HALIFAX – One of the last survivors of the Halifax Explosion has died at the age of 98.
Mary Anastasia Murphy, who was just two years old when the Dec. 6, 1917 disaster happened, passed away on Wednesday.
According to her obituary, Murphy was “pulled out of the ruined and burning family home in the Richmond District” — an area of North End Halifax.
Although her immediate family survived, two of Murphy’s uncles, their wives, and some of her cousins died in the blast — which killed more than 2,000 and injured as many as 9,000 people.
Murphy, who spent much of her life working for the provincial government, primarily with the Dept. of Lands and Forests, spoke to Global News in Dec. 2012 — at a commemoration marking the 95th anniversary of the expolsion.
She said she obviously had no memory of the explosion, due to her young age, but said she always liked to attend memorial events to pay respects to her family members.
At the time of the 95th anniversary, she was one of three survivors who attended the ceremony at Halifax’s Needham Park. She was there with 101-year-old George Sim and 101-year-old Kathleen MacDonald.
Both Sim and MacDonald passed away this year, as well.
“Mary was always bright,” says Janet Kitz, friend of Murphy’s and a local Halifax Explosion expert. “Even when I saw her in hospital, we held hands and she said ‘oh yes, remember the explosion parties we used to have!”
Kitz hosted garden parties in her South End Halifax home for a number of survivors over the years — an event she said helped build pride in their stories of survival. Kitz went on to write a book about the great blast.
She said Murphy’s legacy is fundamentally linked to Halifax’s legacy because that day shaped the way the North End of the city now looks. Even the historic Hydrostone neighbourhood was built post-explosion, in response to the immediate housing shortage.
The city is already starting to plan events and memorials for the 100th anniversary of the explosion in 2017. Kitz says she’s happy to see interest in the city’s history continue to grow.
“And, I don’t think it will be forgotten now,” Kitz said. “You know the 100th anniversary is coming up in, what, four years? Oh, Mary did want to see that. ”
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The Halifax Explosion – the worst man-made explosion in history, until the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in 1945 — devastated much of the the city.
The cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc, carrying more than 2,500 tonnes of explosive materials, collided with the Norwegian ship SS Imo at 8:45 a.m.
The Mont-Blanc caught fire and exploded about 20 minutes later, wiping out more than 12,000 buildings.
The heat created from the blast topped 5,000 C and shockwave that travelled more than 1,500 metres per second. It was felt as far away as Sydney, 400 kilometres away.
*With files from Erin Trafford
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