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MG 1 vol 2124 number 283
Halifax Disaster Record Office
Chronicle Building
Halifax, N.S.
Dec. 22, 1917.

MEMORANDUM 1.
JOURNAL.
Thursday, Dec. 6, 1917.

The Cause.
The cause of the disaster at Halifax on December 6, 1917, was the collision of the Belgian Relief shop "Imo" with the French ammunition shop "Mont Blanc" in the "Narrows", the strait between Halifax Harbour proper and Bedford Basin. The "Imo" was coming out and the "Mont Blanc" was going in.

The collision occurred a few minutes before 9 a.m. The "Mont Blanc", which is said to have been loaded with T.N.T. and to have carried a deck load of benzol and picric acid, was observed to be on fire shortly after the collision.

The crew of the "Mont Blanc" abandoned their ship on the outbreak of the fire. They took to their boats (two) and rowed to the Dartmouth shore.

At 9.05 a.m. the "Mont Blanc", which had drifted in to Pier 6, blew up. The city clock is still stopped at 9:05. Other clocks have been observed as stopped at that hour.