HALIFAX 



2667 



HALIFAX 



having both eyes on one side of 'the head in- 

 stead of upon the two sides. The halibut is 

 most frequently found in the higher latitudes, 

 on the northern coasts of America, Asia and 

 Europe. 



Among the true fishes the halibut is equaled 

 in size only by the tarpon, tuna and swordfish, 

 and frequently weighs from 300 to 400 pounds, 

 though averaging from fifty to seventj r -five 

 pounds. It is taken with great hooks and lines 



FORM OF THE HALIBUT 



or trawls. When sold in the markets it is cut 

 in large slices, or steaks, and the fish, when 

 cooked, has a mild, pleasant flavor, unlike fish 

 that contains more oil. The food value of 

 halibut is greater than that of cod, and less 

 than that of mackerel or salmon. 



The halibut fisheries of Queen Charlotte 

 Islands in British Columbia are the richest in 

 the world. Most of the 60,000,000 pounds of 

 fresh halibut which are eaten each year in the 

 United States and Canada, even on the east- 

 ern seacoast, comes in refrigerator trains from 

 the Pacific. About 20,000,000 pounds are frozen 

 and kept for the winter. The Canadian catch 

 is about 16,000,000 pounds, the American about 

 50,000,000 pounds; but about one-fifth of the 

 latter is landed in Canada. See FLATFISH. 



HAL 'IF AX, one of the most important cen- 

 ters of the English woolen and worsted indus- 

 tries. It is situated in West Riding, in the 

 County of York, 194 miles northwest of Lon- 

 don, at the junction of two small rivers called 

 the Hebble and the Calder. The city is of 

 modern appearance,' and has some fine build- 

 ings, most notable of which are the town hall 

 and the Piece Hall, the latter erected in 1799 

 for the storage and sale of piece goods, and 

 covering over two acres of ground. Halifax 

 is essentially an industrial city and in addi- 

 tion to carpets, for which it is noted through- 

 out the world, produces and exports large 

 quantities of machinery and iron and steel 

 goods. Extensive collieries and quarries of 

 freestone are operated in the neighborhood. 

 Population in 1911, 101,553. 



HALIFAX, the capital of Nova Scotia, the 

 county seat of Halifax County, the largest 

 city of the Maritime Provinces and the great- 

 est Canadian port on the Atlantic seaboard. 

 The city lies on the east coast of the Nova 

 Scotia peninsula, about midway between Cape 

 Canso, at the north end, and Cape Sable, at 

 the south. Its latitude is slightly lower than 

 that of Montreal, and is about the same as 

 that of Portland, Ore. By the shortest rail 

 lines Halifax is 730 miles northeast of Boston, 

 958 miles northeast of New York, 756 miles 

 east of Montreal and 674 miles east of Que- 

 bec. Its population was 40,832 in 1901 and 

 46,619 in 1911; in 1917 it was estimated at 53,- 

 556. 



General Description. Halifax lies on the 

 east slope of a hill which forms a small pen- 

 insula in Halifax harbor. The summit of the 

 hill is 225 feet above the sea. Halifax is now, 

 and has been since its foundation in 1749, a 

 great fortress. It is popularly ranked second 

 in strength only to Quebec. The secrets of its 

 defenses, however, are well guarded, especially 

 since the beginning of the War of the Nations, 

 Halifax is not merely a great fortress and the 

 chief naval station in British North America, 

 but it is a center of trade and industry. It 

 handles practically all of Nova Scotia's for- 

 eign trade, and in winter, when the Saint Law- 

 rence is closed by ice, also has the trade of 

 Montreal and Quebec. It is a railway center 

 of considerable importance, being the terminus 

 of the Intercolonial, the Canadian Pacific, the 

 Halifax & Southwestern, and the Dominion 

 Atlantic railways. The harbor of Halifax is 

 one of the finest in the world. It is about six 

 miles long and one mile wide, and has deep 

 anchorage throughout. To the north it is con- 

 nected by a narrow channel with Bedford 

 Basin, six miles long and four miles wide, and 

 deep enough for the greatest ships afloat. 

 McNab's Island, lying across the mouth of 

 the harbor, divides it into two entrance chan- 

 nels, of which only the western is navigable 

 for vessels of deep draft. 



Harbor Development. Halifax is the Cana- 

 dian port nearest Europe, and is also several 

 hundred miles nearer Europe than any port 

 in the United States. It has a further advan- 

 tage in that its harbor, unlike that of Mon- 

 treal or Quebec, is never closed by ice. For 

 these reasons the Canadian government deter- 

 mined to spend $30,000,000 in the improve- 

 ment of the harbor and terminal facilities at 

 Halifax. The chief objection to this develop- 



