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We could go on all day listing more or less forgotten disasters - things like the Boston Molasses Flood, which killed 21 people in what might be the most bizarre industrial accident of all time.
It's strange how we are so selective about them - such as the endless attention given the Titanic. I suspect if it had been a freighter with nothing but steerage passengers, it would be little remembered as well.
I was in Halifax when I first heard of the explosion, before that I never heard of it either.
It is interesting that Quietude mentioned the Titanic and other disasters. It was also in Halifax that learned of another major ship sinking that White Star Lines had.
RMS Atlantic
About 4 decades earlier then Titanic, in 1873, the White Star Lines ocean line RMS Atlantic sank when hitting rocks near Nova Scotia. Of the more then 950 people on board, 535 died.
- of the 156 women on board - all died
- of the 189 children on board, only one survived.
- however of the 141 crew members on board, only ten died.
We could go on all day listing more or less forgotten disasters - things like the Boston Molasses Flood, which killed 21 people in what might be the most bizarre industrial accident of all time.
It's strange how we are so selective about them - such as the endless attention given the Titanic. I suspect if it had been a freighter with nothing but steerage passengers, it would be little remembered as well.
Lots of examples...Johnston flood.....Triangle shirtwaist fire....
I was in Halifax when I first heard of the explosion, before that I never heard of it either.
It is interesting that Quietude mentioned the Titanic and other disasters. It was also in Halifax that learned of another major ship sinking that White Star Lines had.
RMS Atlantic
About 4 decades earlier then Titanic, in 1873, the White Star Lines ocean line RMS Atlantic sank when hitting rocks near Nova Scotia. Of the more then 950 people on board, 535 died.
- of the 156 women on board - all died
- of the 189 children on board, only one survived.
- however of the 141 crew members on board, only ten died.
All 10 lifeboats were washed away after being lowered, the ship went down too fast. It was every man for himself, which is why the weakest perished.
We could go on all day listing more or less forgotten disasters - things like the Boston Molasses Flood, which killed 21 people in what might be the most bizarre industrial accident of all time.
It's strange how we are so selective about them - such as the endless attention given the Titanic. I suspect if it had been a freighter with nothing but steerage passengers, it would be little remembered as well.
The Empress of Ireland tragedy, which had killed more passengers than the Titanic, caused by entering in collision with a Norwegian ship, the Storstad during a foggy night in 1914 was overshadowed by another tragedy a couple of days later, the assassination of Archiduke Franz-Ferdinand which had lead to WWI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Ireland
Fortunately the explosion in Beirut yesterday was smaller than that explosion of 1917 in Halifax.
By the way, if you look at the picture in this wikipedia article you will see that SS Imo still looks surprisingly good after such a strong explosion. Much greater damage could have been expected.
Fortunately the explosion in Beirut yesterday was smaller than that explosion of 1917 in Halifax.
Was it? I couldn't find solid data. Halifax was about 4500 tons of high explosive; Beirut about 2750 tons of AN, but in a much more "effective" and exposed configuration. Plus whatever surrounded it, fireworks ingredients, bunker crude, etc.
I know it was believed to be the largest man-made explosion before 1945, and still ranks in the top few for conventional detonations, even the gigantic pseudo-nuke tests.
The Empress of Ireland tragedy, which had killed more passengers than the Titanic, caused by entering in collision with a Norwegian ship, the Storstad during a foggy night in 1914 was overshadowed by another tragedy a couple of days later, the assassination of Archiduke Franz-Ferdinand which had lead to WWI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Ireland
Cap Arcona is another terrible story...To make it through the war and survive the German KZ lager. only to be killed by the Allies AFTER the surrender......I couldn't imagine....
There's also the Port Arthur, Texas and the Port Chicago, CA explosions in WWII. Both from mishandling of munitions being loaded. The latter killed 332 people, many of them Black laborers who had been complaining about poor training, poor safety practices and overwork.
And I was quite close to the Roseville Train Yard disaster of 1973... and then just a few hundred feet away when they detonated some discovered UXO around 1998. At two in the morning.
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