Show tit r WORST DISASTER 1 IN MANY YEARS f f f Catastrophe at Halifax Appalling Appall Appall- 1 in ing nig in the Loss of Life tJ 3 1 and Property J t i i BIG PART OF CITY IN RUINS 0 i Fire Following Rain of Explosives 1 Completes Destruction Port Destruction Port and Q J iJ Harbor One of the Most Valued k tf 1 of British Naval Posts Z fL d rf 1 i Outside the toll of life claimed on onland onland r C land and sea sen by the great war the they y catastrophe at Halifax is by far the 1 greatest disaster In many years f J 0 Numerous explosions have haye occurred In plants In this country and of 3 Europe but the Halifax disaster Is the cr tr most tragic explosion in the number numbers r of lives lost In the last quarter cent cen- cen T s i t tury Indeed few catastrophes of an any Y nature have probably exceeded It inthe In Inthe l.- l. the number of dead Lt- Lt p Pilot ot Frank Mackie Mackle of the Mont MontBlanc r r Blanc declared that the collision resulted re re- re- re suIted from a confusion of whistles f sounded Bounded by the loma Ioma causing a collision col col- c. c with the Mont Blanc which arrived arrived ar ar- rived Ived at a United States Atlantic port porton r t on November 9 laden with tons ls' ls of munitions for France She was In InI Inbound I. I i I t bound from New Kew York when she was wast f t rammed by the Belgian relief ship rt t loma a aI I Flames Caught Benzine I The Impact set fire to a deck load kf f benzine on the French ship and the 1 J flames quickly communicated with the s 's munitions resulting In a practical if P bombardment t of the city p- p The zone of ot destruction in Halifax ax itself extended from the North street streets r o fC s railway station as far fal north as Afric- Afric tJ 1 IVille to Bedford basin and covered an anarea y jo area of about two square miles In the l' l section known as Richmond The i buildings which h were not demolished a S. S by the force of the terrific explosion were destroyed by the fire which fol fol- fol- fol lowed District Densely Populated t The devastated de district was the older old- old ier ler part port of Halifax and thickly 1 I It t contained In n addition to j t n C i Citadel hill many churches and schools the railway station government government govern govern- ment meat dockyard Wellington barracks r Admiralty House the official resi- resi Y dence of the admiral In command of the North American British squad squad- iron the military hospital post once office provisional parliament building city shall the ordnance department most of r the department stores all of the telegraph telegraph tele tell graph raph cable offices and a few ew hotels ho ho- r The better residence district was was almost almost alt al- al t most unharmed It lies s southward f- f from the Queens and includes most of ot the the churches Including St. St Marys Mary's noman Ro Ro- man inan Catholic c cathedral In th the swept fire-swept section were the J IJ L parliament buildings post office three f 1 r n J J newspaper offices Ro Royal al Bank of Canada Canada Can Can- ada Canadian Bank of Commerce Bank of Nova Scotia Bank Dank of British North America aud 3 the Bank Dank of Mon Mon- treal Other structures ed cl are Dalhousie Dalhousie Dalhousie Dal- Dal housie college two Roman Catholic convents the Presbyterian terian Theological c college ollege the government technical college college col- col lege ege 42 4 churches and 80 factories including ill iu- luding Iron foundries breweries veries distilleries distilleries dis- dis and two sugar refineries FAMOUS FOR BEAUTY One of the oldest of Canadian cities Halifax also Is one of the most plc- plc It has two principal beauty beauy beau- beau t ty y spots Point Pleasant park parl and the he the Public Gardens The first lies between the North Arm a fiord three miles lilies long and the harbor proper The he North Arm Is the cruising basin for or canoes and pleasure craft of small size Ize Two hundred acres of oC land make mae makeup up ip Point Pleasant park and the woods have haye lave been left In a wild state The roads roads oads are splendid They hey were built for or military purposes The park hasi has a i pair of magnificent Iron gates given gi to o the city by Sir William Yo Young ng a u former chief Justice of the province The They are set at the head of Young avenue venue one of the principal roads of the he park parI A mile from Young avenue a gates are re the Public Gardens the most cul- cul ti spot nl ni Canada and said to tobe tobe tobe be Its most beautiful garden An area of 20 acres Is thus given up for purpose pur- pur pose ose of pleasure right In the heart of the he city When the land was originally origin origin- ally taken en up for park purposes it lay layon layon layon on the outskirts of the town and was wasa a hunting field It Is laid out in formal flower beds a band stand and precise walks Like Bit of London A dozen public buildings path each with witha a i history also tended to soften the of ot the tithe garrison city Houses originally built of wood and stucco and later ater of stone and brick and patterned after the thc English style give the visitor visitor visitor tor the Impression that Halifax is a corner of London Itself lifted and transplanted In Nova Scotia From the citadel a beautiful view of the entire city and harbor is given Facing the water front one looking from the fortress may see the entire business district of Halifax l lying parallel parallel par par- to the docks and extending back almost a mile from the water front On three sides of the citadel l the residence residence resi resi- dence section slopes to the away water water wa wa- ter which almost surrounds the prom prom- always took the greatest great glent est pride In th their r hubl public buildings Inthe In Tn Inthe the point of age Old OM Martello Tower built bunt during the earliest days of the city's history is second only only to St St. P Pauls Paul's ul's chur church h. h It was used as an out out- outpost outpost outpost post then hen settlers were unable to leave the fortifications ns of the colon colony without taking chances of being scalped scalp scalp- ed by the thc Indians I Other Noted Buildings Th The Provincial Building the Government Government Government Govern Govern- ment House the Cit City Hall the Dominion DominIon Dominion Domin Domin- ion Building and find the new Customs Hou House ou e were among the edifices of ot which the natives of Halifax boasted Other buildings of prominence are the Dalhousie College Provincial Museum 1 Academy of Mu Music l Ic Y M M. C. C A. A BuildIng Building Building Build Build- ing Odd Fellows' Fellows Temple and th the three principal hotels lIa Halifax II fax Prince George and Queens Among the famous edifices of oC the city Is the St. St Pauls Paul's Episcopal Church I said to be the oldest Protestant church built in North America It was constructed constructed constructed con con- In Boston In 1750 a n year after the town was founded and carried In schooners to Halifax where the parts were put together The story Is told that when Cornwallis wrote the Earl of Halifax he wanted to build a church the earl carl replied by sending to Canada the he architect who built St. St Peters Peter's In London The architect patterned the desired church exactly after St. St Peters Peter's When parts arrived the colonists often had hado to o la lay down their theil implements and take takeo taketo taketo to o their guns to drive off the Indians who made frequent attacks upon the workers St. St Matthews Matthew's Presbyterian Church which was built during the late years of the eighteenth century was destro destroy destroyed de de- stroy ed by fire In 1857 1807 only to be re re- re- re built Cathedral Also Noted One of the most beautiful buildings In n the city is the St St. Marys Mary's Catholic Cathedral With a tall white spire extending upward It Is visible for miles Religion of all denominations seems to o thrive In Nova Scotia for In a recent recent recent re re- re- re cent census of religions only persons persons per per- persons sons were listed as belonging to no sect At present there are Ronan Ro- Ro man nan inan Catholics Presbyterians Baptists Anglicans Methodists and a few thousand spread through the Adventists Disciples and Jews Of the latter there were Eighty years ears ago when the province was vas small and practically uninhabited the he Presbyterians were the largest bod body ody although there was a flourishing colony of ot Roman Catholics at Cape Breton The Baptists then were an Inconsiderable inconsiderable inconsiderable In in- considerable body of poor peasants with badly educated teachers and preachers Today the Baptists stand thIrd hird In the list of denominations One of Worlds World's Best Harbors Halifax has one of the finest harbors har- har bors ors In the world and Is s the chief Canadian gateway for exports It Is Is the capital of Nova No Scotia with a population copulation of The city Is three miles long and a mile wide Is built on the eastern slope of a small penin penin- sula sule It Is a n garrison city and has eleven forts and batteries Including the thc Citadel Citadel Citadel Cita Cita- del once one of the strongest fortifications fortifications fortifications In America The harbor Is s open all year Its inner haven Is Bedford Basin 20 miles in in n circumference In which the thc colli colli- collision collision sion slop and explosion occurred I have se seen n as many as us ocean vessels In Inthe Inthe inthe the basin at once Vast new wharves and railway terminals ter ter- are being constructed by the government at nt a cost of but aut these are near the tip of the peninsula peninsula peninsula penin penin- sula at the south and evidently were not harmed Halifax Is Gla miles nearer Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool Liver Liver- pool of than Is New York for transAtlantic trans Atlan tic liners It Tt Is GOO miles from New York Founded By Cornwallis In 1749 Colonel Edward Cornwallis left Britain In 1749 and founded the city The French armada gathered there in 1757 bent on demolishing Louisburg only to meet disaster through storm and plague Howe went to Halifax with his men after they were defeated at Boston Great numbers of ot royalists fr from m New York found refuge there In Inthe Inthe inthe the revolution Halifax was the chief British base of supplies One hundred and six warships mall mail harbor there In 1812 The rhe that burnt Washington started Iron rOIl II Halifax all And AmI It was there the Shannon Slum Shan non sailed salted with her hm prize the he hex peake e. e I r |