On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic, a brand-new and supposedly ?unsinkable? ship, was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. The ship, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner of the day, was carrying about 2200 passengers and crew when the ship collided about 11:30 pm with an iceberg. The Titanic carried enough lifeboats for just about half the number of people which surprisingly was in compliance with legislation in force at that time. Many of the lifeboats were lowered into the ice-cold Atlantic only half full, and at about 2 am in the morning of April 15, 1912, the unfathomable happened: the ship's stern rose up and the world's first unsinkable ocean liner went down into the cold depths of the North Atlantic.
Of a total of 2,223 people, only 706 survived while 1517 perished. Some of the famous victims included John Jacob Astor IV and most of the ship's crew, including the entire orchestra who had played tunes on deck until the ship's sinking. First class passengers had a much higher rate of survival than second and especially third class passengers. Some of the exits from the lower decks for the third class passengers were even locked, preventing many of those passengers from accessing the lifeboats.
In the aftermath of the disaster, at about 4:10 am, the RMS Carpathia picked up the first lifeboat and continued to rescue survivors. The survivors were eventually taken to New York City while a total of 328 bodies were eventually recovered. Many of those were taken to Halifax where they were meticulously registered with all descriptive features and personal possessions stored in a canvas bag. Halifax therefore became a key location in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster. 121 of these victims were buried at the Fairview Cemetery while 29 other victims were buried at the Roman Catholic Mount Olivet Cemetery and the Jewish Baron de Hirsch Cemetery.
Our final stop on this city tour was the Fairview Cemetery which is the largest burial ground of Titanic victims in the world. Allen took us to a corner of the cemetery where there were three lines of white gravestones, all arranged in lines of different curvatures that symbolic reflect the shape of an ocean liner on the top deck, the waterline and under water. Allen explained that the gravestones were erected by the White Star Line, the company that owned the Titanic.
The gravestones are very small and simple, and Allen added if people wanted a larger gravestone they would have had to pay extra for a larger version. He pointed out the grave of the ?Unknown Child?, the youngest victim recovered who remained unidentified. The headstone reads ?Erected to the memory of an unknown child whose remains were recovered after the disaster of the ?Titanic? April 15th 1912?. Allen recounted various speculations that surfaced over the years of who this unknown child might have been. In 2002 finally it was determined through DNA evidence that the unknown child was actually Eino Viljami Panula of Finland whose mother and four brothers had also died in this disaster.
Allen also mentioned that the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 by an American-French expedition. The wreck had broken into two pieces on the ocean floor, with the stern section lying about 600 m from the bow section and facing in the opposite direction. What was really significant was that when scientists compared the geographical orientation of one of the wrecks with the orientation of the graves at the Fairview Cemetery, they were positioned with almost the same geographical orientation. Hearing this sent shivers up my spine, when I realized that the wreck of the world's most famous shipping disaster could coincide so accurately with the positioning of the cemetery holding its greatest number of victims. Things like these are almost too much of a coincidence.
On our way back from the cemetery, Allen enlightened us about another Halifax disaster: the 1917 Halifax Explosion ? the largest man-made non-nuclear explosion in human history which occurred on December 6, 1917. During the First World War many ships used Halifax as a strategic port for their ocean voyages to Europe to partake in the War. On this fateful day many ships were lined up in the Bedford Basin to leave the harbour to start the voyage while other ships were entering the harbour from the other direction.
The Mont-Blanc, a French freighter arrived at the Halifax harbour, waiting to be let into the port. Fatefully, it was carrying thousands of tons of explosives including benzol, nitrocellulose and TNT. A Norwegian ship, the Imo, was trying to depart through the right harbour channel, but another ship was blocking its way, so the Imo veered to the left, directly into the path of the Mont Blanc. Both ships refused to yield, leading to a collision at about 8:45 am that ignited the benzene that was stored on deck of the Mont Blanc. With the fire out of control and knowing their cargo, the ship's crew immediately abandoned the ship while hundreds of people were drawn to the harbour to watch the fire. At about 9:04 am the Mont Blanc finally exploded, instantly vapourizing the ship in a fireball that rose over one mile into the air. The force of the explosion triggered a tsunami that reached up to 18 meters above the high water mark. The explosion could be heard as far away as Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, about 175 kilometers away. Not a pane of glass was left intact in the city and 6,000 people became homeless.
The pressure wave from the blast could be felt as far away as Cape Breton Island, about 205 km east of Halifax. A large portion of Richmond, Halifax and Dartmouth were leveled to the ground, and the death toll reached 1900 people. Thousands more were injured, many seriously, and countless people were blinded due to the glass shrapnel that was propelled through the air.
Allen also mentioned the story of a local hero: Vince Coleman, a dispatcher for the Intercolonial Railway. Minutes before the explosion he telegraphed two trains that were bound for Halifax, and told them to stop at a safe distance from this area. Vince himself was killed in the blast, but were it not for him, several hundreds more could have died in the explosion.
The reaction in the aftermath was swift. Communities from all over North America pitched in and sent aid, especially tents, blankets and supplies to Halifax. Boston, in particular, was extremely generous and sent an entire train of supplies and medical personnel to help the victims of this enormous explosion. As a result, every year at Christmas, Nova Scotia donates a large Christmas tree to the City of Boston to thank and remember Boston's help in this major time of need.
My trolley tour provided by the Company with the Kilts had come to an end. But as we arrived right in front of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, I decided to make a quick stop in this museum since among many other things, it features two major exhibits: one about the Titanic Disaster and another one about the Halifax Explosion. I decided to educate myself more about these two significant historic events. The exhibit about the Halifax Explosion features historical photographs, newspaper clippings and explanations about this enormous disaster.
The Titanic Exhibit upstairs actually features dozens of photographs and 20 authentic artifacts from the Titanic, first and foremost the only known intact Titanic deck chair in the world. This chair had actually been given to the minister who had performed so many of the burials at sea and was donated by one of his grandchildren to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
Another exhibit features the Shoes of Titanic's Unknown Child which feature the pencil inscription: ?SS Titanic victim boots worn by only baby drowned?. One poignant display illustrates that fact that passenger class made a huge difference in the survival rate of passengers. For example less than 4% of first class female passengers perished, while around 12% of second class female passengers died and more than 54% of third class female passenger did not survive.
I did not have time to explore the rest of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which features a whole host of additional interesting exhibits such as the Days of Sail, Shipwreck Treasures and Age of Steam Gallery, to mention just a few. Now it was time for a quick lunch and then my next stop at Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum and a National Historic Site, and the entry point form more than a million New Canadians between 1928 and 1971.
Over the last year or so I have had a chance to explore a lot of Canada, starting with Victoria and Vancouver in the summer of 2005, continuing with a trip to the Canadian Rockies and Calgary earlier this year. I also took two trips to Ottawa: during Winterlude in February and during the world famous Tulip Festival in May of 2006. Then I continued on with a trip to Montreal where I had a chance to see the exuberant Canada Day Celebrations in a city that definitely knows how to party!
Naturally I report from Toronto on a regular basis, given the fact that I reside right here in Canada's largest city. But I realized that one area was still missing: Canada's East Coast! I had never been on Canada's Atlantic Coast and it was about time to see some of the famous Maritime hospitality for myself.
So with the help of Tourism Nova Scotia I worked out a a whirlwind 5-day program that would expose me to many of the interesting spots that South-Western Nova Scotia has to offer.
I started with an introduction to the Grand Pr? National Historic Site, in the heart of a former Acadian settlement area and location of the Great Expulsion. I had heard of the Acadian expulsion before, but this visit really gave me a good overview of this sad chapter in Canadian history.
I continued onwards through the lush fertile fields of the Annapolis Valley and arrived in Annapolis Royal, one of the most historic towns on North America's East Coast. My Acadian history lesson continued with a visit to the Port-Royal National Historic Site, a reconstructed 16th century French fort on the north shore of the Annapolis River. Tenth-generation Acadian descendant Wayne Melanson gave me a great introduction to early French history, while his twin brother Alan Melanson continued with Annapolis history during the locally renowned Annapolis Royal Candlelight Graveyard Tour. An informative and entertaining introduction to Nova Scotia history...
Whenever I travel I also like to highlight and get to know local hospitality entrepreneurs, and the Garrison House Bed and Breakfast is one of the key hospitality establishments in Annapolis Royal. I interviewed owner Patrick Redgrave whose personal story illustrates how one Toronto wine merchant was drawn to Nova Scotia to start a completely new life for himself. I also had a chance to sample the cuisine of the Garrison House Restaurant, one of Annapolis Royal's most distinguished restaurants.
On day 2 I started my trip along the Evangeline Trail, first stopping at the Annapolis Royal Tidal Generating Plant, one of only two such plants in existence in the world. From there I went on a beautiful driving tour along the Annapolis River to my next stop: the Bear River First Nation Heritage and Cultural Centre where I learned about the history and traditions of the Mi'kmaq People.
After a brief lunch in Digby I continued my southwesterly drive with several stops to see some of the beautiful churches in the St. Mary's Bay region, which is an Acadian stronghold to this day. My arrival destination was Yarmouth, a historic shipbuilding and fishing town located on the western tip of Nova Scotia. I went on a self-guided walking tour through the downtown area which features a large number of beautifully restored Victorian heritage buildings.
Day 3 started with delicious breakfast at the MacKinnon-Cann Inn, another restored Victorian mansion. I had a chance to interview the owners Neil Hisgen and Michael Tavares, both originally from the United States, who have brought back three Yarmouth Victorian mansions to their former architectural glory and Michael is currently working hands-on on restoring a fourth property. This interview chronicles their interesting evolution as hospitality entrepreneurs and architectural restoration experts.
To learn more about the Yarmouth area I visited the Yarmouth County Museum whose exhibits highlight the area's significance in maritime history. I then continued my drive along the Lighthouse Trail, but in an unfortunate incident my rental car landed in a ditch, following which I experienced the instant help of local residents in Chebogue River - and my first-hand experience confirms the well-known stories of Maritime hospitality and generosity.
My driving tour continued to the town of Shelburne, one of the most significant towns in North America in the 1700s. My final destination for Day 3 was Lunenburg - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I started the next morning with an interesting walking tour of Lunenburg and a brief visit to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.
I also had a chance to interview Don and Gail Wallace, owners of the Lunenburg Inn, also former Toronto-area residents, who have chosen Lunenburg as their pre-retirement residence. This couple made some strategic plans for their Golden Years and Lunenburg will continue to play a big role in their life.
Then I headed off on the Lighthouse trail, stopping off in the picturesque communities of Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove. On the evening of Day 4 I arrived in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, where I was able to take a moon-lit stroll along the waterfront to my final program point for the day: the musical production DRUM! located at the Drum Theatre at Pier 20.
This exhilarating musical production featured the songs and rhythms of Nova Scotia's four principal cultures: Black, Acadian, Aboriginal and Celtic, and two hours of heart-thumping music, dance and poetry literally gave me goose bumps. The spirit of this performance is captured perfectly by its slogan: FOUR RHYTHMS.... FOUR CULTURES.... ONE HEART.
My last full day in Nova Scotia began with a tour of Halifax, expertly narrated by a passionate guide - in a kilt. After a visit the Halifax Public Gardens, the Halifax Citadel and the Fairview Garden Cemetery, I was inspired to learn more about Halifax' history, particularly its connection to the Titanic and the 1917 Halifax Explosion. So I headed into the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to learn more about the events that shaped this city.
One place that should not be missed on any Halifax itinerary is Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum. More than 1 million immigrants came through Pier 21, and almost half a million Canadian soldiers were sent from here to join the war effort during the Second World War. During my visit of Pier 21 I had a chance to meet one of the museum's volunteers: Robert Vandekieft, an 89 year old Canadian immigrant who himself came through the doors of Pier 21 in 1954. He shared his interesting life story with me, a true Canadian success story that illustrates the significance of Pier 21 as Canada's "front door".
My time in Nova Scotia was rapidly coming to an end, so in the late afternoon of Day 5 I took the ferry to explore Dartmouth, the "City of Lakes" on the other side of the Halifax Harbour. Today Dartmouth is part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, and an interesting destination in itself. A quiet dinner capped off five intense and action packed days in Nova Scotia.
I couldn't help but think of how much I had seen, but I realized that there was so much more to see. I am hoping there will be an opportunity soon to explore more of beautiful Nova Scotia - Canada's Seacoast.
Susanne Pacher has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Nova Scotia and Museum Guide. Susanne Pacher is the publisher of , a web portal for unconv. Susanne Pacher's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.