The Shattered Sky

    On that morning of December 6, one of the ships near Halifax was the Mont-Blanc. It was loaded with dangerous chemicals, like benzol. This is a liquid similar to gasoline that can blow up easily. 

    Around 8:30 a.m., the Mont-Blanc entered Halifax Harbor. At the same time, a ship called the Imo was leaving the harbor. As the two ships sped toward each other, both pilots blared their whistles. But it was too late. 

    Crash!

    The Imo smashed into the Mont-Blanc. The barrels of benzol fell over and broke open. The metal on the two ships scraped together. Sparks flew. And then . . .

    WHOOSH!

    The benzol burst into flames. Francis Mackey, the Mont-Blanc’s pilot, knew there was nothing he could do. Soon the rest of the chemicals on the ship would catch fire too.

    On December 6, a ship called the Mont-Blanc was heading toward Halifax Harbor. The ship was loaded with dangerous chemicals. One of the chemicals was benzol. It can blow up easily. 

    Around 8:30 that morning, the Mont-Blanc entered the harbor. At the same time, a ship called the Imo was leaving the harbor. Both pilots blared their whistles to tell the other ship to get out of the way. But it was too late. 

    Crash!

    The Imo smashed into the Mont-Blanc. The barrels of benzol broke open. The metal on the two ships scraped together. Sparks flew. And then . . .

    WHOOSH!

    The benzol burst into flames. Francis Mackey was the pilot of the Mont-Blanc. He knew he could not put out the flames. He knew the rest of the chemicals would catch fire too.

    One of the ships approaching Halifax that fateful morning was called the Mont-Blanc. The ship was loaded with dangerous chemicals, such as benzol—a liquid similar to gasoline that can easily ignite.

    Just as the Mont-Blanc was entering Halifax Harbor, at around 8:30 a.m., another ship called the Imo was exiting the harbor. As the two ships sped toward each other, both pilots blared their whistles—but it was too late. 

    Crash!

    The Imo smashed into the Mont-Blanc, causing the barrels of benzol to fall over and break open. Sparks flew as the metal on the two ships scraped together. And then . . .

    WHOOSH!

    The benzol burst into flames. Francis Mackey, the Mont-Blanc’s pilot, knew he could not extinguish the flames—or prevent the other chemicals from catching on fire.

    Mackey and the Mont-Blanc crew got into lifeboats. They rowed toward shore. Mackey waved and shouted at other ships. He was trying to warn them. But no one seemed to notice.

    Noble saw flames rising from the Mont-Blanc. He wanted a better look. So he walked toward the harbor. And at about 9 a.m. .  .  . 

    BOOM! 

    The Mont-Blanc exploded. The blast was powerful. People could feel the ground shake 250 miles away.

    In Dartmouth and Halifax, ships flipped over. Trains flew off their rails. Factories fell down. Trees snapped in two. Windows shattered. 

    The force of the explosion lifted Noble into the air. He landed near his school. He was unconscious. For about 10 minutes, black rain fell. It was a mix of burned benzol, melted metal, and other debris.

    Mackey and the Mont-Blanc crew quickly abandoned the ship on lifeboats. As they rowed toward shore, Mackey waved and shouted at other ships to warn them of the danger. But no one seemed to notice.

    From his home, Noble observed flames from the Mont-Blanc flicking toward the sky. He walked toward the harbor for a better view. The Mont-Blanc was now floating toward Noble’s neighborhood. And at about 9 a.m. .  .  . 

    BOOM! A powerful explosion rocked the harbor.

    In a fraction of a second, the Mont-Blanc was ripped to pieces. The temperature of the explosion likely reached 9,000 degrees. People could feel the ground shake 250 miles away.

    In Dartmouth and Halifax, ships flipped over, trains flew off rails, and factories fell down. In neighborhoods, doors were ripped from houses, trees snapped in two, and windows shattered. 

    The force of the explosion propelled Noble through the air. He landed near his school, unconscious. For about 10 minutes, black rain fell—a mix of burned benzol, melted metal, and other debris.

    When Noble woke up, he saw that most of the buildings were gone. Fires burned everywhere. His jacket had been blown off. His skin was blackened by the rain, and pieces of glass stuck in his hair.

    But there was more horror to come. The explosion set off a huge wave that crashed through Dartmouth and Halifax. It knocked over more buildings and swept people away. 

    Luckily for Noble, the wave did not reach him. In a daze, he headed back toward his house. When he got there, there was almost nothing left. 

    And Noble learned that one of his 13 siblings—his little brother Gordon—was missing.

    Noble woke up. He saw fires burning everywhere. His skin was blackened from the rain. Pieces of glass were stuck in his hair.

    But there was more horror to come. The explosion set off a huge wave. It crashed through Dartmouth and Halifax. It knocked over more buildings. It swept people away. 

    Luckily for Noble, the wave did not reach him. He headed back to his house. But almost nothing of it was left. 

    Noble had 13 siblings. When he got home, he learned that his little brother Gordon was missing.

    When Noble woke up, he saw that most of the buildings were gone and fires were burning all around him. His jacket had been blown off, his skin was blackened by the rain, and pieces of glass were stuck in his hair.

    But more horror was to come: The explosion triggered a massive wave that crashed through Dartmouth and Halifax, knocking over more buildings and sweeping people away. 

    Fortunately for Noble, the wave did not reach him. In a daze, he headed back toward his house, but when he got there, he discovered that there was almost nothing left. 

    More tragically, upon arriving home, Noble learned that one of his 13 siblings—his little brother Gordon—was missing.