...was the largest manmade explosion until nuclear weaponry. The resulting tsunami was so large as to obliterate a nearby settlement.
At 9:04 AM on December 6, 1917 a French cargo ship, loaded with 2400 tons of war-time munitions, collided with the Norwegian ship SS Imo in Halifax Harbor. Railway dispatcher Vince Coleman was fleeing for his life from the impending explosion when he realized an incoming train carrying 300 passengers would arrive in Halifax in a few moments.
He turned back to send Morse code messages that brought incoming trains to a halt, saving the lives of all passengers. That he realized he himself would die was in his message:
"Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbour making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Goodbye boys."
* * *
Soldiers do this in wartime, maybe saving only a half dozen or even one buddy...the posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor...Joseph Campbell claims this is a natural human response, that danger to someone you do not even know can put us in a certain state of mind and you cannot even help it, you will give your life to save another.
Are we all naturally heroes? (I found these notes as I was organizing my dresser drawers today...)