to the city's passenger terminal at the North Street Station, located a mile to the south of Richmond Station. From there, trains were controlled on the mainline into Halifax. A view of the “cauliflower-like plume” from the explosion. The Halifax Explosion devastated the north end of the city, killing nearly 2,000 and injuring 9,000. And it gave people there a sense that something was wrong in Halifax. After realizing the munitions ship Mont-Blanc was going to blow, Coleman sent frantic messages trying to stop a train full of passengers headed for the city. Preparatory work entailed “de-commissioning” the ship. 10 passenger train was stopped just before the explosion occurred. Today he is remembered as one of the heroic figures from the disaster. Investigation into the Halifax Explosion, RG 42-C-3-a, vol. Air Travel, Vaccines for Smallpox and Polio, the rise of Mass Communication and the emergence of a Global Economy. Mont-Blanc's forward 90 mm gun, its barrel melted away, landed approximately 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north of the explosion … Moments before the 1917 explosion, a train dispatcher warned an approaching passenger train, saving the lives of hundreds of people. The Halifax Explosion was a maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the morning of 6 December 1917. Trains were stopped dead. After the explosion, Coleman's message, followed by other messages later sent by railway officials who made their way to Rockingham, passed word of the disaster to the rest of Canada. The railway quickly mobilized aid, sending a dozen relief trains with fire and medical help from towns in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the day of the disaster, followed two days later by help from other parts of Canada and from the United States, most notably Boston. Patrick Vincent Coleman (13 March 1872 – 6 December 1917)[1] was a train dispatcher for the Canadian Government Railways (formerly the ICR, Intercolonial Railway of Canada) who was killed in the Halifax Explosion, but not before he sent a message to an incoming passenger train to stop outside the range of the explosion. Train dispatcher Vince Coleman sacrifices his own life to save a train from the Halifax Explosion. 10 did stop, and his message also reached every station from Halifax to Truro. "She had my grandfather's telegrapher's key and his watch. The spectators had no idea that 20 minutes later, the fire would trigger the largest man-made explosion to that date. 10 and save the 300 people aboard? THE 1945 HALIFAX EXPLOSION by Ted Doyle Following HMCS Iroquois’ return to Halifax in June, 1945, the ship was to be re-fitted for service in the South Pacific. Not far away, Ann Finlayson's mother Eleanor was in class at school. "Halifax Explosion". "The most important thing to know is even if he didn't stop the train, the messages that he sent out went as far as Truro. Hope amid the rubble: How the disastrous Halifax Explosion sparked reform, Viola Desmond's sister recounts family's Halifax Explosion experiences, How braille, screen readers and other technology changed the world for blind readers, Halifax Explosion stamp captures moment after ships collided, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. One of the Mont-Blanc’s cannon barrels was thrown three and a half miles, and her 1/2 ton anchor was later found two miles in the opposite direction. This is a city where the lights always seem to be on, and people always seem to be on the go. During WWI, the port at Halifax was a beehive of activity. It is a beautiful city nestled right by the water and a popular tourist attraction. Passengers boarding a train in Halifax this month. Good-bye, boys. Their house collapsed. But Vince Coleman was killed when the Mont Blanc exploded, as were nearly 2,000 other people. RELEASED 1991. On that bright morning of December 6, one of the ships heading out from Halifax was the Mont-Blanc. The Halifax explosion affected entire generations. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The Norwegian ship SS Imo had sailed from the Netherlands en route to New York to take on relief supplies for Belgium, under the command of Haakon From. White-hot shards of iron fell down upon Halifax and Dartmouth. John Boileau, a historian and retired Canadian Army colonel, has written a book, 6.12.17 The Halifax Explosion about the disaster. J.J. Phelan was a man of action. [6], The telegraphed warnings were apparently heeded, as the No. At approximately 8:45 a.m., there was a collision between SS Mont-Blanc, a French munitions ship carrying a cargo of high explosives, and a Norwegian vessel, SS Imo. "They heard this tremendous bang. Woods, who has written a play about the importance of Ligoure and other Black Haligonians during the explosion, told me that the unsung quality of the doctor’s heroism was another disappointment in a life that had more than its share. So they all ran home," she said. The Halifax Explosion: The Halifax Explosion was a disaster that occurred in Nova Scotia in Canada. “Hold up the train. Patrick Vincent Coleman was a train dispatcher for the Canadian Government Railways who was killed in the Halifax Explosion, but not before he sent a message to an incoming passenger train to stop out of range of the explosion. A crowd of several hundred gathered at the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower on Fort Needham in Halifax on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. No. On that day, the Halifax explosion was the most powerful explosion that had ever been created by man. On the morning of December 6, 1917, two ships collided in the harbor of the Canadian province of Halifax in Nova Scotia resulting in a massive explosion that ultimately killed 2,000 people and injured thousands more. Of course, Ed was wondering what had happened until he spoke to a friend who worked on the train. The loading of fuel was not completed until after the anti-sub… More Nova Scotians were killed in the explosion than were killed in WWI. Kernaghan, Lois and Richard Foot. The devastating Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made detonation before the creation of nuclear weapons. 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