Reluctant Pioneer by Thomas Osborne

Author:Thomas Osborne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2013-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

Homestead on Fairy Lake, July 25, 1875

16

The Ups and Downs of Net Fishing

I left Arthur and Pop to look after the growing crops and to ration what was left to eat. I went to Huntsville where I got a job with a one-legged man who had charge of the telegraph office. He also had to keep the wires between Huntsville and Utterson in order.

He engaged me to climb the poles wherever we found the wires in bad condition. I would climb to the crossbar, loosen the wire from brackets, let it down to him, get down and help him take out or put in a piece, then climb back up by digging the sharp prongs into the poles. My ankles got very sore from the steel leg braces; the strain was all on the ankles. But it was either work again or no eats. We had a horse and buggy to travel by. His wife would put up a big basket of food for noon lunches. We had other good food at the store. Taken all in all, it wasn’t bad. Then, too, as he had a general store, Pop and Arthur could get anything they needed, to apply on my pay.

After the day’s work was done and the horse put up for the night, I would meet with the Cann boys and their sister in the house part of the hotel or out in the canoe. We sure had some good times. It didn’t last long; about three weeks. So I took a job with the Fetterleys at their sawmill down the river by the locks.

This was a tough job, hauling the sawdust away in a big hopper on a car. It filled itself, the sawdust running from the buzz saw down a chute into a box. While the box was filling, I would collect and carry the strips and slabs away from the saw, which was on the upper floor. At times I would run down and out on floating logs, dragging a heavy chain after me with a ring spike at the end of it, which, with a small sledge hammer, I would drive into a log and give the signal to haul it up. Now that looks easy on paper, but I can tell you it was a ticklish job walking on and over the logs; they would roll when I stepped on them. I went under the first time I did it; but I pulled myself out and went on with my work in my wet clothes. Fortunately, I had very little clothing on. After attaching a log, I would run up and rush away another load of sawdust. It was run and rush all day long.

We were well fed for breakfast. We would have beans, potatoes, fried sow belly, barrelled pork, a dish of prunes, bread and coffee; same menu for dinner and supper with, occasionally, boiled dried apples in place of prunes. It was our habit to call each meal “beans.” It was substantial.

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