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John Cooper, Dawson St.

Characterized as "thoroughly reliable" by J. H. M [Believed to be John H. Mitchell of the Disaster Record Office]

Had gone down to track near Brewery to see about some freight cars. Watched boats for a quarter of an hour before the collision. The Belgian boat was coming down the East side. A friend said "I bet they're going to collide." Cooper laughed at him, but as the boats passed each other, their bows lapped, and their bilges came together. The 'IMO' had blown "two or three" times, and the 'MONT BLANC' "positively three times." Saw two boat loads of crew leave the munition ship and row towards Tuft's Cove. She "turned head on [underlined] towards Halifax, and drifted ashore", after the 'IMO' had backed away. Black smoke came five minutes after the collision. Then "half a dozen little explosions like barrels of oil." 'Con' Oland and Boyd, engineer of the Brewery both of whom perished, came and stood with Cooper, but he soon walked down the track. Twenty minutes after the collision came the big explosion. Cooper was knocked down, and arose only to have hes [his] head cut open by the wreckage of a freight car. Saw a verandah with three women on it collapse and saw their bodies lying motionless. Saw many other bodies, but thought they were only stunned.

N.B.

The 'IMO' was two-thirds of the way across the Narrows. Most spectators through that the boats could pass all right.