GAIL DRAKE: Now is the time for us to send our own Halifax Tree

“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” — Proverbs 22:9

A few years ago, my Canadian friend invited us to visit them in New Brunswick. We flew into Halifax and spent a couple of days touring scenic Nova Scotia. At the Maritime Museum, I heard for the first time about the worst pre-atomic explosion ever. This disaster destroyed more people and property than the Great Chicago Fire and San Francisco Earthquake, combined. It happened 107 years ago on Dec. 6.

Halifax is a natural narrow harbor, a strategic port in the North Atlantic, and was a hub for railroads, factories and shipping terminals. Early on the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, a Norwegian vessel, SS Imo, was docked and heading to New York to pick up relief supplies for Belgium. After finally getting its load of coal, it was granted clearance to leave port. The French cargo ship SS Mont Blanc was arriving from New York, fully loaded with ammunition. Both ships had been delayed when the harbor had dropped its anti-submarine netting at night. Both in a hurry, the two ships collided in the harbor at 8:45 a.m.

The impact damaged the banzol barrels on the Mont Blanc, causing them to leak vapors. Sparks from the collision ignited the vapors. The ship caught fire, which quickly grew out of control. Several sailors jumped overboard. Twenty minutes later the Mont Blanc blew apart at an estimated temperature of 9,000 degrees. Its anchor was blown two miles away (where it remains today). The nearby water in the harbor evaporated, then sea water surged in, forming a tsunami that rose 60 feet. The Imo was washed ashore. The blast killed many seaman in nearby ships.

On the shore, an area of 400 acres was vaporized. Every building in a 1.6-mile radius was destroyed or damaged. The blast killed more than 1,600 people instantly and injured another 9,000. More than 300 died within days. The blast shattered glass windows, and the shards blinded more than 600 residents. Overturned lamps and stoves caught fire, burning homes.

Firefighter Billy Wells, who had his clothes blown off, described the scene: “The sight was awful, with people hanging out of windows dead. Some with their heads missing, and some thrown onto the overhead telegraph wires.”

My friend’s grandmother was supposed to be in school that day but stayed home sick with the measles. Her school was destroyed. Two large factories disappeared into rubble, and the railroad station was destroyed. To add to the misery, the next day a blizzard dumped 16 inches of snow on the town.

First responders rushed to the scene to extinguish fires and tend to the wounded. British and American warships sent rescue parties, and at least one steamship was converted to a hospital ship. Rescue trains were dispatched from across Canada.

Boston leaders learned of the disaster by telegraph and immediately mobilized. The Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee organized a relief train and dispatched it by 10 p.m. that night. The train was delayed by the blizzard but arrived on Dec. 8, the first on the scene, loaded with water, food, and medical supplies. It also brought doctors and nurses to relieve exhausted local medical staff.

The next year, the province of Nova Scotia gifted a large Christmas tree to the city of Boston as an expression of thanks for the help Boston provided. In 1971, they delivered another tree as a remembrance. And every year since, the grateful citizens of Nova Scotia harvest a 40- to 50-foot fir or spruce tree that is displayed in a parade, sent off by school children, escorted by police, then welcomed at Boston Commons. The Christmas tree is decorated with 17,000 lights and celebrated with a tree lighting for more than 20,000 guests. Tree donors compete to have their tree chosen and express how honored they are to share their family’s prized evergreen.

At this busy holiday season, let’s take a page from our Boston cousins. Let us reach out to give assistance to those who suffer hardship through no fault of their own. Maybe someone with a gravely ill family member, or someone who has recently suffered the loss of a loved one or career. They could probably use a meal or household provisions or a cash gift. Most of all, they could use some encouragement.

And let’s take a lesson from the Halifax Tree. What better time to send an expression of gratitude to those who gave to us during our time of need?