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Halifax Explosion 1917

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Halifax Explosion 1917
“I Survived the Halifax Explosion”

HALIFAX- The collision of two ships in Halifax Harbor caused a big explosion. The ship (Mont-Blanc) was filled with explosives, on deck and below. It was filled with highly explosive picric acid; gun cotton in the center; and in the aft hold, trinitrotoluene (TNT). The explosion occurred when the Imo vessel was leaving Halifax Harbor and on its way to New York. Suddenly, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc was on its way to wait for a convoy when the two ships collided at 8:45am. It was known as a greatest man made explosion.

It was 9:04 in the morning of December 6, 1917 when the explosion occurred. The crowds collected around Halifax Harbor to watch the blowing smoke filled with sparks and fire. During that time, I was seven years old. I was hanging out with my friend named Krystal who was also the same age as me. We were on the playground and suddenly we heard a loud noise somewhere. I told her to go with me to find out what’s going on. While walking home, we saw a lot of people running and screaming so I started to get nervous. When we get home, my parents were in a hurry. They told us to stay home and they will go out to find out what’s happening. While waiting, we ran upstairs to see a better view. We saw a big explosions and the town was on fire. My parents didn’t come back for a while. We were so scared so we decided to call the police to ask what’s happening. They told me to hide in the closet and they will come get us.

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital with my best friend. I asked the doctor what happened and he told me that the police found us unconscious. All I remember was that we were hiding in the closet and the house smells like its burning. I saw a mirror and I looked at myself. The doctor told me I had a second-degree burn, which made me start crying. I thought about my parents. The police told us that both of our parents died during the explosion and

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