Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1918-11-30
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6OO,OO0-one of the greatest contributions ever
made by big-hearted public to stricken city.
What has been DONE or Is being done, with this
vast sum? Many people who opened their hearts
and their purses to Halifax would like to know.
and this article is designed to supply the infor-
nation.
The figures given above tell in part what was
done for Halifax, but what Halifax has done for
itself is far longer story. Although the victim
OF a disaster which at once ranked her among
fhe great tragedy cities of the world-Pompeii,
Martinique, Galveston and San Francisco-Hali-
fax staggered to her feet few seconds after the
titanic blast had laid waste her streets, de-
stroyed her homes and Uttered the with her
dead, and went to work to fetch order out of
chaos.
From a spectacular and heroic point of vew"
declared George Macdonald of the Canadian
Press, "this continent has never produced such
daring set of civilian heroes as sprang up at the
call of duty in those bleak December days in Hal
flax. History teens with horrors-recent his
lOry particularly-but no parallel exists for the
sequence of affliction with which Halifax was
deluged. Swift and appalling death from the
whitening explosion, mad panic at the fear of
worse disaster from magazine disruption, horror
from the fires which greedy devoured the ruins,
torture from the rapidly changing weather condi-
lions which went from blizzard to rain and from
rain to conditions In the three days succeed
the day of the catastrophe. Fate seemed to have
its repertoire of calamities.
"Set against this appalling challenge was the
unknown and untred courage of Halifaxs citi-
zens. How they battled through the combination
of anguish and misery, almost alone for q week.
is one of the most inspiring dramas of history"
So much for what Halifax started to do, from
the pen of zone who watched this Homeric bat
tle' as press correspondent Chief among the
plain business men Of heroic mold was Robert T.
MacIlreith an ex-mayor of Halifax, who had Or
ganized emergency relief station at the city
hall within hour after the limo had rammed
the Mont Blanc and let loose the devastating
posives pent up in the hold Of the latter ship.
MacIlreith and his loyal associates not only got
the job at once but stayed there, practically
without rest or sleep for ten, days. succoring the
wounded housing the homeless feeding the desti-
tu,e caring for the dependents. providing fuel
and transportation, fighting fire and burying the
dead
Every man of force and initiative and man.
agerial ability went to work without a moments
delay. The private car of George e. Graham of
the Dominion Atlantic was partly wrecked by
the blast, but General Manager Graham at once
became leading spirit in the great task of or
ganizing temporary relief and his railroad gave
invaluable assistance in the crisis.
In week the emergency shelter committee d.
rected by w. S. Davidson, chairman housed 5000
people and large number were even cared for
the very first night. Hospitals were established
and 1000 patients treated in an incredibly short
time. Two thousand bodes were handled by the
mortuary department
The reconstruction committee headed by G..
Fred Pearson, newspaper proprietor, lost no
time In organizing the work of building temporary
homes for the homeless to cover the period which
must elapse before permanent; construction could
be naugurated Mr.. Pearson asked Col. Robert
s. Low. the man who built the environments for
the Canadian army. to give Halifax the benefit Of
IL nYn praplQ and l,a coIn
once with pl ,nty of energy. and without pay, to
put roofs ov, the heads of thousands of Halifax
people When he had struck his stride. the man
who built valcartier camp for the Canadian ex-