MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - New Leaf August 2018 Discussion • The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

Dngrsone · 08-15-2018, 01:14 PM

I enjoyed reading The Great Halifax Explosion. I am kind of a history buff, and I have visited Halifax, though this happened well before I learned about the incident we are reading about.

This book read like a reference piece, the author assuming that it would be used for research and not read entirely in one sitting. That is fine, but I wondered several times during the narrative if he were not fictionalizing some of the conversations and thoughts of individuals. That there were no citations or footnotes in the text itself reinforced this, though I gathered by the time I got to the end that these conversations, et al were well-researched.

Now, I learned quite a lot during this read. I had not known of the antipathy between the two countries involved, though as an American, I have been raised thinking that the annexation of Canada was all but inevitable (particularly if Quebec were to secede).

I had heard of the explosion and the great loss of life, but I was not aware of the magnitude of either of those things.

I feel that, based on the reporting this book, the master of the Imo was largely at fault, insisting on rushing through the harbor at high speed and driving on the wrong side of the road, so-to-speak. Sure, the captain of the freighter Mont Blanc made some deadly mistakes... he should have hoisted that red flag once he was in the harbor. Considering how nervous he and his crew were about the highly volatile load they were conveying, one would think he would set this simple precaution as soon as it was safe to do so. As noted near the end of the book, both captains and their respective harbor pilots should have gone full astern when their conflicting courses became evident.

Overall, a very enjoyable read for me, and if I ever get to Halifax again, I will certainly be looking around with this book and incident in mind.

08-15-2018, 01:14 PM	#4
Dngrsone Almost legible Posts: 1,457 Karma: 4611110 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: In a high desert, CA Device: Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Tab A (2017), Likebook P78	I enjoyed reading The Great Halifax Explosion. I am kind of a history buff, and I have visited Halifax, though this happened well before I learned about the incident we are reading about. This book read like a reference piece, the author assuming that it would be used for research and not read entirely in one sitting. That is fine, but I wondered several times during the narrative if he were not fictionalizing some of the conversations and thoughts of individuals. That there were no citations or footnotes in the text itself reinforced this, though I gathered by the time I got to the end that these conversations, et al were well-researched. Now, I learned quite a lot during this read. I had not known of the antipathy between the two countries involved, though as an American, I have been raised thinking that the annexation of Canada was all but inevitable (particularly if Quebec were to secede). I had heard of the explosion and the great loss of life, but I was not aware of the magnitude of either of those things. I feel that, based on the reporting this book, the master of the Imo was largely at fault, insisting on rushing through the harbor at high speed and driving on the wrong side of the road, so-to-speak. Sure, the captain of the freighter Mont Blanc made some deadly mistakes... he should have hoisted that red flag once he was in the harbor. Considering how nervous he and his crew were about the highly volatile load they were conveying, one would think he would set this simple precaution as soon as it was safe to do so. As noted near the end of the book, both captains and their respective harbor pilots should have gone full astern when their conflicting courses became evident. Overall, a very enjoyable read for me, and if I ever get to Halifax again, I will certainly be looking around with this book and incident in mind.