When the world fell silent, by Donna Jones Alward (The Halifax Explosion December 6th, 1917)

When the world fell silent  (follow to purchase)

I just finished reading this fascinating historical novel about The Halifax Explosion by Donna Jones Alward. On 6 December 1917, the explosives-laden SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo collided in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, causing a massive explosion, a tidal wave, and fires. Nearly 2,000 people died and thousands more were injured in the largest man-made explosion (until the nuclear bombs). 206 people were blinded mainly from the window glass in their homes. Curious people watched the collision of two ships and the subsequent fire that set off the explosion. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind was formed on March 18th, 1918 to assist and re-train the blind survivors. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

(The novel is also available on Kindle.)

Additional note: the Halifax explosion took place in the middle of the 1st World War when thousands of young Canadians were shipping out to Europe.

It was followed by the virulent Spanish flu, a devastating and previously unknown form of influenza, that struck Canada hard between 1918 and 1920. This international pandemic killed approximately 50,000 people in Canada, most of whom were young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. These deaths compounded the impact of the more than 60,000 Canadians killed in service during the First World War (1914-18).

Inadequate quarantine measures, powerlessness against the illness, and a lack of national coordination between military, political, and public health authorities hindered the efforts of countless doctors, nurses, volunteers, and members of charitable organizations who were risking their lives to ensure that a large number of the ill and their families survived. The Spanish flu was a significant event in the evolution of public health in Canada. It led to the creation of the federal Department of Health in 1919, which established a partnership between the various levels of government and made public health a shared responsibility.

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Halifax, Oromocto NB, Quebec City)

August 8th, we left Halifax, Nova Scotia, to begin the two-week drive back to BC. My pal Kyla Damen-Willems has joined Sparky and me for the trip. It's nice to have a human to talk to for a change, and someone to share the driving.

Out with Kyla's friends in Halifax

August 9th: Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America. Yesterday we drove to Oromocto, NB, and today to Quebec City, QB.

I have been lazy with taking photos ... partly because the weather has been wet and cloudy.

August 10th: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. One of my favourite cities.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator

Quebec City, Quebec

Cat in window, 

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

 

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Halifax NS)

Aug 3 to 6th: Hey there! I haven't written a blog post for a few days, and you probably thought that I had fallen off the edge of the earth. Honestly, when I arrived in Halifax, I was worn out and needed some serious downtime. My car has hardly moved since Sparky and I arrived in Halifax on August 1st.

City of Halifax (not my photo)

I've poked around the city a bit, visiting a few of the better-known attractions, but mainly I've napped. Slept. Napped. And slept some more. 

Now, I'm ready to get back to the adventure. 

My Penticton friend, Kyla Damen-Willems, arrives tomorrow. She's joining Sparky and me for the 5600 kilometre (about 3500 miles) drive to BC. It will be great to have another human along because Sparky isn't a good conversationalist. When I talk to him, he just looks at me as if I'm slightly bonkers. 

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Cadets at Halifax Citadel

From the internet: Halifax, an Atlantic Ocean port in eastern Canada, is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. A major business centre since the 1840s, it’s also known for its maritime history.

 The city is dominated by the hilltop Citadel, a star-shaped fort completed in the 1850s. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers, notably during the War of 1812.

Inside the Halifax Citadel

Our hotel is near the citadel (the star-shaped fort in the middle of the top photo), and across the street from a beautiful public garden. 

Strangely, the public garden does not allow dogs, dog walkers, cyclists, joggers, scooters, or photography of wedding groups. The sign left me wondering who was allowed to venture through the gorgeous wrought iron gates.

The Point Pleasant park has an interesting policy about dogs. They are allowed off-leash until 10:00 a.m., then not allowed at all later in the day. I think that's a great compromise.

On the return trip to Penticton, BC, Kyla and I will share the driving, and we expect to arrive back home around the 21st of August.

Cheers, Lynda, and The Sparkinator

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Titanic victims buried in Halifax NS)

Aug 2nd: "Did you know that many of the victims of the Titanic disaster are buried in Halifax?" the young woman asked.

I shook my head, "I didn't know that. How interesting." And so, Sparky and I drove the short distance from our hotel in downtown Halifax to the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where the graves for 121 people are arranged in the shape of a ship's hull.  

From a New York Times online article: 

This somber stewardship came about largely by chance: Halifax happened to be the closest major port with good rail connections when the ship sank, 700 nautical miles away in the North Atlantic.

Three ships sent from Halifax to find the Titanic’s dead recovered more than 300 bodies. 

About 100 were buried at sea, but families who could afford the cost had 59 others transported elsewhere by rail. 

The rest were buried locally, some of them attended to by a funeral home that is still in business.

Out of the 2,208 people who boarded the Titanic in Southampton, only 705 survived when the ship sank.

It was a sobering experience to see so many graves with the same date of death: April 15th, 1912.