Vince Coleman (train dispatcher)
Encyclopedia
P. Vincent Coleman was a train dispatcher
for the Canadian Government Railways
(formerly the ICR, Intercolonial Railway of Canada
) who was killed in the Halifax Explosion
. Today he is remembered as one of the heroic figures from the disaster.
On the day of the explosion, the 45-year-old Coleman was one of two railway dispatchers working in the Richmond train station. They controlled trains on the mainline into Halifax
which ran along the western shore of Bedford Basin
from Rockingham Station
to the city's passenger terminal at the North Street Station at the corner of Barrington and North Streets. The station was only a few hundred feet from a burning ship.
Sailors sent ashore by a naval officer warned the station staff that the steamship burning after a collision, the SS Mont-Blanc
, was full of explosives. Reportedly upon leaving the ICR telegraph/dispatching office, Coleman returned to the station's telegraph office to send a brief warning message along the rail line as far as Truro
to stop trains inbound for Halifax.
Coleman's Morse code
message was "Hold up the train. Munitions ship on fire and making for Pier 6... Goodbye boys." His warning was heeded and trains stopped all along the line. The closest train to Halifax, the overnight passenger train from Saint John, NB is believed to have halted at Rockingham Station, located on the shore of the basin, approximately 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) from the downtown terminal. After the explosion, Coleman's message, followed by other messages later sent by railway officials who made their way to Rockingham, passed word of the disaster to the rest of Canada. The railway quickly mobilized aid, sending a dozen relief trains with fire and medical help from towns in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the day of the disaster followed two days later by help from the other parts of Canada and the United States, most notably Boston
. Coleman, however, was killed when the fire on the Mont-Blanc ignited its explosive cargo, which devastated the city and crushed and buried the Richmond Station.
Coleman's self-sacrifice was the subject of a Heritage Minute
, and he became a prominent character in the CBC
miniseries Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
, although there remains some debate among historians about the true nature of his role. The Heritage Minute and other sources also incorrectly describe Coleman as warning others in downtown Halifax and the area surrounding the ICR's North Street Station of the impending explosion. In truth, he worked in the Richmond Station, surrounded by freight yards. Another error is the exaggeration of the number aboard the Saint John train which contained a maximum of 300 people, not 700 as claimed in the Heritage Minute. The warning message is also changed. Coleman's telegraph key, watch, and pen are on display in the Halifax Explosion exhibit at Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
.
Coleman is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Halifax
, at the intersection of Mumford Road with Joseph Howe Drive. He was survived by his wife Frances, who lived until 1970. A street is named after him in the Clayton Park neighbourhood of Halifax and in 2007 a section of Albert Street near his old home was renamed Vincent Street in his honour.
Train dispatcher
A train dispatcher is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territory, which is usually part, or all, of a railroad operating division. In Canada the train dispatcher is known as the rail traffic controller...
for the Canadian Government Railways
Canadian Government Railways
Canadian Government Railways was the legal name used between 1915–1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada.The principal component companies were: the Intercolonial Railway of Canada , the National Transcontinental Railway , the Prince Edward Island Railway , and the Hudson...
(formerly the ICR, Intercolonial Railway of Canada
Intercolonial Railway of Canada
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway , was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways...
) who was killed in the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Today he is remembered as one of the heroic figures from the disaster.
On the day of the explosion, the 45-year-old Coleman was one of two railway dispatchers working in the Richmond train station. They controlled trains on the mainline into Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
which ran along the western shore of Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...
from Rockingham Station
Rockingham, Nova Scotia
Rockingham is a community located in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is part of a large suburban area along the western shore of Bedford Basin, north of Clayton Park and south of Bedford.-Geography:...
to the city's passenger terminal at the North Street Station at the corner of Barrington and North Streets. The station was only a few hundred feet from a burning ship.
Sailors sent ashore by a naval officer warned the station staff that the steamship burning after a collision, the SS Mont-Blanc
SS Mont-Blanc
The SS Mont-Blanc was a French freighter which exploded while carrying ammunition in Halifax Harbour on December 6, 1917 causing the Halifax Explosion which killed 2000 people. The explosion was caused by a collision with the Norwegian ship SS Imo...
, was full of explosives. Reportedly upon leaving the ICR telegraph/dispatching office, Coleman returned to the station's telegraph office to send a brief warning message along the rail line as far as Truro
Truro, Nova Scotia
-Education:Truro has one high school, Cobequid Educational Centre. Post-secondary options include a campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, as well as the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in the neighboring town of Bible Hill.- Sports :...
to stop trains inbound for Halifax.
Coleman's Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
message was "Hold up the train. Munitions ship on fire and making for Pier 6... Goodbye boys." His warning was heeded and trains stopped all along the line. The closest train to Halifax, the overnight passenger train from Saint John, NB is believed to have halted at Rockingham Station, located on the shore of the basin, approximately 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) from the downtown terminal. After the explosion, Coleman's message, followed by other messages later sent by railway officials who made their way to Rockingham, passed word of the disaster to the rest of Canada. The railway quickly mobilized aid, sending a dozen relief trains with fire and medical help from towns in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the day of the disaster followed two days later by help from the other parts of Canada and the United States, most notably Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Coleman, however, was killed when the fire on the Mont-Blanc ignited its explosive cargo, which devastated the city and crushed and buried the Richmond Station.
Coleman's self-sacrifice was the subject of a Heritage Minute
Heritage Minute
Heritage Minutes, also known officially as Historica Minutes: History by the Minute, are sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. They appear frequently on Canadian television and in cinemas before movies...
, and he became a prominent character in the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
miniseries Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion is a two-part miniseries produced in 2003 by CBC Television. It presents a fictionalized version of the Halifax Explosion, a 1917 catastrophe that destroyed much of the city of Halifax. It was directed by Bruce Pittman and written by Keith Ross Leckie...
, although there remains some debate among historians about the true nature of his role. The Heritage Minute and other sources also incorrectly describe Coleman as warning others in downtown Halifax and the area surrounding the ICR's North Street Station of the impending explosion. In truth, he worked in the Richmond Station, surrounded by freight yards. Another error is the exaggeration of the number aboard the Saint John train which contained a maximum of 300 people, not 700 as claimed in the Heritage Minute. The warning message is also changed. Coleman's telegraph key, watch, and pen are on display in the Halifax Explosion exhibit at Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a Canadian maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection of over 30,000 artifacts...
.
Coleman is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Halifax
Mount Olivet Cemetery-Halifax
Mount Olivet Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at which 19 bodies recovered from the RMS Titanic are buried. Many of the dead from the Halifax Explosion are also buried here, including Vincent Coleman, the heroric railway dispatcher who sent warning of...
, at the intersection of Mumford Road with Joseph Howe Drive. He was survived by his wife Frances, who lived until 1970. A street is named after him in the Clayton Park neighbourhood of Halifax and in 2007 a section of Albert Street near his old home was renamed Vincent Street in his honour.