Who was behind city hall's brazen booze heist after the Halifax Explosion?

Halifax's Evening Mail newspaper called it the "great burglary mystery."

In the hours and days after the Halifax Explosion, confiscated alcohol went missing from city hall. During this period the Nova Scotia Temperance Act was in place meaning the province was mostly dry.

The newspapers of the day accused city officials and elected representatives of stealingthe booze.

Following the Halifax Explosion on Dec. 6, 1917, city hall was thecentre of activity.

City officials and elected representatives worked day and night to deal with the devastationand relief workers took over the building to coordinate aid and supplies.

They worked from damaged officesas the force of the blast hadblown in windows and doors.

Liquor looters boost booze

EdwinTracey, the province's Temperance Act inspector, returned to his office the morning after the explosion to find the glass on his door broken and the lock turned.Inside he found a case of booze missing and most of another case plundered.

Traceyassumed it had gone as medical supplies to the relief effortso he didn't report it to the mayor or police.

But more break-ins followedand more booze disappeared.

The Evening Mail reported the "daring" burglars carried out their heist whilepolice officers on guard at city hall were stationed "within sight and smell" of the liquor inspector's office. "Will the forty detectives and sleuth hounds be able to unravel this great 'mystery'?" the newspaper wondered.

Aldermen accused

A special committeeformed to investigate the accusations made after the theft of the boozequestionedTracey, Halifax's deputy mayor, city officials and elected councillors.

Many of thecouncillorsand officials denied knowledge of the theftincluding alderman Harrison LHart.

"I know nothing about it except what I saw in the paper," Hart said. "I think that the alderman and officials have been charged unjustly."

Much ado about something

ShirleyTillotson, a history professor at Dalhousie University, said popular support for prohibitionexplains why the booze boostingwas such a big dealeven in the aftermath of the disaster.

ManyNovaScotiansbelieved the grains going into alcoholic beverages should instead be sent to feed the troops.

"People were upset because this [law was]difficult to enforce; prohibition legislation was being challenged,"Tillotsontold CBC.

"Law and order at the time was very fragile at this pointand it didn't help that there was a law on the books that was being massively violated."

Unsolved mystery

Records aboutthe booze heist are posted online on Halifax'swebsite.

Board of Control minutes dated Feb. 21, 1918indicateit was deemed unnecessary to proceed further with the investigation. Areport from the mayor foundthat the accusations were groundless.

While prohibition is longgone, alcohol is still not permitted at city hall illicitly or otherwise.

• Read more about the Halifax Explosion:How the largest mass-blinding in Canadian history birthed CNIB