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MG 1 VOL 2124 number 272a

HALIFAX DISASTER RECORD OFFICE
CHRONICLE BUILDING

HALIFAX, N.S.

According to the best evidence obtainable and the coolest judgement of competent persons, the collision was purely accidental.

The Effects

Abandoned by her cres [sic], the "Mont Blanc" had drifted close to Pier 8, and in this vicinity the effects of the explosion were most severely felt.

The industrial section of Halifax extending over two square miles was wrecked. The houses collapsed, and soon caught fire. There was no sweeping conflagration, each house was a separate fire.

The wharves, shipping, railway station etc., suffered severely.

It is estimated that two thousand persons were killed by the explosion or died of injuries the same day.

The shock was felt all over the city. One immediate effect was the breaking of windows in every building in the city. The broken glass caused severe wounds in the head and face, in many cases destroying the eyesight.