• Short Summary

    Aftermath of disaster at Halifax after ammunition ship explodes.

  • Description

    Disaster at Halifax, Nova Scotia - ammo ship blows up.

    Aftermath of explosion of an ammunition ship at Halifax. Opens with DS of snowy disaster site - looks like pick up stix; just splinters; and people walking over it searching for victims. CU same; with a group of men carrying body on stretcher. DS pan over snow-covered train station (?). Grainy but good shot of rescue team lifting stretcher with injured survivor of the explosion onto train.

    GV snowy area nearby: trees damaged; houses fallen across field. Closer shot of a blown-up building. And another ... pan to left; showing destroyed warehouse; etc.; with boats going by in the inlet in BG. CU of house half blown to bits!

    Disasters.

  • Tags

  • Data

    Film ID:
    1880.22
    Media URN:
    72257
    Group:
    Old negatives
    Archive:
    British Pathe
    Issue Date:
    1914 - 1918
    Sound:
    sound
    HD Format:
    Available on request
    Stock:
    Black & White
    Duration:
    00:01:35:00
    Time in/Out:
    01:17:43:00 / 01:19:18:00
    Canister:
    ON 077 A

Comments (1)

  1. jamied says

    Reducing this clip's current date range, this footage shows the devastation caused by the explosion of the "SS Mont Blanc" ammunition ship on 6 December 1917.

    The current shots list gives no indication of the sheer scale of this disaster. Somewhere approaching 2000 people were killed, and another 9000 injured. Astonishingly, every building within a 16-mile radius was either destroyed or badly damaged.

    It was, at the time, the largest man-made explosion in history. More information about the incident can be found here...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

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