highlyeccentric: (Sydney Bridge)
highlyeccentric ([personal profile] highlyeccentric) wrote2021-01-26 04:28 pm

Oh no

Asyouknowbob, I am a SUCKER for disaster logistics and Mediocre Acts of Sacrifice.

I have just learned (courtesy of The Longest Johns' song Fire and Flame) about Patrick Vince Coleman, a railwayman who died in the Halifax Explosion of 1917 (also new news to me) because, as he and his colleagues fled the harbour railway yards in expectation of the blast from the wharves, he realised there was an inbound passenger train approaching on the other side of the city. So he bolted back in to the railway yards and spent his last minutes frantically telegraphing 'stop the train, ammo ship at pier six will explode, goodbye boys' or words to that effect. (He did leave the telegraph station, but too late)

I am especially a sucker for disaster logistics stories when I'm on a deadline. Sigh. Back to the proofreading.
lilysea: Serious (Default)

[personal profile] lilysea 2021-01-26 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
It's an amazing story. When they started getting really hungry, they voluntarily decided amongst themselves to keep watch in shifts of 2 or 3 people at a time, on the grounds that one person might be at risk of giving into hunger, but the other 1 or 2 people on shift would stop them.