Blizzard of Glass by Sally M Walker

Author:Sally M Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2011-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Many babies were separated from their families. Nurses cared for them while the authorities tried to reunite them with their parents. [Maritime Museum of the Atlantic]

The Coleman children and their mother, Frances, slowly made their way up Russell Street to Gottingen Street. Everywhere they looked, they saw flames and dismembered bodies. As they paused, wondering what to do, soldiers with a wagon pulled up alongside them. The family was transported to Camp Hill Military Hospital, where Frances was placed under a doctor’s care and Juanita’s ear was treated. At first, Eileen, the toddler, didn’t appear badly hurt. But when a nurse laid the child back against a pillow to examine her, she realized the little girl had a large cut across the back of her head. She quickly reached for antiseptic and bandages.

Because she was severely injured, Frances had to remain in the hospital. Juanita and the other children were released after being treated. As the eldest, Juanita felt responsible for keeping her sisters and brother safe. But where should they go? Home was not an option—the house was gone, as were those of her neighbors. It was about 10:00 A.M., and she noticed people running uphill toward the Commons, a large open area where people normally played baseball and other games. Frightened that another bad thing was about to occur, Juanita decided that they would walk to their grandmother’s house at the southern end of the city. Hopefully, they would be safe with her.

Around the same time, James and Gordon Pattison, after winding their way through the devastated Richmond streets, had stopped to rest on the Commons. There, people were sharing any extra warm clothing that they had with others who needed it. Suddenly more people began hurrying onto the Commons. As they rushed past James and Gordon, they shouted that the ammunition building at Wellington Barracks was on fire and likely to explode at any moment. To escape this new horror, people tried to get as far away from the Barracks as they could. Many fled to the Commons or to the Citadel, an old stone fort on the top of a large hill that overlooks Halifax Harbour. The report, however, was only a rumor. While there had been some small fires in Wellington Barracks, the soldiers had quickly extinguished them. In truth, the magazine had not been in danger of exploding. Sadly, the pandemonium that followed the rumor disrupted many rescue missions, wasting time badly needed to save more lives.

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