I was going through my family tree on Ancestry.ca and came across a branch that just ends. Not uncommon really. I have Joseph and Catherine (Kate) Ferguson and their Children:

Estella (Stella)
Gibson
Lorne
Ruth
Helen
Lillian

In 1911 they were living at 48 Gottingen, Halifax. It appears that they may have owned a Hotel/Saloon somewhere at this time aswell. However I don't know where.

I'm wondering if they all died in the explosion, that street is very near the water, however It's a little further back from the explosion, so it's possible they could be spared.

Funny coincidence, my Dad grew up in a house just a flew blocks away from this family, and he didn't even know they existed, they would be distant cousins.

He was not born at this time, However he told me that his parents lived out of the city on a farm. The explosion blew the barn doors open, and the sheep all got out. His parents heared the explosion and wondered what the heck that was. After rounding up the sheep, they began walking into Halifax to find out, on their way, they began to meet a steady stream of people walking out, hearing tales that Halifax was completely destroyed.

Interesting though, during WWII when my dad was a young boy, somewhere in Halifax there was an Ammo Depot that caught fire. They immediately began to evacuate people (live and learn I suppose). So my dad and his family had to walk out of the city (because the roads were clogged) and go to his Uncle's.

He said in the middle of the night you could hear explosions, one rattled the house, and knocked things off of a ledge. His Uncle came down and complained (jokingly) "They won't let me sleep". No Major damage like the Halifax explosion, but i suppose they feared that something similar could happen.