A Young Rescuer on Union Street - Halifax Explosion

Fort Needham Memorial Park, Halifax, NS - Cal Shook

While doing research this month, one story about a brave young rescuer stood out.

On December 6, 1917, the Myra family lived at 52 Union Street. My relatives, the Landry family, resided at 38 Union Street. With the exploding of the Mont Blanc, houses in the Richmond section of Halifax were leveled which included Union Street..  At the Myra residence, thirteen-year-old Doris and her mother, Mary were the only ones home.  Uninjured, Doris found herself in the midst of the debris from the house, a fire had started and was closing in on her and her critically wounded mother.  After a failed attempt to lift her mother and with fresh blood covering her clothes, Doris took a piece of rope and tied it around her mother’s feet and then dragged her outside to safety.  Sadly, her mother Mary died later that day.

“Doris was one of three people believed to have survived on Union Street near Fort Needham as of the paper’s printing. Edward A. Myra, Doris’s father also survived,” according to author Katie Ingram in her book, Breaking Disaster. *

Ninety-four people from Union Street are listed among the dead in the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book.  On that day my great Uncle Dan Landry lost his pregnant wife Annie and their 18-month-old son Clarence.

I’m grateful that among those who lived, was my grandfather’s next to youngest sibling, Anna Bella. Fourteen at the time, she was pulled from the rubble in a semi-conscious state and lived to share family stories.  In August of 2003, Aunt Anna Bella shared:

“It must have been terrible for my father and Dan to come home and see that, everything mowed down… And everything was burning, burning next to me. The house next to me was burning. And the next thing I saw was Elizabeth. But someone had taken me out and brought me out in the street because I was half unconscious… coming out like that… and I saw Elizabeth and thought, my God she’s safe…”



Note:
*from  page 88 of Breaking Disaster by Katie Ingram.  The newspaper that Ms. Ingram referred to was “The Morning Chronicle” published on December 10, 1917. The quote contained a footnote: "Doris Myra would later work as a clerk before marrying Joseph Paul Dubois in 1925. Her father Edward never remarried and would pass away in 1966 at the age of 91.”

A Picture on the Wall
A Father's Love

Watoto Children’s Choir

Watoto Children's Choir

My husband Jim and I are now unpacked and have guest rooms thanks to our excitement about housing a few members of the Watoto Children's Choir and their support team next week.  We moved to Gilford, NH a little over a year ago and the rooms looked more like storage lockers up till a couple days ago.

Watoto in Swahili means “Children”.

According to their website, “Watoto is a Church based organisation that cares for orphans and widows in Uganda. Our goal is to raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders.”

Their moto: Rescue, Raise, and Rebuild

Rescue – widows and orphans
Raise – in homes, with education and medical services
Rebuild – create an eco-friendly, self-sustaining economy

The Watoto Children’s Choir is coming to Gilford to share their stories and a message of hope and transformation through a lively performance of Ugandan music.

If you’re in the area and would like to join us, the concert is on:

Sunday, October 7 at 7:00pm.
First United Methodist Church Gilford/Laconia
18 Wesley Way, Gilford, NH

There might be a performance near you - they're in Massachusetts starting this week:  https://www.watoto.com/app/choir/calendar?start=2018-10-01#calendar

Two-Thirds of the Way Through 1st Draft of "A Picture on the Wall" - Halifax Explosion Memoir

Photo Halifax Harbour - Cal Shook

This month marks the completion of about two-thirds of the first draft for “A Picture on the Wall,” a Landry family memoir about the Halifax Explosion.   My paternal grandfather Joseph's family.

Earlier this week, I emailed my editor, a section about three family members who witnessed the aftermath of the collision between the Imo and the Mont Blanc.  The three witnesses would bring this family narrative right up to the explosion.  For two of the witnesses, split second decisions would forever change each of their family's lives. 

When I entered my editor Sylvia Clark’s home, a couple days later,  she greeted me with, “This is your best piece yet.  It left me wanting more.” 

With the revisions that need to be made and the continual striving to write something worth reading, I realize that I have a way to go before I come close to the captivating words of a J.K. Rowling or a Stephen King.  My hope and prayer is to leave a lasting legacy. 

Uncle Joseph Burke at Ground Zero – Halifax Explosion

What follows is a Halifax Explosion story about my great Uncle Joseph Burke based on information given by my great Aunt Anna Bella, along with research.*

Uncle Joseph Burke was married to Pauline Bouchard.  They and five of their seven children, ranging in age from five to twenty-six, lived in a cottage on 19 Stairs Street in December of 1917.

On December 6, Joseph – a stevedore, was on Pier 8 helping load cargo onto a ship called Curaca.  Pier 8 ran parallel to the Halifax shore.  Pier 6 was just south of it and headed straight into the shore.

Not far away, two cargo ships – the Imo and the Mont Blanc, had collided in the harbor after heading straight at each other on the Dartmouth side of the harbor.*  At the last minute they both took evasive maneuvers that resulted in the Imo striking and piercing the Mont Blanc’s hull.  Under normal circumstances and with both ships still afloat, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but the Mont Blanc was loaded with 3000 tons of explosives.  When the Imo pulled back, the metal scraping metal created sparks that set off a fire in the first hold, located just below the Mont Blanc’s deck. Quickly flames lept onto the deck, blocking the crew from getting to the fire hose.  Fearing the ship would explode any second, the crew, captain, and harbor pilot got into life boats and rowed toward the Dartmouth shore.

Uncle Joseph was at ground zero as the Mont Blanc drifted into Pier 6 and ran aground.  He and others stopped what they were doing as the ship passed in front of them.  Smoke filled the air as flames traveled across its deck, ignited by fumes from barrels of Benzol (airplane fuel) stacked three and four high.  Then about nine barrels – one after the other, catapulted high into the air trailing smoke, exploding into flames with a loud roar.

Joseph and those around him watched as the blasts continued and the heat of the ship intensified - then one final seismic explosion.

“ Of course, my Uncle Joe, they never found a bit of him. They never found one bit of him. That was my Aunt Pauline’s husband. And they never found him at all, he was blown to bits because he was right on the wharf when the thing went off and they didn’t find him.” – Anna Bella (Landry) Bradley

It saddens me to think of his passing and the loss of a husband, father, uncle, and friend.

Not only was Uncle Joe a stevedore, but he was a carpenter and overall handyman, according to Aunt Pauline in a statement to the Halifax Relief Commission - Case #393:

"She said she and her husband had both been born in Cape Breton. Had come to Halifax about 15 years ago. And ever since had lived in a cottage at 19 Stairs Street. They were only paying $5.00 a month rent there, as her husband was very good at carpentry and made all the repairs to the house himself. Kept it in good condition, so the landlord did not increase their rent." - info. recorded by M.A. Boss on May 8, 1918

Wow, what an attentive man my Uncle Joseph was and my Aunt Pauline seemed very proud of him.  Are there many landlords that would keep the rent low for a well maintained house today?

Note:  Along with conversations with my great Aunt Anna Bella, I've done research at Nova Scotia Archives and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic both online and on site. Reading Resources:  Ground Zero edited by Alan Ruffman and Colin D. Howell, Shattered City by Janet F. Kitz, The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

*This wording has been changed following comments from a reader asking that I might reconsider that it wasn't a game of chicken.  I've removed the words "after a game of chicken" and replaced them with the words "on the Dartmouth side of the harbor".

Update on the progress of “A Picture on the Wall"

CSS Acadia at Maritime Museum of Atlantic
-Photo by Cal Shook

To date there are 27 people, who end up in about 16 different locations just before the Mont Blanc explodes around 9:05am in Halifax Harbour.  Since I shared the Landry, Burke, and Myatt Family Chart in last month's blog, I’ve written about the three families who occupy 38 Union Street.  Just prior to the explosion, a young family, the Gibson’s move into the vacant upstairs apartment.  Brothers Joe (my grandfather) and Dan Landry, owners of the home, are thrilled that Joe Gibson wanted to rent the apartment..  On moving day, family members get excited as an accordion,a violin, and then the Gibson’s new piano are brought up the stairs.  Thoughts of foot stomping music bring a sense of joy, a welcome respite from reminders of war sitting in the harbor below.

The morning of the explosion brings chores for the Landry children on the first floor. The Landry family still grieves the loss of mother Charlotte who died in January and a brother Leo who died on the front lines the year before.  Youngest of the boys, Jimmy, does his best to cheer everyone with his fun loving antics.

This coming month, I’ll be finishing up 19 Stairs Street and will continue working my way through  other locations that I’ve started.  Well that’s all for now, better get back to writing.

Landry, Burke, and Myatt Family Chart: Halifax Explosion

Inspired by conversations with my editor,  Sylvia Clark,   I’ve created a chart  to make it easier for  readers to visualize the families that I’m writing about in a memoir called "A Picture on the Wall.". 

Along with the above chart, I was wondering if information included in the Legend below might be helpful. 

What do you think?  Should I include it?  Vote "yes" or "no" and/or comment in the section below or on Facebook.

Do You Know the Simon and Hilda Myatt Family - Dartmouth NS - Halifax Explosion?

Photo by Cal Shook

From my great Aunt Anna Bella's memory featured in last month's blog, I'm hoping will come a much fuller story of the Myatt family.

Thanks to Paul C. Landry's comments on last month's blog post shared with the Facebook group "Nova Scotia Genealogy", I have the names of the Myatt family living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia the day of the Halifax Explosion.   They are:

Elda Elizabeth (or Hilda) b. Sept 17, 1889 at River Bourgeois,
married Simon Myatt (Maillet) and had 3 children: 

-Anne Victoria b. Oct 10, 1908 

-Florence Margaret b. Nov 29, 1911 

-Joseph Leo b. Jan 1, 1915

At the time of the explosion my great Aunt Anna Bella and grandfather Joe Landry's first cousin Hilda Myatt would have been 28 years old  and the mother of Anne age 9, Florence age 6, and Joseph age 2.  Hilda's husband Simon might have been a bit older than her, being married once before.

Paul C. Landry, also commented about where the children ended up years after the explosion:

-Anne Victoria married Robie Whidden Oct 5, 1926, at Elmsdale, NS. In 1975 she was in Newmarket, Ontario. 

 -Florence Margaret married George Stewart Dec 31, 1935, Halifax, NS. In 1975, she was also located in NewMarket, Ontario. 

-Joseph Leo married Laura Keddy Apr 12, 1936, Enfield, NS. He was living in Toronto at the time of his birth certificate application on Mary 18, 1964. 

 I believe Simon was previously married to Rose Mary Manette, according to the census returns. He had a son Angus living with him in 1911, who reported his death Sept 2, 1926. 

 I found Angus' marriage certificate which gave his mother's name.
Angus died Mar 30, 1958, at Halifax, NS, having never married.
He also had 2 sisters. (Rose b. 1893 and Mary b. 1896)

Hilda Myatt lost and eye as a result of the Halifax Explosion and I wonder if any other family members were injured.  Do you know if there was a separate Relief Commission for the people living in Dartmouth at the time of the explosion?

Hilda died in 1918 of influenza and it might have been hard for Simon to be a single dad with young children.  Were the children able to stay with him?   Any additional information you can give me about the Myatt family before, during or after the explosion would be greatly appreciated.