An immense tragedy befell Halifax, Nova Scotia, on December 6, 1917 when two ships in its harbor collided setting off the greatest explosion the world had ever seen, not exceeded until the atomic bomb of 1945. Much of the city was leveled, over 2000 lives lost, and 9000 wounded. The response and recovery effort were exemplary of courageous local action and international cooperation, solidifying relations between the U.S. and Canada with lasting effects today. This remarkable event remains little known despite several books about it.
Bacon's book promises to tell a fascinating tale and bring these events to light, but only partly succeeds. He begins strong with suspenseful descriptions unfolding events that brought the two ships to Halifax harbor, then breaks away to details of an odd character's experiences in World War I trenches in France (Joseph Barss). When he returns to Halifax, long descriptions of its harbor and economy follow. The section dealing with how the two ships collided is riveting. Description of the explosion and its immediate effects is awe-full and terrifying. The narrative bogs down in the aftermath with excessive detail, though often heart-rending. Strangely the book skips too lightly over details of the maritime harbor officials' inquiry into how the accident occurred, and the trials that followed to assign guilt. A deeper examination of this process would aid our understanding, though the scape-goating was obvious from the start. Additional accounts of Barss' later life fill the concluding chapters ( he is featured in another book by the author on founding the University of Michigan hockey program.)
An earlier book by Janet Kitz, Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion & the Road to Recovery (1989) is based on her first-hand research and work for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, where she helped put together the exhibit on the explosion, A Moment in Time. It appears that much of Bacon's information derives from this authoritative book, which he cites along with extensive notes on sources.
David
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L. Martin