Three fathers - a stevedore, a railway car cleaner, and a carpenter, would leave their families on the morning of December 6, 1917 and only two would survive the horrors of an explosion that would devastate the section of town they called home.
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Dan Landry is in 2nd row from the top on far right. circa 1917
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| Michael Landry - Date Unknown |
My great Uncle Dan Landry (26), a carpenter, was handsome and rugged, known for his physical strength. Though quiet, he was very protective of loved ones. He was young and healthy. Life was good with his devoted wife Annie Adams (23), a baby on the way, and his 18-month-old son Clarence, who melted his heart.
Dan’s father and my great Grandfather, Michael (60), was a railway car cleaner. He had a gentle way about him. Being easy going, he’d been content to leave the discipline to his wife Charlotte Bouchard, until she passed away of Tuberculosis in January of 1917 at the age 48. His two young girls, Anna Bella (14) and Elizabeth (11) cherished his soft-spoken ways and tried their best to keep up with the chores their mother used to do like cooking, laundry, and housekeeping. All of Michael’s children, (with the exception of Bernadette who died at 3 months, and son Leo who died in June of 1916 at the battle of Y-Press), lived in the same house. At 38 Union Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Michael’s second oldest son, Dan and his family lived on the second floor. Michael, his sons – Joseph (28), Abe (18), Jimmy (15) and two little girls – both small for their age, lived on the first floor.
Great Uncle Joseph Burke (53), a stevedore, was strong and quite the handyman. He was able to do all the necessary repairs around the cottage they’d been renting for many years. His wife was proud of what he’d been able to accomplish and so was the landlord, who kept their rent at its original $5 a month. Similar accommodations, would go for close to $15 a month. Joseph, his wife Pauline Bouchard (49), and five of their seven children, Malcolm (26), Annie (18), Marie (12), Clarence (8), and Edward (5) lived at 19 Stairs in Halifax.
Like many fathers, Dan, Michael, and Joseph were at work when two ships collided in Halifax Harbor resulting in a massive explosion that leveled the Richmond district where they lived.
Daniel and Michael Landry, were working about a mile from home and close to a city block from each other. Each felt the ground rumble as their work places were badly damaged and debris was scattered everywhere. When they looked down the hill, they saw that the city below them was leveled. Panic came over them as Dan and Michael thought of their families and made their way toward home. The carnage and devastation got worse as they attempted to get closer. About half way home and with Fort Needham in view, it looked like all the homes below it, including those up to the waterfront, were on fire. They feared for the lives of their families.
Joseph Burke was at Pier 8 loading cargo on the Curaca, not far from ground zero where the munitions ship the Mont Blanc, exploded at Pier 6. His body was never found. (Joseph's story - "Uncle Joseph Burke at Ground Zero")
Michael would discover that two of his children, Abe and Anna Bella were badly cut. Both were buried beneath the rubble when the buildings they were in were hit by the blast. Fortunately both were rescued. Abe would require months of care. All of Michael's children survived the explosion. (Micheal's story - "A Father's Love")
Dan witnessed the burned-out foundation of his home. He soon learned that everyone, who’d been in their home at 38 Union Street when the explosion hit, except members of his little family on the second floor, had made it out alive. Within two days he’d identify the “charred remains” of his wife and children. (Dan's story - "From Despair to Hope")
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