|
|
|
NOTES AND DOCUMENTS
The Arthur Webb Story 1885-1964
Jeff A. Webb
|
Introduction
|
|
|
WE OWE THE PUBLICATION of this document
of a working mans life to Bill Webb, who in the 1960s encouraged
his father, Arthur Webb, to take pencil to paper and write an
autobiography, and four decades later granted permission to bring
it to the readers of Labour/Le Travail. What follows is
an account of a working man written in the third person. His decision
to write in the third person is largely the result of his modesty,
as evidenced most emphatically in the second part of his story,
in which he refers to himself as "John Doe." In creating
a typescript, his son replaced the pseudonym with his fathers
name. Webbs reminiscences clearly reflect the norms of narrative
storytelling. "Our Arthur," as he styled himself in
the opening of the "story" of his life, looked back
upon his decades of work from the vantage point of a retired man
at the middle of the 20th century. He did not dwell upon his own
accomplishments, but constructed a narrative that contrasted implicitly
childhood and work in an English industrial city in the 1890s
and rural New Brunswick in the early 20th century, with life in
post-World War II urban Canada. Webb describes
work at a time of muscle rather than machine, both for the opportunity
this gives him to contrast his life with the lives of his readers
and because men of his generation valued themselves through their
physical work. The strength, skill, endurance and stoicism that
allowed him to survive are the qualities that men measured themselves
against and prided themselves on.
|
1 |
|
Webbs life story is remarkable,
but he was not a public figure of the sort that traditionally
warranted the attention of a biographer or led to a published
memoir. The historian of working-class life will nevertheless
find that his description of work and society merits attention.
Webbs life illustrates the intersection of world events
and individual experience, played out within the minutia of daily
undertakings. While we know that there were hundreds of thousands
of lives like his, we cannot help but admire the tenacity and
resilience that figure so centrally in Webbs life story.
People such as this often appear in historians accounts,
but usually in the aggregate. Men such as Webb would be reflected
in statistics as an immigrant, a worker, a recruit, one of the
wounded, a returned soldier, and a union member. Historians usually
see such individuals only through the lens of their own research
interest, but rarely as a whole life. In this document we can
see Webbs reflections as a coherent narrative the
way he saw it from the vantage point of his kitchen table near
the end of a remarkable life.
|
2 |
|
Arthurs father, George
Frederick Webb, seems a distant figure of work and corporal punishment.
The elder Webb had been born in 1853, the second son of the postmaster
at Bromsgrove, attended Grammar School in Surrey and he too entered
the postal service. He retired from the post office due to failing
health, and lived for 16 years in Liverpool before retiring to
Alcester, Warwickshire. When his youngest son, Arthur, was born
in Liverpool, George Frederick was working as a commercial traveller
for a firm of builders furnishers, but soon started business
on his own account as a tobacconist, stocktaker and valuer. In
his retirement he was a dedicated volunteer for local philanthropic
causes, a member of the Conservative Party, and a man with artistic
talent. But he appears in our view as a distant and domineering
father whose insistence, as head of the household, on dictating
which trades his sons followed drove four of the five to immigrate
to Canada.
|
3 |
|
Arthur Webb spent his boyhood
in the streets, shops and factories of Liverpool during the last
decade of the 19th century. While his parents worked, he played
with the gangs of neighbourhood kids and revelled in the life
of a street urchin. He did not thrive at school, and at the age
of ten entered the workforce. As a boy, he worked in a number
of industries, from a "watcher" at a shoe store to a
delivery boy for a tailor shop. He laboured in a tobacco factory,
a bakery, and on his fathers insistence apprenticed as a
harness maker. His eye for the detail of work makes this a compelling
document of a childhood in an English industrial city. At the
age of 16, with the collusion of his mother, Webb immigrated to
Canada to escape the trade his father had chosen for him.
|
4 |
|
This account of being a "farm
boy" and a labourer in New Brunswick during the first decade
and a half of the 20th century stands as an effective antidote
to the saccharin romanticism of the rural ideal that appears in
television representations of Anne of Green Gables and
the reconstruction of a fictional New Brunswick past devoid of
social context at Kings Landing. This was a rural community in
which people sometimes abused their farm labourers, cheated their
neighbours, drank too much, and lived a rough life similar to
that of their pioneer forerunners. Even when relating his participation
in a threshing bee, an archetypal example of rural families working
together, Webb tells us that one family was left out, likely reflecting
communal punishment for some transgression. It was not that there
were no acts of kindness. After having been cheated out of the
final leg of his passage, Webb was rescued from the docks at Quebec
City. After a succession of abusive farmers, the boy found the
warmth of a surrogate family in New Brunswick, although they too
did not pay the wage that had been promised.
|
5 |
|
Over the next decade and a
half, hard work enabled Webb to feed and clothe himself at a variety
of occupations. As did so many other immigrants to Canada from
the British Isles, he accepted the call of King and Country and
enlisted in 1914. His account of the war is brief, but reads like
a textbook retelling of the fate of so many members of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force. The enthusiasm for war at the recruiting
office was dampened by the mud of Salisbury Plain, and extinguished
in the battle for Ypres. We know he lived a horrific life in the
trenches, although as is the case with so many veterans he chose
not to relate these conditions. Having been gassed and wounded,
he fell in love with the woman who nursed him back to health.
He returned to Canada to be discharged from the Army, and worked
running telegrams from the ships in Halifax harbour. His initiative
once more served him well, and he took a job at Aldershot military
camp. Webb then travelled to Alberta on the promise of an even
better job, well in time to avoid being in the harbour during
the Halifax explosion of 6 December 1917. The job in Alberta did
not materialize, and he joined thousands of transient men bringing
in the harvest on one farm after another, before drifting into
a career with the fire department in Saskatoon. This was a time
of high costs and poor living conditions for working men, and
Webb joined the union struggle for better working conditions.
The fight for the two platoon system, which gave the men more
time off work, occurred at a time of considerable labour tension
in the city.
1
The fire fighters had expressed their sympathy with the
Winnipeg General Strike, and faced a hostile city administration.
On at least one occasion managements animosity toward the
union took a comic turn. The 13 June 1918 ceremony initiating
new firemen into Local 80 of the union had to be cut short to
answer a call. There proved to be no fire, and the Fire Chief
later sent a letter of apology for having pulled the alarm.
2
The life of a fire fighter was a dangerous and heroic one,
and the Fire Chief noted Webbs heroism in rescuing a child
in 1918, and his being injured in a fire in 1919. Perhaps out
of modesty, Webb relates neither of these incidents, but focuses
instead upon how the nature of the work differed from more modern
labour at the time he was writing his manuscript, and on the hardship
of his bride-to-be travelling alone from England to Saskatoon.
The steady wage enabled him to have a family of his own, and they
coped relatively well through the 20s, the Depression and war
years. After 47 years in Saskatoon, Arthur Webb died at his home
on 22 December 1964.
|
6 |
|
The Arthur Webb Story 1885-1964
|
|
|
This is a short story of a boy who immigrated to Canada at age
16 years.
|
7 |
|
Our Arthur was born in Liverpool,
England 28th January 1885. He had four brothers all older than
him. Our story starts when Arthur moved from his house of birth
to Stanley Road. His parents opened a Tobacco shop on Stanley
Road. He was one year old, as his parents both were busy in the
shop he had a nurse to take care of him. When he reached the age
of three he was taken to school, the age they started in baby
class in those days. He attended baby classes for two years. At
the age of five in January 1890 baby school term ended, so he
had to wait out of school until the autumn grade 1 opened. He
had lots of time to play.
|
8 |
|
When school started they found
out he was hard of hearing but Doctors said nothing could be done
to his ears. His seat in class was at the back of the room, so
he could not hear the teacher very well and kept asking the boy
next to him what the teacher said. For this he got many canings
for talking in class. At the Christmas examination he failed,
then he took sick. Doctors said he had a nervous breakdown and
must not attend school until he was seven years old.
|
9 |
|
One of Arthurs pleasant
memories is his rides to town with his mother on the horse drawn
trams. Some trams had an open seat behind the driver, he would
hold the loose end of the reins and pretend he was driving the
team. Another exciting thing was at Christmas time when they would
go to Lewiss, a large store on Ranelagh Street. There would
be Santa Claus beside a large crate full of parcels. Tickets were
sixpence half penny each. The kids bought tickets off Santas
helper, then gave them to Santa, that was their present for their
stocking. They did not know what Santa gave them until Xmas morning.
They all hung their stockings on mantel piece over the fireplace.
They would find an orange, apple, few nuts and bag of sweets in
the stocking on Xmas morning and their mystery box. That was their
toy for the year.
|
10 |
|
After Xmas Arthur and his next
older Brother Fred were taken to Birmingham by their mother to
visit their Aunt. There they would sit on garden wall and watch
the steam trams pass the house. These trams were pulled by a little
steam engine pulling three or four trams behind them and when
stopping or starting they blew a little whistle. They stayed there
a week and then went back home, as school opened then and his
brother went back to school.
|
11 |
|
Arthur just played alone as
all the other kids were at school. Sometimes he walked to the
docks to watch the ships coming and going. Of course, kids were
not allowed around the docks so he would sneak in when the Bobby
(nickname for a policeman) was not looking, or hide under a lorry
that was going in through the gate, but when he was caught he
got his bottom tanned by the Bobby.
|
12 |
|
Other times he would wander
down to town, he had nothing else to do, he sometimes got home
late for dinner then he got no dinner, but a good caning and sent
to bed.
|
13 |
|
Sometimes in warm weather he
would go across the river on Ferry boat which cost a penny each
way. Passengers paid at Birkenhead both getting off and on the
Ferry boat. Arthur having no money would have a tear in his eyes
and tell the Bobby he lost his mother. When all passengers had
cleared the turnstile all lost children would be taken care of
until their parents claimed them. Our Arthur got wise after a
few trips and would tell the Bobby theres my Mother and
run away. He would play on the beach and if the tide was going
out he would paddle along the edge of water to next ferry, Egremont,
fare from there home was two pennies. Arthur would tell the Bobby
he had lost his mother and wanted to go home. He would give his
wrong name and the Bobby would tell him to crawl under the turnstile
and go home.
|
14 |
|
There was no home life, his
parents were busy in the store and the servant was always too
busy to bother with a kid. So Arthur was left on his own and so
the summer passed into autumn. His brothers all back to school
after summer holidays, all passed into higher grades. So Arthur
was left alone again, then came winter and outdoor play and trips
to town dropped off and nothing to do until school let out for
Xmas holidays.
|
15 |
|
After Xmas Arthur and his brother
Fred again went to visit their aunt in Birmingham, returning home
at New Year, all brothers and Arthur went to school 1892.
|
16 |
|
Our Arthur being seven started
in grade one with a handicap, all other boys had four months start
and knew the alphabet, and the two times table, and could print
the letters of the alphabet. Our Arthur could do none of this
work. When his teacher saw this he sent a note to his parents
asking them to teach him. There was no homework as the school
provided all books and necessary equipment used in the school.
Arthurs parents were too busy to teach him, his father was
out most of the time and his mother was in the store. The elderly
housekeeper, when sober, tried to help him but did not have much
schooling herself, so his mother gave his older brother a penny
extra a week to get him started. This helped Arthur some. His
mother bought him a copybook to practice printing the letters
but Arthur and his brother wanted to get out to play so little
printing was done. Both his parents were highly educated. It was
quite a strain on Arthur but he did two hours every night. Sometimes
his mother would help him but he began to get his nerve trouble
again so study was reduced to half hour after dinner and one hour
at night after some play time.
|
17 |
|
By the time spring came he
was almost up to the other boys, but he was seven years old and
the other boys only six. They teased him so much he began to get
behind again, but he was ahead of the class in drawing and map
making. The Teacher would put an object on his desk and the class
had to draw the object as they saw it. It might be a teapot, a
jug, a cup and saucer, vase with a flower in it or any object
he had. They, then, stopped teasing him and picked fights with
him. Some boys were bigger than him, so every night when school
was out he had to fight one of them. Sometimes he won, sometimes
he lost but every night went home for repairs, a bruised fist
or bloody nose. If his father saw him come home that way he got
a good caning for fighting, his dad was very handy with the cane.
That kept up until the summer exams in June, Arthur just made
enough points to pass, it was his map making and drawing that
helped him.
|
18 |
|
In July his mother sent him
to a private school two afternoons a week there he learned to
read and write, and do arithmetic, and now being seven years old
was put into the boys choir at Church. His mother was a devout
church goer, brother Fred was already in the boys choir, so on
Sunday, it was to church eight am, again at 11 am, choir practice,
Wednesday night to bible classes and learn the catechism to get
ready for confirmation.
|
19 |
|
When holidays were over and
school opened Arthur went to grade two, having made up his lost
time at Private School was able to keep up his end in class, but
still could not hear the teacher too well, so his mother talked
to the Head Master about it, and he had him moved to the front.
Now being seven years old he was admitted into the gang. Childhood
play was over, he was a big boy now. He did fairly well at school
and just passed examinations at Xmas.
|
20 |
|
The street was the only play
ground, the school yard was locked after 4 pm and the park nearest
to them was two miles away and none of the kids would go that
far to play. One favourite game was kick the can, they would get
a tin can, the game was hide and seek, one boy was it, that is
they would toss up who would do the seeking, then one would kick
the can down the street, the one to seek would run for the can
and return it to the starting place, the others would hide in
the mean time, then the seeker had to find them, the first one
found would be the next seeker. Sometimes they would play football
against another gang. There would be 8 or 10 kids in a gang. The
girls also had their gangs, they played at the bottom end of the
street. If the boys wanted the whole street the girls used the
street around the corner. Things went along as usual until the
Summer holidays came, as before Arthur failed exams.
|
21 |
|
Maybe now I should explain
what our back yards and alleys or lanes were like. The yards were
about 12 feet square, with a brick wall surrounding each yard.
At the back end was the Toilet and a back door leading out into
the alley. On one side of the yard was a midden or garbage pit
or refuse heap, which served two houses, at the lane or alley
there was a curve to the garbage pit to make it easier for men
to shovel out the garbage. The walls were about eight feet high
and two bricks wide. The alley was about 3 ft wide, they were
always dirty, they were shaped, open at each end. The alley running
North and South served the houses or stores on the front street,
alleys running East and West served the homes on the side streets.
The kids would play and run along the wall and jump across the
garbage pit curve, they also used the curve to get on top of the
wall. The curve came down to about 6 or 5 feet from ground. The
kids would chip toe holds in brick for quick climbing. At night
some kids would hide on the toilet roof others would tease the
policeman and get him to chase them into the alley, while those
hiding would knock his helmet over his eyes so he could not catch
them running away. It was great fun, there was always tricks played
on policemen, according to the law, kids were not allowed to play
on the streets.
|
22 |
|
Sometimes the girls and boys
played together. About this time Buffalo Bill brought his circus
and Indians to Liverpool, admission was six pence each. The kids
had no money, so had to sneak in. They would dig holes under the
wooden fence at the rear, and crawl under. Some nights the girls
gang would join them, there was the usual animal tricks and clowns
but what interested the kids most was the wild American Indians
and Cowboys. The Indians scalping captives was the most interesting,
but they saw wigs being scalped off, not human scalps. The cowboys
would fight the Indians and shoot them and save the captives.
The Indians used tomahawks and knives, that gave the kids some
ideas for their games. After the circus left the kids played Cowboys
and Indians, some got wounded or hurt. Once Arthur was a cowboy
with a girl on his back, the Indians had sticks and knives, they
were knives of broken glass, pieces about 6 to 8 inches long,
the cowboys had sticks and heavy string. Arthurs mounted
rider got caught, Arthur fought the Indian while his girl tried
to tie the Indians hands or feet, but the Indian stabbed
our Arthur in the arm. He left his girl and he ran home for repairs,
which meant he was taken to Doctors house to have a piece
of glass taken from his arm and bandaged. For that adventure he
was well caned and sent to bed, that ended the Cowboy and Indian
game for him for the remainder of the holidays. He still has the
wound scar and will always have it.
|
23 |
|
The gangs would play football
in the street, boys against the girls, or two boys gangs, according
to how many they had. Of course the police would come and chase
them as it was against the law to play in any street or road,
but there was no other place for kids to play. The kids being
young could outrun the police, but sometimes one would come to
the top of the street, and one to the bottom. That would add to
the fun. Some kids would run into any house and over the back
wall into the alley and out onto the next street, others would
dodge past policemen, very seldom were any caught, they were speedy
and as slippery as eels. Police would come with arms spread out
and legs wide apart, but the kids could pass them or dodge between
their legs sometimes knocking them off balance but if you did
get caught you got a darn good strapping from the policeman.
|
24 |
|
By this time his two oldest
brothers had left school and were working at their trade, the
oldest Charlie, learning French Polishing, the second oldest,
Earnest, learning Barbering. All too soon holidays were over and
back to school, our Arthur remained in grade two, most others
advanced one grade up.
|
25 |
|
School was as usual. Arthur
was now a big boy in a smaller boys class, which did not help
him any, as the kids still teased him, and playing football in
school yard one day he got his collar bone fractured and was away
from school for a long time, so missed more schooling.
|
26 |
|
Another bit of fun the kids
has was turning the gas lights off after the man lit them, the
lamp lighter had a torch on a long pole which he would light the
street lamps, the kids would follow behind him and climb on a
boys shoulder and turn the gas off.
|
27 |
|
It was about his time the city
was changing over from horse drawn trams all over the city to
electric trams, the last horse tram ended in 1900. It was about
1898 that change was made on Stanley Road.
|
28 |
|
Winter ended and spring came.
Some of the gang would like to walk out in the country on fine
days, when school closed for Easter holidays. They could always
get a bite to eat at farm houses but sometimes had to work for
it, usually it was clean stables, and during the summer holidays
they would toss hay when the farmers were stacking it, and sleep
on the stack at night.
|
29 |
|
Summer holidays over and back
to school, our boy passed to grade 3. That year after Xmas
holidays our Arthur was 10 years old [in] 1895. So [he] did not
return to school but went to work. There were no brothers now
going to school, the three elder were at their trade. Arthurs
parents thought he was still going to school until one day his
mother decided to walk to town, which she very seldom did, then
she took another street for a change and it happened to be the
street our Arthur was working on. He was a watch boy standing
outside a shoe store, stores used to hang merchandise outside
to advertise them, the watch boys job was to see they were
not stolen. His mother wanted to know why he was not at school,
and took him home, he got a good caning for his not being at school,
and next morning was taken to school, then he got another caning.
A few days later he was back working in a Tobacco factory down
town and inside. In the spring and summer he worked in different
departments. All employees were searched on quitting time especially
those in tobacco, cigarette and cigar departments, and sometimes
men would give the kids that were in other departments tobacco
to smuggle out. Our Arthur was in the bag and printing department
and was not searched, but the overseers got wise and all were
searched. He worked in that factory until the next spring 1896,
he was now 11 years old. Then he took an errand boys job on Whitechapel
Street for a Mr. Bradshaw who had a Tailors store, by this time
his parents saw it was not school he wanted and decided he may
as well go to work, as he was not learning anything, having failed
his examinations.
|
30 |
|
Now they knew he was working
they took his wages off him and gave him two pence (4c) a week
for pocket money.
|
31 |
|
This new errand boys job was
exciting and long hours. He was at the store at 7 am, his first
work was to sweep the floor, gather up the bits of cloth around
the cutters table, and general cleaning. The tailors came
at 7 am also, they worked on floor above the store. They worked
piece work, so much money for each garment they made. Arthurs
next job was dusting the store and brushing the bolts of cloth
which took until about 11 am. The boss and cutter came in at 8am
and opened the store. Orders for suits that were cut and ready
for the tailors upstairs were taken by Arthur and he brought down
those that were finished or basted together for first or second
fitting. At 11:30 am he went to the pub for the tailors
beer for their dinner. He would eat his lunch with the tailors
if there was no work for him to do. His lunch hour was from 12
to 1 pm. Once he had eaten his lunch he would go to Lime Street
Railway Station and carry passengers baggage to trains and get
a few pennies tips, that is if Porters were not looking, or too
busy to watch him. The station was near the tailors shop, so it
only took few minutes to get to or from the station. He did very
well some days, and this was extra pocket money for him. This
was a first class tailors shop and was very particular with their
fit. They were noted for their good quality cloth and workmanship.
They made formal clothes and had many customers of sea going vessels,
so made a lot of sea officers uniforms. In afternoon the errand
boy delivered any finished clothes, if there were none to deliver
he would be busy keeping the shop clean, there was always something
to be done. He would sneak upstairs and wax some thread for the
tailors, they used waxed thread for some of their sewing. There
were four tailors and one seamstress, she machined trouser leg
and sleeve seams, all their sewing was done by hand. There was
a speaking tube from cutters bench to tailors above, there
was a whistle at both ends, if shop wanted information about suits,
the cutter would blow into tube and foreman would answer and if
tailors wanted any information they would whistle down, there
were not telephones. If the tailors had no work to be finished
for Saturday they would quit at noon, draw their pay, and sometimes
give Arthur a penny or two.
|
32 |
|
I might say that Mr. Bradshaw
was very punctual with delivering goods at the time garments were
to be finished and delivered. Sometimes our Arthur had to run
all the way to make delivery on time, especially Sea Officers
that were leaving port. If ships were in the dock, police would
not let boys enter dock gates, that would hold delivery back,
but after explaining the errand he was allowed to go through.
Once he just got to the ship as the gangplank was being taken
down, he made his delivery but was out of the dock before he got
back on deck, so he had to sail to the harbour mouth and returned
on the pilots boat. When he returned to the store he got
almost discharged for taking so long, but after explaining the
reason, Mr. Bradshaw got a pass from the harbour board which Arthur
took with him when he was making dock deliveries.
|
33 |
|
Most of the customers lived
in the Eastern and Southeastern part of the city, in the Wavertree
district and Walton & Anfield, but some lived North in Boorle
district. All were in the middle or rich class. The errand boy
had to be neat and polite to the customers, but our Arthur soon
learned that the middle class gave him the most tips. Friday and
Saturdays were the busiest days for deliveries but some were delivered
through the week. The autumn was the heaviest load, as overcoats
were included. Some days he would start out to deliver in three
directions, go Southeast, swing East and one or two deliveries
in Northeast end, getting home late at night. He might walk ten
miles before getting home. When winter and Christmas came, deliveries
and tailors would work late at night.
|
34 |
|
1897. The whole winter months
were hard work, and Easter was a busy time. One very hard and
frightening trip took our Arthur to the far South district, which
was the district where all the foreign sailors and Negroes lived.
It was a terrible part of the city for a young boy to be, with
valuable parcels, and not knowing that part of the city made it
more difficult to find the address, although he had been given
an idea of where it was. After walking up one street and down
another until late at night, he saw a policeman and asked him
where the street was. He did not know but said a boy should not
be there after dark and with a parcel so he took Arthur to the
end of his beat and gave him to the policeman on next beat, who
took our Arthur to the address, which was an alley off another
alley. The policeman went to the house with him, the house was
dark but policeman knocked on door with his night stick, when
door opened a large Negro was standing in a long white night shirt
and a big club on his shoulder. The policeman told him that a
boy had a parcel for him, that changed things, he said it was
a formal suit he was to wear at a big wedding the next morning
and gave the boy sixpence. The policeman took our Arthur back
to first policeman, who took him to the end of his beat and sent
him on his way home. The Summer came and Autumn arrived with little
change, until the large Negro again came for a uniform. It turned
out he was a sea captain on the African line, he asked if I was
the boy that delivered his dress suit, when told I was, he told
Mr. Bradshaw never to send a boy down to that district again,
and to deliver his uniform to the African Steamship office, as
it was no place to send a boy with parcels either day or night.
It was the same winter rush for our Arthur, but after Christmas
it eased up some.
|
35 |
|
1898. Easter came and business
started another busy season. Our Arthur was to be confirmed at
2 pm Easter Saturday and during the week had asked for time off
to attend church, but the boss said he could have his lunch hour
at 2 pm and to hurry back, as there were suits to be delivered.
What suits were ready were delivered in morning but Arthur was
at the church on time. He returned to the store at 4 pm for which
he was reprimanded and was not finished delivering until very
late at night. He arrived home about 3 am and had to be at church
at 8 am.
|
36 |
|
Play and the gang was almost
over for him, but they did have some play time on week nights.
They were all big boys then and football and fights were the order
of things. They would play ball against other gangs, which usually
ended up with an all out fight for someone playing rough, but
there were other plays that were pleasant.
|
37 |
|
In the Autumn our Arthur got
fired, he was delivering a lot of suits and overcoats one Saturday
and returned to store and found it closed, so went home. On Monday
morning he went to work as usual and saw a sign in the window
"Boy Wanted." He thought the boss was giving him a helper,
and went to work. When tailor opened rear door to start work at
7 am he had sweeping done and was busy dusting when the boss arrived
at 8 am. He was mad because he had to hire a cab to make a delivery
himself, as Arthur had not returned Saturday night. He told our
Arthur he was discharged, he told the boss he returned to store
after last delivery about 9pm and found store closed. But he was
fired just the same. He got his wages then went upstairs to say
goodbye to the tailors, they all wanted to know why. Our Arthur
was well liked by them, and when they found out why they all went
down to the boss to try and save his job, but the boss was firm
so Arthur lost his job in early winter.
|
38 |
|
In January our Arthur found
a new job at the Old Calabar Biscuit Company. The Biscuit Coy
was north of his home, the other job was in the main business
district. The new job was in industrial part of the city. The
back of the factory was on the Liverpool and Leeds canal, which
was built in 1770 to bring coal and other material into City and
Docks, as there were only narrow cobble stone roads at that time.
|
39 |
|
This new factory had many departments.
They made hard tack sailor biscuits, fancy biscuits and the famous
Dog biscuits. There were many employees, men and women, boys and
girls. Every morning heavy drays would bring supplies to front
of the building, to be unloaded by cranes. There were three cranes,
certain supplies went to different floors, the building was six
floors high. There were sacks of flour, carcasses of beef, tubs
of butter, lard and other ingredients that were used. When drays
were unloaded they would be loaded with finished products to take
to city or docks. At rear of the factory was the canal, boats
pulled by one horse would stop at rear and load cases of biscuits
or unload products they had for the company. Along the canal was
also a short cut home. Sometimes a boat would be going towards
city and workers would ride down in them. Working hours for boys
and girls were from 7 am to 6 pm except Saturday, they closed
at noon. Wages for boys and girls were 1s 9p to start, and raises
were made of different types of work.
|
40 |
|
The first work for newcomers
was wheeling supplies to the bakers. There were long tables on
which the dough was measured and put through rollers and formed
into shapes. After it left the mixing machines, it was sent to
meat tables on endless belts, where the meat was pressed into
the dough, then it was transferred to an endless tin baking sheet
which passed over the lines of ovens, where they were cooked then
pushed into another room, where they were then cooled and packed.
This is the way dog biscuits were made.
|
41 |
|
At 11:30 am the bakers would
prepare a dough for themselves and the packers, the butchers would
put a steak on biscuits and send them through the ovens for their
dinners, the boy would go to the packers room and bring them back
to the baking room. They were very tasty and hot.
|
42 |
|
Our Arthur got several promotions
and with each a raise in pay. He left that factory one year later
as his father decided he should learn a trade. He wanted to be
a Carpenter and Cabinet Maker as he loved making toys with wood,
but like his brothers, Father chose all their trades, which none
of them liked or followed.
|
43 |
|
Our Arthur now being 15 years
old was a year too old to enter to learn a trade. The age was
14 years old and 7 years were required to learn then at 21 he
was a man and fully trained. So our Arthur found another errand
boys job with another tailor ship, near his old job. He received
2/6 a week at this shop, but they were a second class shop and
most customers called for their suits. Arthurs work was
keeping shop clean and polishing the many brass plates with the
odd delivery. In June two of his brothers left England for Canada.
Arthur stayed at this shop until end of December. His father had
found a harness maker who would take him on to learn harness making.
He started January 2nd 1901.
|
44 |
|
The hours of work were from
8 am until finished at night. At opening time he was given pieces
of harness that had been repaired the day before. He was to deliver
it to the barns from where it was sent in for repairs and to pick
up pieces to repair. Sometimes the barn attendant was there, other
times not but harness for repair was hung on a nail for him to
take to the shop. Most days he would be loaded very heavily. It
may be a heavy iron bound saddle, two or three collars and several
other pieces of harness. He got back to the shop around noon,
none of the repairs had name tags on them, he had to remember
which piece he brought in. No stable had no repair work each day,
there was always something to take, it took him a long time to
recognize each stable and where it was located.
|
45 |
|
After lunch at noon, he started
to learn how to make waxed thread until 3 pm he then would gather
up finished work and deliver it, picking up any to take back to
the shop for repairs.
|
46 |
|
Rats were his greatest terror,
they were in the stables, they were larger and fatter than the
ordinary alley rat. Some as large as a medium cat, he was more
terrified of them than they were of him. They were mostly seen
in early morning and evening.
|
47 |
|
If he returned to shop before
closing time he would get more instructions at his trade, he first
learned to sew two broken end of straps together again. Next he
learned to put buckles on straps. In a month he could attach buckles,
make his own and other mens waxed ends and sew two straps
together. The next month (February) he learned to work on heavier
pieces of harness. He was learning quickly, there were different
knives for different work and different sizes of waxed ends.
|
48 |
|
There is quite an art in sewing.
All sewing was done by hand and care had to be taken to get proper
size awl and strands of waxed ends for the kind of leather one
was working on. Care was needed to push awl through straight,
as both sides of sewing had to be identical. If awl went through
at an angle stitches would be uneven and work spoiled or charged
less money for the job. That also lost the workman the cost, also
lost the shop prestige.
|
49 |
|
There was a vise like chair
to hold work firm while being sewed. This seat or bench had two
heavy boards upright, one was firm, the other on a hinge. The
hinged one had a piece of rope or leather strap attached to it,
the other end passed through the solid upright board and down
to a foot lever. The foot lever was an iron bar. When work was
put into the vice it was held tight by pressing the iron lever
down with the left foot and hucked into the iron cleats on leg
of seat or bench, that held work firmly. If one was working on
a long strap, like a trace for instance, there would be a strap
or rope hanging from above, with a loop at lower end, the end
of trace not being worked on would rest in the loop, so work would
be held straight in the vise. These seats were quite comfortable
when one got used to them. One may say it was like sitting on
a horse with a saddle with the foot in a stirrup. Sewing small
straps and putting on buckles was not too hard to learn. Sewing
was done with both hands, in this shop dull pointed needles were
used, needles were entered in an awl hole at same time, so as
not to cut through wax ends. When finished it looked the same
on both sides, like the present day sewing machine does. As time
went on our Arthur learned more and worked on heavier work, but
still did all small work if any to be done, as it did not pay
to have the tradesmen do it.
|
50 |
|
Then April came and our Arthur
still wanted to be a carpenter and cabinet maker, but his Dad
insisted he remain at the harness making. His mother thought differently
about it and made inquiries about sending him to Canada. On 16th
of April 1901 he and brother Fred sailed for Canada, to start
a new life on their own and to their own choosing.
|
51 |
|
They went aboard the S.S. Lake
Champlain at noon. They traveled second class, they shared a four
berth cabin with a Frenchman and his son. The trip across the
ocean was very pleasant. They had two stormy days in the crossing,
but remainder of the trip was calm. There were some wounded Canadian
soldiers returning from the Boer War. Our Arthur had tried to
enlist in the army when war was declared but was turned down as
being too small. So he chummed up with the wounded soldiers and
asked them lots of questions, they took to him and they became
good pals all the way across. They saw icebergs one day and all
passengers went to that side of the ship to watch them.
|
52 |
|
On the same boat were a lot
of Italian immigrants in the storage part of the ship.
|
53 |
|
The boys were told to eat plenty
and they would not be sea sick, which they certainly did. Breakfast
was at 7 am for first sitting passengers, and at 8 am second sitting.
At 10 am lunch was served buffet style. At 3 pm and 9 pm our boys
were lined up for all meals in Dining room. The boys did not miss
a meal in the dining room or a buffet lunch, nor were they sea
sick. They had a very nice trip across the ocean.
|
54 |
|
Every night there would be
a concert, with passengers taking part, on April 29th the ship
reached Quebec City, the ship steward put our boys ashore, even
though they were booked to sail to Montreal. Why they were put
into Immigration shed with the Italian Immigrants they did not
know, but they heard that the steward lost his job over it, as
it caused the shipping company a lot of trouble. Arrangements
had been made for the CPR to meet and see
they got on the right train and to collect their baggage which
was in the hold of the ship. They were the only English passengers
put off the ship, only steerage passenger "immigrants"
were to leave at Quebec City. They did not know what to do, as
everybody spoke French at Immigration Office. They left the ship
in the morning so they sat on their hand baggage until about 11
pm. Inquiries were made for the ship that two boys were missing
and may have left the ship at Quebec City, that was when they
began to look for them. They were asleep on floor of shed with
the Italians who were not very clean. Nor were the two boys by
that time. They were found by an elderly Scotch Lady around midnight.
She took them to her rooms over the station, and as they were
dirty, she told them to take all their clothes off to be cleaned
and washed. Brother Fred was sent to the bathroom to take a good
bath, then she took our Arthur and scrubbed him clean. She gave
both boys a night shirt and put them to bed, it was a lovely clean
room and bed. Next morning being Sunday, there were no trains
to Montreal, so they had to wait until Monday.
|
55 |
|
Sunday morning she brought
their breakfast to them and said their clothes were being cleaned
and to stay in bed until noon, while they were eating she told
them about the steward putting them off the boat at in Quebec
City. At dinner time the dining room table steward missed them
at their table, as they had not missed a meal all the way across,
and he reported it to the Officer in charge of dining room. He
went to their cabin to see if they were sick. The Officer found
another couple in the cabin, they did not know of any two boys,
so he returned to the dining room and asked the Frenchman who
had been in their cabin if he knew where the boys were. He told
him the steward put them off at Quebec City and brought a man
and wife into the cabin for Montreal. The officer questioned the
couple and found they had paid the steward for the use of the
cabin. So the steward was arrested, and word was signaled at the
next village for them to telegraph Quebec City to locate the two
boys, that is how they were found, had they not been regular diners
they may never have been found.
|
56 |
|
At noon they got their clothes
and went to dinner, after that they walked about old Quebec City
taking in the sights until supper time as only the Scotch Lady
spoke English the boys went to bed early. After breakfast Monday
morning she told them they would leave at noon on the train for
Montreal, they would be met there and given supper, then taken
to train for Woodstock. Before getting on train she tied a tag
on coat button so they would be recognized when they reached Montreal.
On arrival in Montreal they were met and taken to a house near
the Windsor CPR station. They were given
their supper and later taken to the station and put on the train
for Woodstock, the end of their exciting trip. They arrived at
Woodstock noon the next day. They were tired and hungry after
sitting up all night on a very hard uncomfortable railway seat.
There were no brothers to meet them, as they were two days late
in arriving.
|
57 |
|
The Life of an Emigrant Boy 1901-1964
|
|
|
Arthur arrived at Quebec City April 29th 1901 with 35 cents in
his pocket. He was booked for Woodstock, New Brunswick. He arrived
there May 2nd, 1901 with no money in his pocket and no job, he
was tired and very hungry.
|
58 |
|
Woodstock was a small country
town with a population of less than 1,000, it was an agricultural
town. Arthur got a job with a farmer six miles from town for one
year for his bed and meals. Arthur arrived at the farm about 5
pm and was at once introduced to the barn and handed a dung fork
and told to clean the cow and horse barns. When that was finished
it was time for supper. After supper Arthur was taken to a shed
filled with old harness and broken farm machinery and told that
was his bedroom. There was an old straw mattress and couple of
old blankets, also a lot of spiders and mice for company. After
supper and shown the bedroom he was sent to pasture to bring the
cows to barn for a milking. He was told to only bring in the cows
and leave the other animals in pasture, but Arthur being a city
boy did not know a cow from any other animal brought all the animals
in, for his ignorance he got a few kicks in the rump, and told
what a cow was. He was then taught to milk a cow, teaching Arthur
was a hard thing to do, but he soon got the idea, but his poor
hands being small soon got so sore he could only milk two cows
to the farmers six, for which he got another kick in the rump.
When milking was finished Arthur returned the animals to pasture,
then feed the pigs, then the sheep, and clean the cow barn, fill
the wood box, carry two pails of water to the house, it was then
about 9 pm. Arthur was told to go to bed. He was a very tired
and homesick boy. His bedroom having no window he groped his way
to his bed and just fell on it and cried himself to sleep. That
was Arthurs first real day in Canada as a farmers boy.
|
59 |
|
At daybreak next morning he
was awakened, and another day started, he could feel every bone
and muscle aching but being fully dressed and door left open he
could see the stairs and made his way to the barn where he could
see the farmer (whos name was Howard Everett) feeding the
horses. Arthur was sent to the pasture for the milking cows and
warned not to bring other animals. The pasture was at the back
field and into the woods. There was a narrow lane leading to the
pasture, after some time he located the milk cows and started
them down the lane. When he arrived at the barn he was told to
be quicker next time. Milking finished the farmer drove the milk
to town. It had to be at the dairy by 7 am. Arthurs job
was to clean the barn, return cows to pasture, feed pigs, clean
two stables, fill the kitchen wood box, carry several pails of
water to the kitchen, water small calves in the stable, then have
breakfast. After that he was to have horses harnessed ready for
work by time the farmer came home. Arthur had no idea how to harness
a horse. He asked farmers wife how to do it, she was more
understanding than her husband and she showed him how. On his
return Arthur had the horses all ready for work. About 7 am he
was taken to the field and taught how to harrow. A harrow is a
farm implement usually formed of pieces of lumber or metal crossing
each other and set with iron teeth called tines. The farmer walks
behind the horses and harrow to break the plowed land to make
it smooth ready for seed. Arthur was told to harrow until sun
was in a certain place, then unhitch horses and take them to barn
and feed them, and come to house for dinner. After dinner he was
to do chores until the horses had eaten for an hour. Then go back
to the field until sun was at another place, then come in for
supper. After supper Arthur was to get the cows in for milking,
then return cows to pasture, clean barns, feed pigs, and other
chores until dark, then to bed.
|
60 |
|
Next day and others to follow
was much the same. Farmer sowed the seed on harrowed field, Arthur
followed with harrow to cover seed, which was sowed broadcast
by hand, Arthur was also taught to sow seed. Later came plowing,
that was very hard for Arthur he being small could not reach the
handles so was put to work picking stones and carrying them to
piles along the fence. Arthur was a very tired sick homesick boy,
but he was learning and growing stronger every day. It seemed
like every day there was something new to learn, then hay making
time came. By this time Arthurs shoes wore out, being light
city shoes, so farmer gave him an old pair of his several times
too big. His clothes got too small as Arthur kept growing so farmer
brought him a pair of overalls and straw hat. Mr. Everett had
three horses, two heavy work horses and one driver. Now that hay
making was started Arthur got his first riding job of raking hay.
Arthur used the driving horse for this light job, work became
easier but the hours longer. When haying was finished Mr. Everett
did not need Arthur so made excuses to fire him (all lies). After
dinner Arthur packed his few treasures and left. He had outgrown
all the nice clothes he brought to Canada, so left with one shirt,
overalls and straw hat, socks and old shoes too large for him.
|
61 |
|
Half way to town he got a job
at 40 cents a day to help a man, Mr Harding, who on Sunday was
Deacon of the Church. The haying was completed in ten days. Arthur
asked for his wages but the Deacon said he had no money and the
Lord would pay him. So Arthur was out of a job once more with
no money or clothes, but not for long, across the road was another
farmer that could use him. This farmer was running this farm for
a very old couple who had a separate house that they both lived
in and farmer and wife lived in the farm house, Arthur was given
a room at back of the house upstairs. Harvest was just starting,
there was only one cow and a few pigs on this farm so after days
work ended there were few chores for Arthur. He wondered why there
was no hay in the barn, also why farmer took the days harvest
into town every night while he did the few chores and went to
bed. Arthur worked all through the harvest and it was getting
cold weather. Arthur asked farmer for some money to buy some warm
clothes, (this farmer was called Bert) he said he would fix him
up for the winter the end of the week. Harvest would be finished
and we would all go to town on Saturday. Friday night all went
to bed as usual, Saturday morning Arthur awoke to see broad daylight,
no one had called as was done every morning. On dressing Arthur
went to the barn as usual, but there were no horses nor cow to
feed, and the ground was covered with snow. Arthur returned to
the house to wake up Bert, but there was no Bert, and his bed
was gone and all the furniture. Arthur was very worried and went
over to the old folks house to tell them. They were still abed,
when Arthur told the two old folks what he saw, the old folks
burst into tears. The old man asked Arthur to walk the three miles
to town and ask the Marshal to come out to the farm. The Marshals
name was Owan Kelly. Arthur did not know Mr. Kelly by sight so
he had to ask where he lived. When Arthur reached the Marshalls
house Mr and Mrs Kelly were having breakfast. They invited Arthur
to eat when they heard he had not had breakfast, then Arthur told
his story and Mr Kelly said he would drive out to the farm to
see the old folks. After breakfast Arthur helped Mr Kelly with
the chores then they took the horse and buggy the half mile into
Woodstock. On their arrival in town Mr Kelly stopped and tied
his horse to the rack and took Arthur into the restaurant and
told him to wait there until he returned. Mr Kelly found out that
Arthur had no warm clothes while driving into town.
|
62 |
|
Mr Albert Palmer who owned
the restaurant gave Arthur a mug of hot tea and packet of cigarettes,
first smoke he had since arriving in Canada six months ago. Mr
Palmer asked Arthur a lot of questions and told Arthur there was
an English boy working across the river in Grafton, then Arthur
said he had three brothers somewhere around Woodstock but he did
not know where.
|
63 |
|
Mr Kelly returned about two
hours later with some warm second hand clothing he had gathered
about town. Arthur put them on at the back of the restaurant.
It was a small one man restaurant. Mr Kelly found out that Bert
had crossed over into the USA about daybreak,
so could not bring him back for punishment. Bert had sold all
the years crop and took all the money with him.
|
64 |
|
Mr Kelly and Arthur drove out
to the old folks farm. He picked up his few treasured things then
joined the Marshal inspecting the barns and fields. There was
no machinery left nor anything moveable. Bert had stripped the
farm clean, the Marshal told the old folks to pack what things
they wanted and he would come out in the afternoon with a team
and wagon and take them into town.
|
65 |
|
Mr Palmer gave Arthur his dinner
and told him he thought he could get him a good home at Maplewood
about twenty miles from Woodstock as he had relatives there. Arthur
ate and slept in the restaurant for a few days while Mr Palmer
wrote his relatives. A few days later a letter arrived saying
a Mr Smith would be glad to give Arthur a home on his farm for
a year and would give him board and clothes and pay him the next
year $100. So Arthur started a new life. The Marshal bought his
railway ticket (one dollar) and put him on the train for Millville
the nearest station. On arriving at Millville a country village
with railway station, two general stores and a few houses, Arthur
inquired from station agent if Mr. Smith was at station to meet
him. Agent said he knew him but had not seen him and for Arthur
to inquire at Post Office which was in one of the general stores.
Being a small place everybody knew everybody and Postmaster knew
Arthur was coming but did not know when, so when Arthur asked
him if Mr Smith was in the village was told he was not. The postmaster
told Arthur Maplewood was five miles out, but the mailman was
going out there and he may get a ride out with him and to wait
in store until he came. Mail went out once a week, and lucky for
Arthur, that was mail day. Mr Sid Palmer was the mail carrier
who also farmed in the settlement. When the Mailman came for the
mail he saw Arthur and asked him if he was the English boy going
to live with Alfred Smith, on finding he was, he said he would
take him out. Mr Palmer was a nice Christian man and asked Arthur
a lot of questions on the drive out, and seeing he was poorly
clad wrapped him in a robe. On the drive out he learned all Arthurs
hard story. He also told Arthur that he had no children of his
own but had a niece and two boys at his farm home who were also
homeless, also an old man who just did chores, he also was homeless
and alone in the world. Arthur learned a lot about all the people
in the settlement on drive out. There was not enough snow to use
the sleigh yet so the mailman used horse and buggy which was too
heavy for the horse to run, on account of the muddy road, so the
horse just walked. It took a long time to reach the Smith farm,
and since the mailman lived a mile further up the road, Arthur
was dropped off at Smiths gate and he walked to house. They
were having supper when Arthur got into house, so invited him
to eat. During supper they asked a lot of questions, some of which
they already had heard by letter from Woodstock. The Smith family
consisted of two old parents, father and mother of Alfred and
his wife, Arthur was told to call the old couple Grandpa and Grandma,
Mr Smith as Alfred and his wife Carole. Arthur liked his new home
and people. After supper was cleared away Arthur was told he could
go to bed, and Grandpa would bring all his clothes down stairs
and they would make them to fit him. Arthur at last had a bedroom
and bed in a warm house. In the morning Grandpa brought Arthurs
clothes to him and told him he could get up and come down to breakfast.
|
66 |
|
Now let us describe this happy
family, for that is how Arthur describes them. Grandma was tall
and thin and very old fashioned, but very nice. Grandpa was shorter
and fatter and had whiskers, they were both in their 80s. Alfred
and Carole were average build, there were no children yet.
|
67 |
|
The kitchen was average as
farm kitchens go. There was a low stove with the oven over the
stove on the stove pipe which heated the oven very well, a table
in centre, Grandmas rocking chair, several chairs and a
wash bench which served as a seat. This wash bench was used in
the winter with a bowl for washing hands and face, in summer it
was out in wood shed. In the kitchen there were shelves with a
clock and spice tins on it, a kitchen cabinet for dishes, flour,
sugar, bread and other things, also an old couch. Later Arthur
was shown the barn and the animals, he did very little all day.
The animals there were two work horses and a driving horse, about
six cows some calves and sheep, pigs and hens. By supper time
Grandma had knit him a pair of mitts and Carole had a stocking
and a half knit.
|
68 |
|
After supper Grandpa and Arthur
did the dishes while Grandma and Carole got their knitting out,
it was time to get at knitting winter woollies for all the sheep
kept them in wool. In spring sheep were sheared and wool either
carded at home or sent to the mill 40 miles away to Fredericton,
for carding. At the mill they took one quarter of the wool for
pay.
|
69 |
|
There was not much work other
than farm chores to be done so Arthur helped with the house work.
He was taught to cook and learned to churn butter and many other
useful chores. The weather was getting colder and snow got deeper.
Alfred took butter and eggs to the village and traded them for
a pair of moccasins, money was not used, nobody on farms had money.
Arthur at last was clothed for winter, in October winter was settled
in.
|
70 |
|
Now work started, it was time
for butchering for market, but first the wheat and oats had to
be threshed. Threshing was a community undertaking as there was
only one threshing machine and treadmill in the settlement. The
treadmill was a heavy box like contraption large enough to hold
two heavy horses, it had a moveable floor, this treadmill had
a large wheel on one side, which turned as the horses walked.
The treadmill was tilted, a long rubber belt went from the wheel
of the treadmill to the wheel of the thresher. All farmers congregated
at the barn where threshing was being done (what was called a
Bee). Some fed the thresher, others piled the straw, some carried
the grain to the granary, everybody worked. When that farm was
threshed they all move to the next farm and thresh his grain,
and on to the next farm until all are finished. The farmers
wives do the cooking and feeding the men, several wives come to
help out. Arthur met all the farmers during the threshing, one
farm was missed and Arthur never found out why. From the Smith
farm the first one in the settlement they moved on to Arthur Kellys
farm, next was Bill Kelly, then Arthurs sons, then Geo Newells,
then Manzer and Arthur Newell, next Shepards, then Loves then
Palmers, then Faulkner, and last Bill Smith, Bill was the brother
of Alfred. When all were threshed, all returned home, then butchering
started. Alfred killed and dressed two steers, 4 sheep and four
pigs. Grandpa and Grandma killed a lot of roosters and plucked
them, all meat was frozen. Arthur learned the new business of
butchering, but killing pigs was tricky, and a cold and wet job.
A big barrel was set at an angle into which boiling water was
put in, then dead pig was pushed into hot water, pulled out and
all hair shaved or scraped off with sharp knives. As the weather
was freezing the pig soon got cold and was put into the water
again, then scraping continued. Then the job was to clean the
wheat to take to the grist mill to be made into flour for the
next years food. Each farmer grew a few acres of wheat for their
own use. The cleaning of the wheat was done on barn floor, both
barn doors were opened just enough to allow enough wind through
to blow chaff out of the wheat which was slowly dropped from above,
then bagged. When all was ready for market, the sleds were cleaned,
new straw put on floor of sled, covered with a sheet and meat,
poultry and butter were loaded and covered, and bags of wheat
were put on top. Alfred started for market at Fredericton, on
the way he would leave his wheat at Grist mill, sometimes several
farmers would go at same time for company. It was a two days drive
to market. They would stop at some farm house over night. Each
farmer had a list of things needed for house or farm, and would
trade his load for needed articles, which could not be grown or
made on farm. Grandpa and Arthur stayed home to do chores and
look after the farm and clean and slice apples for future use,
which was quite a chore in itself. Apples were cored, sliced into
thin slices and threaded on string which was strung around kitchen
near the ceiling for drying. This was all like pioneering to Arthur
and he liked it very much, it was a real new life for him and
he learned many new things which in years to come was very handy
to know. We will learn later what all these new things meant to
him. Alfred returned home late Saturday night and drove the sled
load into barn for the night and all went to bed. Sunday morning
after chores were finished we unloaded the sled and put the things
he had bought in their places. On the way home he stopped at grist
mill to pick up his flour and bran. Flour was hung from rafters
in attic to keep mice from eating holes in the bags. The flour
was stored for a year to mature. He also brought Arthur a pair
of shoe packs and snow shoes. Something new for him to learn as
snowshoes were used a lot in winter with the deep snow.
|
71 |
|
Now it was time to go to the
woods (forest) to cut the years supply of fuel, axes were sharpened
and all was ready. Arthur had been practising the art of walking
with snowshoes, so he and Alfred started for the woods. Alfred
carried the two axes in case Arthur fell and cut his head off,
and Arthur carried the pot of dinner and bag of bread stuff. The
morning was taken up in teaching Arthur how to chop a tree down
in proper direction, and the different kinds of trees, hardwood
and softwood trees. The hardwood trees were the ones we were to
cut for firewood Maple, Birch and Beech. On arriving where cutting
was to be done Arthur learned how to make a temporary camp and
fireplace, which Alfred made and built a small fire. He set a
pot of beans near the fire to keep hot while we located what trees
to cut, marking them so Arthur would know them. By that time we
were hungry, so back to the fire. Alfred made up the fire while
Arthur got a pail of snow for tea water. While things were heating
they got out plates and knives, bread and butter, etc. When the
water boiled Alfred threw a handful of tea in water and set the
pail to one side, this was amusing to Arthur for he had not seen
tea made that way before. When all was ready they set about eating.
After dinner Arthur chopped a tree down while Alfred watched and
corrected any mistakes. This went on all afternoon until time
to put on snowshoes to return home, which was about two miles
away. Bean kettle and dishes were taken home for refill and axes
were left at the camp site. All week they went into the woods.
By this time Arthur had mastered the art of a lumberman, with
a lot of aching muscles, but he was growing stronger every day
and soon got over aching muscles, ready for any new experiences
that may come along. When enough logs were cut, enough for about
ten cords of firewood when cut and split into stove size. The
next job was getting the logs into farm yard. The last few days
of cutting they took horses and bob sleds, they would cut till
dinner time, then they would load the bob sled and head for home,
taking five or six logs to a load. When enough was cut they would
haul two loads a day until all logs were piled in farm yard. That
ended the hard work for a time, just the chores to be done morning,
noon and night.
|
72 |
|
In the long winter evenings
Carole would read and knit, Grandma would knit and doze off once
in a while. The others would sit around the stove, mitts and stockings
hanging by the stove drying. The one who was the lucky one had
the old couch, all were equal, first on the couch had it.
|
73 |
|
When all the farmers had their
wood in, the round of visiting would start. Some farmers went
to the woods with their horses to work for the winter, but Arthur
liked the visiting. Every house would have the visit in turn,
all would gather in the parlour for singing, every house had an
old organ. They would sing hymns and tell stories until about
9 pm then have lunch, usually doughnuts, cookies and milk, at
about ten they would all go home. The next night another house
had them all. What Arthur liked the most was that every house
always had a jar full of doughnuts and cookies, for he was growing
and always hungry. Arthur had opportunities to learn many things,
for there would be sick animals to doctor, and towards spring
help cows, sheep and pigs at births of their young, and bottle
feed weak ones. The lambs seemed the main ones to bottle feed.
He also learned to carpenter, if something made of wood broke
it had to be remade, so off to the woods for right kind of tree
and size of wood, then see the article made perhaps a wagon tongue,
or neck yokes or wiffletrees, stanchions for cattle barn, every
repair had to be made and winter time was when it was done. He
also learned to shoe horses and was jack of all trades, not forgetting
the cooking, butter making and churning and darning his own stockings,
mitts and sweater, and many other trades. One could not drive
40 miles every time something needed mending or repairing. There
were no telephones, electricity or motor cars, or washing machines.
Washing was done on washing scrub board, there were many interests
for Arthur.
|
74 |
|
There were no Government snow
plows breaking roads after a snow storm, the people had to do
it themselves. This they did with a long log split in two pieces
and formed like a triangle about seven feet wide at the base and
poles or planks nailed across to keep base out the width. They
would have horses tied to the point of plow, with the driver standing
on it to hold it down. One farmer would go until he met another,
each would help neighbour turn around and on return trip he would
leave the road about every half mile and plow a turn about along
the ditch so teams could pass. The nearest turnout would wait
for oncoming team. There were bells on the horses in winter, not
only for music but to warn oncoming traffic. Most farmers used
the two horse sleds when going some place. When going with a one
horse sleigh the horse was not in the centre of sleigh like a
wagon in summer time, the shafts were on a sliding bar, and shafts
were moved to one side in front. That was done when there was
a ridge in centre of road made by the two horse sleds. The bells
on the one horse sleighs were very musical, some fastened on the
shafts, some loosely belted around the horse, one could hear the
coming a long way off. They were not all the same tone and one
got used to the different sound, and you could tell who was driving
past the house. We could hear the mailman coming long before he
got to our farm and would go out to the road to give him any letters
to mail, or a list of small things needed from the store. You
could hear him returning home and go out to the road and collect
articles he brought you, but he did not deliver mail, one had
to go to Arthur Kellys son, the postmaster, for his mail.
The mail was delivered to the postmaster in locked bags. Arthur
usually had the job of picking up the mail at the postmasters
house.
|
75 |
|
In winter time Arthur would
set out a few traps along the brook that ran at back of farm in
the woods, if he caught any furs he would sell them to Mr. Palmer,
who did a lot of trapping in the winter. He would get credit of
25 cents for a good mink, 20 cents for a muskrat and 5 cents for
a weasel. Days passed rather quickly and March came and new things
and work came to Arthur, for in March 1902 another Bee came in
the settlement, it was wood sawing time. Now this was done with
the treadmill and horses like the threshing, only the belt from
the treadmill went to a wooden frame on which a cross cut saw
was attached to an axle which moved forward and backward to saw
the logs into stove size length, about 20 inches long. One man
marked the cut length and moved the cut pieces, another man pushed
the log to the saw as each piece was cut off, several men split
chunks into slabs, Arthur threw the slabs onto a pile to dry.
The saw cut very quickly, what the saw cut in one day would take
two men a week to cut, it would take them less than a day to cut
all the logs. After all the logs were cut and slabbed the crew
moved to the next farm, and set up the machine ready to start
next morning. These piles of slabs stayed outside all summer and
in spare time slabs were split into stove size and thrown into
another pile to dry. This job was usually done during March and
April. In the fall after harvest was all done the wood pile was
wheeled or carried into the woodshed for the winter, and the yard
cleaned up ready for the new logs to be cut during the winter.
|
76 |
|
On arrival of spring Arthur
was able to plough and do all kinds of farming, he worked through
the seeding, haying until harvest time. When finished Arthur had
worked and his year was done. He asked Alfred about the next year
and the one hundred dollars but Alfred told him he could not give
him any wages so Arthur quit. Mr Sid Palmer said he would give
him a hundred dollars a year so Arthur moved to the Palmer farm
but hated to leave the Smiths, they were very nice about it so
they parted good friends. Arthur often visited the Smiths during
that year.
|
77 |
|
Now at the Palmer farm things
were somewhat different, one boy had left, so Arthur took his
place. Mr Palmer had many other occupations. He bought and sold
cattle for city cattle brokers. He brought them to his farm for
fattening ready for spring market so the two boys and Old Bill
had lots of barn chores to do. Mr Palmer also did a lot of trapping
in the winter, sometimes Arthur went with him, sometimes Charlie
went, Charlie was the other boy. Arthur learned how to set traps,
but only small traps. Mr Palmer trapped bears, foxes, lynx and
any fur animal there was to trap. If Arthur caught any he would
get credit for them, other winters work was about the same
as at the Smith farm except Mr Palmer cut and stored a lot of
ice for his ice house.
|
|