Our tour guide for Halifax wore a kilt and explained that the term “the whole 9 yards” originated with the 9 yards of material used in a kilt. He went on to elaborate about the tragic history of Halifax as we made stops at the Citadel and Public Gardens. After 700 survivors were taken to New York on other vessels when the Titanic hit an iceberg and was sinking in 1912, ships from Halifax found 323 bodies. 118 passengers were buried at sea and the remainder were buried in 3 Halifax cemeteries.
On December 6, 19117 Halifax experienced the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb when a munitions ship collided with another ship. 2,000 people were killed and an anchor was found 2 1/2 miles inland.
Even worse, that night there was a blizzard that left snow 2 1/2 feet deep. Boston sent doctors, nurses and a hospital train to help. In gratitude, every December 6 the city of Halifax sends a 50 foot Christmas tree to Boston and even pays for the electricity!
