Who was the train dispatcher who sent a warning message to another passenger train in the December 6, 1917 Halifax maritime disaster?
Vince Coleman (train dispatcher) Patrick Vincent Coleman (13March 18726December 1917) was a train dispatcher for the Canadian Government Railways (formerly the ICR, Intercolonial Railway of Canada) who was killed in the Halifax Explosion, but not before he sent a message to an incoming passenger train to stop out of range of the explosion. Today he is remembered as one of the heroic figures from the disaster.
Man overboard "Man overboard!" is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that someone (not necessarily a "man" but historically one of the crewmen "manning" the vessel) has fallen off of the ship into the water and is in need of immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person's fall is to shout, "Man overboard!" and the call is then to be reported once by every crewmember within earshot, even if they have not seen the victim fall, until everyone on deck has heard and given the same call. This ensures that all other crewmembers have been alerted to the situation and notifies the officers of the need to act immediately to save the victim. Pointing continuously at the victim may aid the helmsman in approaching the victim.