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Halifax Disaster Record Office
Archibald MacMechan, F. R. S. C.
Director
Halifax, N. S.

Journal
Jan 29 1918

FIRE AT SOUTH END TODAY; THE PEOPLE FEARFUL
Panic Quickly Followed Small Blaze at Freight Shed- Fire Was Put Out in Five Minutes - Military Authorities Say There Was No Fire- Naval Authorities Say There Was One But it Was Quite Harmless.

The South End was startled this morning by an alarm from box 14 and a fire in one of the new railway terminal pier sheds, where at present is a quantity of munitions. People in the south end left their homes in terror or prepared to do so and the children were rushed out the south end schools in session
The fire in shed 24 was incipient and was extinguished with the aid of the apparatus on the premises. Fire Chief Churchill and apparatus were on hand and the chief found hanging up in the midst of the scene of the blaze a lambskin coat badly charred, as if the fire had started there and from that communicated to cases and wood material about the floor. The chief took the coat with him when he left.
All employees working on the Piers and sheds were immediately [illegible] out, fearing the ammunition [illegible] catch but the fire was out in [illegible] few minutes.
Naturally wild reports began to fly and people were running in all directions, trying to get away from the danger field. Practically all the houses in the South End were emptied in no time and many people were expecting a "bang."

From the Picton.
The shed contained 9.2 shells, which are not loaded, and some of the ammunition from the munitions ship Picton. It was the latter that the engineers were taking precaution of and why the employes were ordered to "get out."
Practically by eleven o'clock the fire was out, but the chaotic state was not brought back to normal for some hours after.
In the schools the panic was terrible. All the children were ordered out and home, many screaming and crying with fear of another awful disaster.

Conflicting Statements.
Engineers at the Terminals told the Daily Echo a slight fire, from phosphorus, broke out at the east end of Shed 24 at five minutes to eleven but was extinguished in a very few minutes by a chemical hose in the Shed and was not at all serious. No damage was done. On the other hand the military authorities say there was no fire, only fumes arising from phosphorus stored there.
The naval authorities do not deny that there was a fire but state that it was quite harmless, that there was, is and will be no danger. To the Daily Echo this morning, Captain Pasco, R.N., H.M.C. Dockyard, said that the phosphorous in question was scattered on the deck of the Picton by the explosion. That steamer, he said, had smoke screen apparatus on her deck containing this phosphorous. The Picton, Captain Pasco said, is now unloading cases of shrapnel at the South End. Each case is being inspected. If O.K. it is made ready for shipment, if not it is sent back to the factory. This morning, said Captain Pasco, the munitions inspectors were carrying on their work as usual. One case of shrapnel was being dragged across a bench when some loose phosphorus on the bottom caught and the little puff started a twelve ounce stick of cordite, which blazed up furiously. Captain Pasco explained that little particles of phosphorus had made there way down to the shrapnel cases in the ship's hold and, as for the cordite that he explained by the fact that a number of the cases of shrapnel had been smashed so that pieces of cordite were loosened from the cartridge.
"There is no danger at all," said he. "I wish you would assure the people of that. If the whole shed burned down there would be only little small local explosions. No one would be endangered."

To Ask Investigation.
Controller Hines, in charge of the Fire Department, will ask for a searching investigation into the fire and its causes.