Lots of Facts about Halifax!

July 3, 2015 Day 18

It was an early morning tour after a late night, but well worth it to learn so much about the interesting city of Halifax.

Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia with a population of about 390,000.  It is called the city of trees, because trees are protected—residents are not allowed to cut down a tree, even on personal property without governmental permission!  There are 7 universities in the city, and Halifax is the 2nd largest harbor in the world, with a 60 ft depth at low tide.  It is an ice-free harbor, and 38 cruise ships are scheduled to be here this summer!

There are two very significant historical events that affected the city:  1) Although Halifax was 700 miles from the place where the Titanic went down, it was the nearest port connected to the mainland, so it became the central post.  Many of the victims were laid to rest at the Fairfield Cemetery where there are 121 graves for these victims. As the bodies were recovered, they were given a number, and because so many of the victims were never identified, it is only this number that appears on many of the tombstones, with the date April 15, 1912.  The stones are arranged in the shape of the hull of the ship, in a special area of the cemetery.  We noticed some names on the stones, like J.W. Marriott.  There was also a stone dedicated to the “Unknown child”, one of the earliest victims recovered.  Later, his shoes led to the identification of the 2 year old. Another stone with the child’s name was added at the foot of the stone, and those shoes are now in the museum.  Very moving.  The Company who owned the Titanic set up a trust fund to maintain the cemetery for these victims.

2) The Halifax Explosion is something I had never heard of until now.  It was December 6, 1917 when two ships collided in the narrows of the harbor.  One of the ships had a huge cargo of munitions, and the collision created an explosion that was said to be the biggest explosion in the world prior to the Atom Bomb.  The anchor of the ship was found 2 1/2 miles away!  1650 people died, 9,000 people were injured and 1 square mile was completely destroyed.  Boston was the first city to come to the aid of Halifax.  As a token of gratitude, Nova Scotia provides Boston with a Christmas tree every year. 

Halifax is also a huge shipping port.  There are two container piers along the waterfront.  It was amazing to see so many containers, and its a wonder that they are able to keep track of them.  The guide says it takes about 24 hours to unload and reload a ship of containers! 

 

 

We visited the Maritime Museum where we saw exhibits on the Titanic and the Halifax explosion, as well as detailed models of ships and sailboats, old equipment from boats, and a huge lens from a lighthouse. 

We were able to board an old ship the USS Acadia that was used for 50 years to map the coast.  Surprising how much goes in to making a map!  I just go to AAA for my maps—never thought about someone having to make them!

We closed out the day with a cruise around the harbor on a tall ship, the Silva.  It was a beautiful day, and great to see the harbor from a different view. 

 

As we were leaving the boat, I saw this guy playing a piano on the dock…strange…

 

We had our “driver’s meeting” when we returned to the campground, and everyone is getting ready for the drive tomorrow.