1. Firebird Times SPECIAL EDITION The Halifax Explosion Edition
Dec 6th, 2006
Editor: Abbey Troup -8-5
Journalist: Paige Dobson- 8-5

2. The Halifax Explosion, a history
of benzol, and more than 300 rounds of ammunitions. The Mont-Blanc was
instantly on fire and drifted to and up against a pier, setting it on fire. Hundreds of people on their way to work or school flocked to the docks to watch the blazing ship, and also went to windows to watch. Just moments after setting the dock afire, the Mont-Blanc exploded. It was 9:05 a.m. The force of the explosion blew the ton ship onto metal fragments, causing a little tidal wave to sweep over the Halifax dock area and blew the equally large Imo to the Dartmouth bank. The devastation was immediate, and huge. The people not instantly killed by falling objects of flying glass and metal, were trampled by running people, or hurt themselves by landing on something. These people were taken to hospitals
Today is a very special
day, though it may not seem
like one. Maybe today is your
birthday, or your friends
birthday, or maybe it’s an
anniversary. Well, today is an
anniversary. It’s December
6th, the anniversary of the
Halifax Explosion. An
explosion that occurred before
the nuclear bomb. Now, you
may be thinking, “Why should
I care?”, you should care
because it’s a part of you.
Whether you have lived all
your life in Halifax, or
have just moved here, our
history is a part of you. If you
haven’t guessed by now, I’m
going to give you a quick
history lesson. On December
6th, 1917 at 8:45, the Mont
Blanc (ammunitions ship) and
the Imo (a Belgian relief ship)
collided. The Imo cut a huge
gash in the Mont Blanc, which
at the time was a floating
bomb carrying tons of
wet and dry picric acid, 35 tons

3. where many people died,
and waited to be treated.
To make matters worse,
that night and all the next
Day a blizzard roared,
hampering rescue efforts
and killing even more
people in the cold. The
death toll was well over 2
000, and the injured and/or
missing list well over
The explosion literally
knocked Halifax flat. It was
said that it looked like a
card city that someone
blew over. Pieces of the
Mont-Blanc like the cannon,
of the anchor were found
miles away in Windsor and
Truro. As horrible as it was,
some good came of it.
People from England and
the United States sent
medical personnel,
workmen, and supplies
to Halifax and the wealthy
opened up their homes as
makeshift hospitals. It
brought out the best in
people, like Boston. The State of Boston sent us
many men to help down to
help us. Ever since that fateful day, we are eternally grateful to the State of Boston and to this day, we send the biggest and the best Christmas tree we can find down to Boston as thanks.
Today at 9:05, Haligonians will stop the left side of the clock tower at exactly 9:05, and at the same time they will shoot one round on ammunition at the same time. So today take a minute out of your math class or hockey game to remember all the people who died that fateful day 89 years ago. I know I will.
Paige Dobson