From My Bookshelf ~ by Lynn Willoughby

Too Many to Mourn - James Mahar
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but after a recent visit to Halifax I needed to learn more about the Halifax explosion on December 6th, 1917.
This has been Canada's worst disaster and the largest man-made explosion in the world until the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasake. Most Canadians are aware of this history, but few know the details or the living conditions post explosion, the weather, the shortages because of the ongoing war and the deaths resulting from all of these, plus the enormous grieving as entire neighbourhoods were decimated-just completely gone!
Few ocean ports are as busy as Halifax. It is second in size only to Sydney, in Australia, and the largest ice-free port in the northern hemisphere. The harbour connects to Bedford Basin, a huge body of water, perfect for assembling convoys.
On December 5th, 1917, the Imo, laden with relief supplies was late leaving the harbour. The Mont Blanc arrived at the mouth awaiting the arrival of transfer pilot Francis Mackey, missing the open entrance by minutes, due to the closing of the submarine net.
Once on board, Mackey became privy to the knowledge known to few others. The Mont Blanc was loaded with "2366 tons of dry piric acid, 250 tons of TNT, 62 tons of guncotton, 246 tons of benzol and three hundred live shells for the deck guns."
A collision between these two ships was imminent and occurred early on the morning of December 6th. "The fire on board the Mont Blanc was out of control from the moment it began." At five minutes past nine, close to six million pounds of explosives detonated. The first effect was a "fireball with an intensity approaching the surface of the sun." The next force was the partial vacuum being created, then one more "death-dealing phenomena - a wall of water." - a tsunami!
I can't begin to describe the devastation and the heartbreak which followed as entire extended families were killed, blown to other locations, sucked out to sea or taken to make-shift hospitals, never to see loved ones again - even some who had survived. Many, especially the children, were too traumatized to speak or give their name.
Strike four was the blizzard on December 7th and 8th which dropped 40 cm of snow on the community, with temperatures plummeting to -12°C. Many who were weak or wounded simply froze to death, adding to the body count.
This is a must read if you are interested in Canadian history. It is difficult to read and I often had to take a break from it, but what a story of compassion, determination, fortitude and courage so many showed at this dreadful time. The outpouring of help and relief from around the world, the personal stories of heroism and common sense, the tenacity of life will break your heart.
The Day the Falls Stood Still - Cathy Marie Buchanan
This historical novel is set against the backdrop of Niagara Falls, at a time when daredevils shot the rapids in various vessels and protections. Some were successful, many were not. But Tom Cole, "the riverman" is generally involved - whether saving lives when the ice bridge collapses due to loss of water being drawn off by the ever increasing demands of various hydro electric companies, or saving Muddy Sloan and his improvised barrel, from a killer whirlpool.
When Tom returns from the horror of the battle fields of Passchendaele, to his wife Bess and their small son, it is the river that keeps him sane. His letters home from the front have told only a little of what he experienced during the war. As bits and pieces of his personal war emerge, he turns not to Bess, but to the Falls and the river.
He predicts the weather, feeds his family with fish he catches and becomes a local hero as he watches and learns the whims of the Falls. But he is a threat to the burgeoning power companies who seek to harness the Falls for themselves.
This novel brims with archival photos, with historical data and the romance surrounding Niagara Falls. It is readable, memorable, heart wrenching and a real barometer of post war lives in and around Niagara Falls.

Who Knew?
When Nicola Tesla invented the three phase system of alternating current power transmission, distant transfers of electricity became possible. In 1893 Westinghouse Electric designed a system to generate alternating current on Niagara Falls and in 1895 the world's largest AC power system was activated.