note: transcription publicly contributed - please contact us with comments, errors or omisions

Ch. 10 2

Of the crew of the "PATRICIA", five gave up their lives in the performance of their duty. These were Michael Maltus, Frank Killen, William Broderick, John Duggan and Walter Hennessey. The city has testified its admiration for their steadfastness by voting pensions for their families. One man had a miraculous escape. This was William Wells, engineer of the "PATRICIA". The force of the explosion flung him across the street against a pole. His own account is that he left the engine, or the engine left him, he did not know which, but anyhow they parted. His shoulder was dislocated and his arm broken by the impact. There he lay, helpless. The so-called "tidal wave" swept up from the harbor, as far as the middle of Mulgrave Park. He was drenched and almost drowned, and, when he was picked up, was not expected to live. However, he did recover and regained his usual health.
After the explosion a second alarm called out the remaining engines and men of the Fire Department. The direction of this force devolved upon Controller Hines; he did not know that the head of the Department was lying under his engine, dead. His idea was that Condon was fighting the fires on the eastern slope, so he concentrated his efforts upon the western section about the Cotton Factory. As stated before, the fires rose from the ruins of separate houses. There was no general conflagration, but there was great danger of a general fire, in case of the wind shifting and blowing from the North. Had the wind come up, nothing could have





PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF NOVA SCOTIA
HALIFAX