Wednesday, March 28, 2007

HALIFAX DISASTER

1) THE PORT OF HALIFAX IN 1917 IS CHOKED WITH WARSHIPS
2) THE RELIEF SHIP "IMO" STARTS OUT OF NARROW CHANNEL
3) MUNITION SHIP "MONT BLANC" HEADS INTO THE CHANNEL
4) CAPTAIN OF "MONT BLANC" SEES "IMO" ON HIS PORT BOW
5) "MONT BLANC" SIGNALS SHE IS TURNING TO STARBOARD
6) THE "IMO" (LEFT) CONFUSES SIGNAL AND TURNS TO PORT
7) TWO SHIPS MEET, "MONT BLANC" SWERVES, BUT TOO LATE
8) COLLISION CAUSES FLAME TO SPURT FROM "MONT BLANC"
9) "MONT BLANC" CREW FLEES, AWARE OF HER DEADLY CARGO

10) SHIPS COLLIDED AT 9 A.M. NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL 9:17

11) THEN THE 3,000 TONS OF TNT ON "MONT BLANC" EXPLODE

12) WITH 2,000 DEAD, 20,000 INJURED. CITY BURNS ALL NIGHT.

13) NEXT MORNING THE BLACK HORROR OF THE LEVELED CITY IS BLANKETED IN SNOW. ONE OF HISTORY'S WORST DISASTERS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY OBSERVING RULES OF ROAD

Life August 31, 1942

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