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- Tides of Tadoussac
Hudson's Bay Station, Tadoussac Looking at many old photos I realized there were many of the Hudson's Bay Station at Tadoussac. En regardant de nombreuses vieilles photos j'ai réalisé qu'il y avait plusieurs de la station de la Baie d'Hudson à Tadoussac. Chief Factor Barnston and R.M. Ballantyne at Tadoussac, 1846 Winter was the favoured season for staff movements. This painting (by Charles Fraser COMFORT 1941) depicts three traders arriving at the Hudson's Bay Company trading post of Tadoussac, their new assignment. The central figure is Chief Factor George Barnston. R.M. Ballantyne is the figure on the left carrying the copper kettle and green blanket. Chef Factor Barnston et R.M. Ballantyne à Tadoussac 1846 Winter était la saison préférée pour les mouvements de personnel. Cette peinture (par Charles Fraser COMFORT 1941) dépeint trois commerçants arrivant à traite de la Compagnie de la Baie d' Hudson poste de Tadoussac , leur nouvelle affectation . La figure centrale est le facteur le chef George Barnston . R.M. Ballantyne est la figure de gauche portant la bouilloire de cuivre et couverture verte . These two remarkably similar images show Tadoussac in the early 1800's, when the Hudson's Bay Post stood alone on the bay. Ces deux images similaires montrent Tadoussac dans le début des années 1800, quand la Hudson's Bay Post était seul sur la baie. 1858 ~1868 And then it's gone! Dufferin House is not yet built in this photo, so the Hudson's Bay Station was demolished around 1870. Et puis il a disparu! Maison Dufferin n'est pas encore construit dans cette photo , la station de la Baie d'Hudson a été démolie vers 1870 . (From Hudson's Bay Archives) Tadoussac was a trading post and fishery. It was also the headquarters for the King's Posts 1821-1822, 1831-1851. It was operated by the Hudson's Bay Company during the trading season 1821-1822 and was again acquired by HBC in 1831. Tadoussac had been a trading post since it was founded by Francois Grave Sieur du Pont in 1600. In 1720 it was named as one of the King's Posts. Tadoussac was the headquarters of the King's Posts until the end of the outfit 1849. In 1851 Governor George Simpson noted that due to a decline in the fur trade, it was only necessary to maintain Tadoussac as a fishing post for the summer months. The vessels that had usually wintered at Tadoussac did so now at Quebec, where the marine stores for the district were kept. On April 4, 1859, Chief Factor Hector McKenzie wrote to Benjamin Scott, who was in charge of Tadoussac, and informed him that the HBC did not intend carrying on the salmon fisheries any longer. Early the same year the fishing material was sold to Henry Simard and he also acquired the salmon fisheries at Tadoussac, the use of the ice house, and store during the fishing season. ( De Archives de Hudson Bay) Tadoussac était un poste de traite et de la pêche . Il était également le siège des Postes du Roi 1821-1822 , 1831-1851 . Il a été opéré par la Compagnie de la Baie d' Hudson au cours de la campagne de commercialisation 1821-1822 et a de nouveau été acquis par HBC en 1831 . Tadoussac était un poste de traite , car il a été fondé par François Gravé Sieur du Pont en 1600 . En 1720, il a été nommé comme l'un des Postes du Roi . Tadoussac était le quartier général des Postes du Roi jusqu'à la fin de tenue de 1849 . En 1851, le gouverneur George Simpson a noté qu'en raison d'une baisse dans le commerce de la fourrure , il était seulement nécessaire de maintenir Tadoussac comme un poste de pêche pour les mois d'été. Les navires qui avaient généralement l'hiver à Tadoussac fait maintenant au Québec , où les magasins marines pour le quartier ont été conservés. Le 4 Avril 1859, l'agent principal Hector McKenzie a écrit à Benjamin Scott, qui était en charge de Tadoussac, et l'a informé que le HBC n'a pas l'intention portant sur la pêche du saumon tout plus longue. Au début de la même année le matériel de pêche a été vendue à Henry Simard et il a également acquis la pêche du saumon à Tadoussac , l'utilisation de la maison de glace, et de stocker pendant la saison de pêche . 14
- Saguenay Trips | tidesoftadoussac1
Été à Tadoussac Summer 1920-1940 Page 5 of 7 PREVIOUS NEXT PAGE Saguenay Trips Des excursions sur le Saguenay 1927 Picnic at Petites Isles Lennox Williams and friends Jack Wallace Sr 1934 Trip to the Capes ?, Jean Alexander (Aylan-Parker), ?, Ainslie Evans (Stephen) & Trevor Evans, Back Jack Wallace and Frank Morewood Bill & Betty Morewood (Evans) Phoebe Evans (Skutezky) at right Trevor, Jack, Betty, Ainslie, Frank My mother Age 12 in 1934>> At the wharf in Tadoussac Au Quai de Tadoussac Bill and Betty Morewood, Jack Wallace 1935 Trip to... Islet Rouge!? Susie Russell Ainslie Evans (Stephen) Betty Morewood (Evans) Frances Holland Phoebe Evans (Skutezky) and others My parents in 1935 Lewis Evans age 24 Betty Morewood age 13 They married in 1944! 1935 Above Lennox Williams Below Frank Morewood and Captain Donat Therrien 1935 Uncle Art taking the girls for a trip Left Peg, Mac? Gertrude (Williams) Alexander Ron Alexander Sr Jean Alexander (Aylan-Parker) Below WOW The Mountain above Petits Isles Sur la Montagne à Petits Isles 1936 Lewis Evans with all the girls, and below, sculling 1938 Ainslie Evans (Stephen) Betty Morewood (Evans) ?? LilyBell Rhodes Phoebe Evans (Skutezky) Jean Alexander (Aylan-Parker) 1939 Lewis Evans and the "Noroua" 1940 The "White Boat" with no life jackets! pas de gilets de sauvetage! Harry Morewood Jimmy Williams Simon Wallace (no relation) Joan Williams (Ballantyne) Frank Morewood Susan Williams (Webster) Jennifer and Delia Tudor-Hart Bobby Morewood PREVIOUS NEXT PAGE
- Windward
PREVIOUS Windward NEXT PAGE Frank Morewood (1886-1949) and Carrie Rhodes (1881-1973) are both grandchildren of William Rhodes, who built the first Brynhyfryd in Tadoussac in 1860. They both spent summers in Tadoussac with the Rhodes family, in the photo (~1891) below Carrie is 3rd from right, Frank asleep on the right. Frank's family lived at Benmore in Quebec, and Carrie's family lived in Pennsylvania. They married in 1920 and had two children Bill (1921-20??) and Betty (1922-1993), and lived in Bryn Mawr and Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Frank and Carrie Biography www.tidesoftadoussac.com/tadbios/morewood%2C-frank-%26-carrie-(rhodes) Benmore in Quebec www.tidesoftadoussac.com/benmore Frank Morewood (1886-1949) et Carrie Rhodes (1881-1973) sont tous deux des petits-enfants de William Rhodes, qui a construit le premier Brynhyfryd à Tadoussac en 1860. Ils ont tous deux passé des étés à Tadoussac avec la famille Rhodes, sur la photo (~1891) ci-dessous Carrie est 3e à partir de la droite, Frank endormi sur la droite. La famille de Frank vivait à Benmore au Québec et la famille de Carrie vivait en Pennsylvanie. Ils se sont mariés en 1920 et ont eu deux enfants Bill (1921-20 ??) et Betty (1922-1993), et ont vécu à Bryn Mawr et Doylestown, en Pennsylvanie. Frank was an architect and designed a house to be built in Tadoussac in 1936. The location was just east of Brynhyfryd and the Barn, on land that had previously been part of "Dwight Park". The stone entrance which still exists had a wrought iron gate with the name Dwight Park, the gate is in the Molson Museum barns near the lake. Johnathan Dwight died in 1911, and the plaque below sits beside the house. His widow apparently offered the park to the village of Tadoussac, but they refused, so she sold lots to cottagers. In a letter written by Lilybell Rhodes in 1939, there was an interesting note: ...and Mrs. (Johnathan) Dwight were the Tad people present. Mrs. Dwight came up and spoke to me. I would not have known her. She looks so much older (as do we all know doubt). She looked very handsome, but stern and said "you know Frank Morewood has built a house on a bit of my land that he does not yet own". Frank était architecte et a conçu une maison à construire à Tadoussac en 1936. L'emplacement était juste à l'est de Brynhyfryd et de la grange, sur un terrain qui faisait auparavant partie de "Dwight Park". L'entrée en pierre qui existe toujours avait une porte en fer forgé portant le nom de Dwight Park, la porte se trouve dans les granges du musée Molson près du lac. Johnathan Dwight est décédé en 1911 et la plaque ci-dessous se trouve à côté de la maison. Sa veuve aurait offert le parc au village de Tadoussac, mais ceux-ci ont refusé, alors elle a vendu des terrains à des villégiateurs. Dans une lettre écrite par Lilybell Rhodes en 1939, il y avait une note intéressante : ... et Mme (Johnathan) Dwight étaient les personnes Tad présentes. Mme Dwight est venue me parler. Je ne l'aurais pas connue. Elle a l'air tellement plus âgée (comme nous le savons tous en doute). Elle avait l'air très belle, mais sévère et a dit "vous savez que Frank Morewood a construit une maison sur un morceau de ma terre qu'il ne possède pas encore". The photo below shows the bank below the proposed site for the house, just before it was built. The Barn can be seen at upper left. Everyone told the Morewoods they were crazy to build there. Today, 86 years later, the house is 35' from the edge of the bank. The view is terrific. La photo ci-dessous montre la banque sous le site proposé pour la maison, juste avant sa construction. La grange peut être vue en haut à gauche. Tout le monde a dit aux Morewood qu'ils étaient fous de construire là-bas. Aujourd'hui, 86 ans plus tard, la maison est à 35' du bord de la berge. La vue est formidable. The wood arrived on a goélette. The interior of the cottage will be BC Fir. Le bois est arrivé sur une goélette. L'intérieur du chalet sera en sapin de Colombie-Britannique. Painting below by Tom Evans Bundles of cedar shingles for the roof, which lasted over 80 years Peinture ci-dessous par Tom Evans Des paquets de bardeaux de cèdre pour le toit, qui a duré plus de 80 ans right, Carrie Rhodes Morewood below, Frank's mother Minnie Rhodes Morewood Bill Morewood, Ainslie Evans Stephen (hiding), Billy Morewood, Jean Alexander Alan-Parker, Betty Morewood Evans, boys probably Jim Williams and Parkers, Joan Williams Ballantyne, Susan Williams Webster Watercolour by Frank Morewood below Anne and Lewis Evans with grandfather Frank Frank Morewood died in 1949, and the house was passed on to Betty and Lewis Evans for one dollar. We still have the dollar. Frank Morewood est décédé en 1949 et la maison a été transmise à Betty et Lewis Evans pour un dollar. Nous avons toujours le dollar. My parents, Betty and Lewis Evans, were both Tadoussac summer residents, and in 1948, with the deaths of Frank Morewood and Emily Evans, they inherited 2 cottages in Tadoussac. Lewis Evans was a professor, with ample summer holidays, but his family cottage (now the Beattie House) was 80 years old, whereas Windward was on 12 years old, and had better view of Tadoussac Bay so he could keep an eye on his boat! Mes parents, Betty et Lewis Evans, étaient tous deux des résidents d'été de Tadoussac, et en 1948, avec les décès de Frank Morewood et Emily Evans, ils ont hérité de 2 chalets à Tadoussac. Lewis Evans était professeur, avec de nombreuses vacances d'été, mais son chalet familial (maintenant la maison Beattie) avait 80 ans, tandis que Windward avait 12 ans et avait une meilleure vue sur la baie de Tadoussac pour qu'il puisse garder un œil sur son bateau! In 1961 we had an 80th birthday party for Carrie, shown below with Dorothy Rhodes Evans and Anne Evans Belton. Right, Betty and Lewis Evans Circa 1962 we visited Tadoussac at New Year's, at right Lew, Tom, Alan, Anne, the current owners of Windward. Vers 1962, nous avons visité Tadoussac au Nouvel An, à droite Lew, Tom, Alan, Anne, les propriétaires actuels de Windward. Christmas Card Sometimes the shutters were different colours In 1979 two grandchildren had arrived and more were coming, so Betty and Lew built "the Wing", a bedroom and bathroom without all the noise! En 1979, deux petits-enfants étaient arrivés et d'autres arrivaient, alors Betty et Lew ont construit "the Wing", une chambre et une salle de bain sans tout le bruit ! Minke Whale by Tom Evans, only appears in the winter! Minke Whale de Tom Evans, n'apparaît qu'en hiver ! 54 NEXT PAGE
- Dunes | tidesoftadoussac1
The Sand Dunes - Les dunes de sable Moulin Baude circa 1965 circa 1900 A Pine Forest until 1845, when Thomas Simard built a sawmill and cut down all the trees. With some settler families who arrived to farm the thin soil, this was the original location of the village of Tadoussac. Une forêt de pins jusqu'en 1845, date à laquelle Thomas Simard construit une scierie et coupe tous les arbres. Avec quelques familles de colons qui sont arrivées pour cultiver le sol mince, c'était le lieu d'origine du village de Tadoussac. Moulin Baude Also known as the sand dunes, this area has changed substantially since Champlain first described it over 400 years ago, particularly beyond the clay cliffs where the land stretched way out towards where the channel markers are today, much of which is exposed at low tide. He talked about a peninsula jutting out into the river and forming a large natural bay, which provided a sheltered anchorage for his ships. However, the terrible earthquake of 1663, whose aftershocks lasted several months, significantly altered the shoreline, so that it no longer accurately reflects Champlain's early description. The present day sandy plateau and sand dunes were all pine forest until 1845, when Thomas Simard build a sawmill halfway down the hill near the Baude river, just below the stone house at the end of the dunes, and cut all the trees down to feed his mill. After that, several families of settlers appeared and began to farm the virgin soil.The lots and names of these families are indicated on the government cadastral maps made by surveyor Georges Duberger in 1852 at 1876. The hamlet formed by this small farming community was the original location of the village of Tadoussac, the present site then being owned by William Price and the Hudson Bay Company. Wandering around where the houses used to be, one can still find rusty old nails, broken bits of plates, clay pipes and other things. At the far end of the sand dunes, about a third of the way down the hill, was the site of the first sawmill. Down at the bottom, on the beach, there used to be a wharf made from large square timbers and slab wood. The ships would light offshore and a barge would be floated in and tied up at the wharf, resting on the exposed sand at low tide. It would take about a week to load the barge with lumber caught at the mill above. When it was full, it would be towed out to the waiting boat at high tide and the cargo would be reloaded from the barge onto the ship. Moulin Baude Aussi connue sous le nom de dunes de sable, cette zone a considérablement changé depuis que Champlain l'a décrite pour la première fois il y a plus de 400 ans, en particulier au-delà des falaises d'argile où la terre s'étendait jusqu'à l'endroit où se trouvent aujourd'hui les balises du chenal, dont une grande partie est exposée à marée basse. Il parlait d'une presqu'île s'avançant dans le fleuve et formant une grande baie naturelle, qui offrait un mouillage abrité à ses navires. Cependant, le terrible tremblement de terre de 1663, dont les répliques ont duré plusieurs mois, a considérablement modifié le rivage, de sorte qu'il ne reflète plus fidèlement la première description de Champlain. Le plateau sablonneux et les dunes de sable actuels étaient tous des forêts de pins jusqu'en 1845, lorsque Thomas Simard construisit une scierie à mi-hauteur de la colline près de la rivière Baude, juste en dessous de la maison en pierre au bout des dunes, et coupa tous les arbres pour nourrir son moulin. Après cela, plusieurs familles de colons sont apparues et ont commencé à cultiver la terre vierge. Les lots et les noms de ces familles sont indiqués sur les plans cadastraux gouvernementaux réalisés par l'arpenteur Georges Duberger en 1852 à 1876. Le hameau formé par cette petite communauté agricole était le emplacement d'origine du village de Tadoussac, le site actuel étant alors la propriété de William Price et de la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson. Errant là où se trouvaient les maisons, on peut encore trouver de vieux clous rouillés, des morceaux d'assiettes cassés, des tuyaux d'argile et d'autres choses. À l'extrémité des dunes de sable, à environ un tiers de la descente de la colline, se trouvait le site de la première scierie. Au fond, sur la plage, il y avait autrefois un quai fait de grosses poutres équarries et de planches de bois. Les navires partiraient au large et une barge serait mise à flot et amarrée au quai, reposant sur le sable exposé à marée basse. Il faudrait environ une semaine pour charger la barge avec du bois récupéré à l'usine située au-dessus. Lorsqu'il était plein, il était remorqué jusqu'au bateau en attente à marée haute et la cargaison était rechargée de la barge sur le navire. Sawmill/Scierie Moulin Baude The sawmill was part way down the hill at the end of the dunes, circa 1900 - 1950? Sawmill-Scierie This text from Benny Beattie's book, "The Sands of Summer" Sawmill-Scierie More evidence of the sawmill in these two photographs, with piles of slab wood (the wood cut off the outside of the trees)in the background Circa 1900 Davantage de preuves de la scierie sur ces deux photographies, avec des piles de dalles de bois (le bois coupé à l'extérieur des arbres) à l'arrière-plan Vers 1900 The first photo might be Piddingtons? The RHODES Family left to right Back row: Frank Morewood (14, my grandfather), his brother John Morewood with a turban, Lilybell and Frances Rhodes sitting on either side of their father Francis, Dorothy Rhodes (Evans) and her father Army Front row: Nancy Morewood, Catherine Rhodes (Tudor-Hart), Charley Rhodes La famille RHODES de gauche à droite Rangée arrière: Frank Morewood (14 ans, mon grand-père), son frère John Morewood avec un turban, Lilybell et Frances Rhodes assis de part et d'autre de leur père Francis, Dorothy Rhodes (Evans) et son père Army Première rangée: Nancy Morewood, Catherine Rhodes (Tudor-Hart), Charley Rhodes More about the Power generating Station on the "Batiments Disparu" page (click the arrow) Plus d'informations sur la Centrale électrique sur la page "Bâtiments Disparu" (cliquez sur la flèche) 37 years later! Peggy Durnford on the left married Elliot Turcot on the right. My mother Betty Morewood (Evans) is at the back, her father Frank Morewood was in the previous photograph. 1937 37 ans plus tard! Peggy Durnford à gauche a épousé Elliot Turcot à droite. Ma mère Betty Morewood (Evans) est à l'arrière, son père Frank Morewood était dans la photo précédente. 1937 Luge sur les dunes s'est avéré très dangereux Tobogganing on the dunes turned out to be very dangerous 1936 ?, Nan Wallace (Leggat)?, Elliot Turcot, ?, Boll Tyndale, Moulin Baude River 1937 ... Betty Morewood (Evans), Bar Hampson (Alexander/Campbell), JohnTurcot, ???, Nan Wallace (Leggat), Elliott Turcot, Peggy Tyndale, ? circa 1950 Skiing on the Dunes 1969 Ski sur les dunes 1969 THE MARBLE QUARRY Champlain and Jacques Cartier both mention the large white pillars of marble in Grande Anse, the next big bay east of Moulin Baude, which could be seen from ships way out in the St Lawrence. However, on closer examination, the white rock turned out to be not marble at all but limestone, and thus remained unexploited until the end of the 19th century. Father Charlevoix, the Jesuit historian and traveller also noticed these white outcrops on the shore, but finding that this strange marble would not polish, discarded it as poor quality stuff. Three round stone kilns, 15 feet high, were built on the shore beside the stream around 1880. The limestone veins were mined, and chunks of calcium carbonate were loaded into the ovens and fired at a very high heat. The rsult was a fine white caustic powder, calcium oxide (lime) which was put in bags and shipped across the river to Rivière du Loup, where it was sold for building purposes. Later, the chunks of white rockwere loaded onto a barge, whwas towed by the goélette "St. Jude" up to Port Alfred, where the limestone was used in the pulp and paper industry. Jude Tremblay, the first blacksmith in the village, and his family operated this industry until the mid 1930's, when the vein ran out of surface rock. A few pieces can still be found in the bed of the stream, which can be reached on a big low tide along the shore from Moulin Baude. (This is not an easy hike!) This area will be more accessible in a few years if the Dunes National Park is created as planned. This text from Benny Beattie's book, "The Sands of Summer" LA CARRIÈRE DE MARBRE Champlain et Jacques Cartier mentionnent tous les deux les grands piliers de marbre blanc de Grande Anse, la prochaine grande baie à l'est de Moulin Baude, que l'on pouvait voir depuis les navires dans le Saint-Laurent. Cependant, à y regarder de plus près, la roche blanche s'est avérée n'être pas du tout du marbre mais du calcaire, et est donc restée inexploitée jusqu'à la fin du XIXe siècle. Le père Charlevoix, l'historien jésuite et voyageur a également remarqué ces affleurements blancs sur la rive, mais constatant que ce marbre étrange ne se polirait pas, l'a jeté comme une matière de mauvaise qualité. Trois fours ronds en pierre de 15 pieds de haut ont été construits sur la rive à côté du ruisseau vers 1880. Les veines de calcaire ont été extraites et des morceaux de carbonate de calcium ont été chargés dans les fours et cuits à très haute température. Le résultat était une fine poudre caustique blanche, l'oxyde de calcium (chaux) qui était mise dans des sacs et expédiée de l'autre côté de la rivière jusqu'à Rivière du Loup, où elle était vendue à des fins de construction. Plus tard, les morceaux de roche blanche étaient chargés sur une péniche, remorquée par la goélette "St. Jude" jusqu'à Port Alfred, où le calcaire était utilisé dans l'industrie des pâtes et papiers. Jude Tremblay, le premier forgeron du village, et sa famille ont exploité cette industrie jusqu'au milieu des années 1930, lorsque la veine a manqué de roche de surface. On en trouve encore quelques morceaux dans le lit du ruisseau, accessible par une grande marée basse le long de la rive depuis Moulin Baude. (Ce n'est pas une randonnée facile!) Cette zone sera plus accessible dans quelques années si le Parc National des Dunes est créé comme prévu. Moulin Baude is a fantastic place! More photographs Moulin Baude est un endroit fantastique! Plus de photos The original settlers didn't settle where Tadoussac is now located, but a few miles away where no one lives anymore. In those early days the trees on the long flat plateau were cut down to feed the sawmill at Moulin Baude. The stumps were removed and the fragile soil was tilled. Several farms prospered for a while, but the good soil formed only a shallow layer on top of the sand, and it was soon exhausted or blown away. Eventually the original area of settlement became a desert, with great sandy dunes descending to the water some 200 feet below. Some older people remember their grandmothers saying that the first village was actually on a bit of land at the base of the cliffs, at the first point south of the dunes. A sandy road angles down through the woods to a small raised area on the shore between the beach and the hillside, where a survey map of 1852 indicates a number of buildings. But because of winter avalanches, the inhabitants move their dwellings to the plateau at the top of the cliff. After a time the farmers moved away from this sandy plateau, some up the Baude river where they found better soil around Sacré Coeur, and others into the curve of the bay near the fur trading post. With the construction of the hotel and a few cottages in the village, jobs became available and some farmers found work. This text from Benny Beattie's book, "The Sands of Summer" Les premiers colons ne se sont pas installés là où se trouve maintenant Tadoussac, mais à quelques kilomètres de là où plus personne n'habite. A cette époque, les arbres du long plateau plat étaient abattus pour alimenter la scierie de Moulin Baude. Les souches ont été enlevées et le sol fragile a été labouré. Plusieurs fermes ont prospéré pendant un certain temps, mais le bon sol n'a formé qu'une couche peu profonde au-dessus du sable, et il a rapidement été épuisé ou soufflé. Finalement, la zone de peuplement d'origine est devenue un désert, avec de grandes dunes de sable descendant jusqu'à l'eau à environ 200 pieds plus bas. Certaines personnes âgées se souviennent de leurs grands-mères disant que le premier village était en fait sur un bout de terre au pied des falaises, au premier point au sud des dunes. Une route sablonneuse descend à travers les bois jusqu'à une petite zone surélevée sur le rivage entre la plage et la colline, où une carte d'arpentage de 1852 indique un certain nombre de bâtiments. Mais à cause des avalanches hivernales, les habitants déplacent leurs habitations sur le plateau en haut de la falaise. Au bout d'un moment les paysans s'éloignèrent de ce plateau sablonneux, les uns remontant la rivière Baude où ils trouvèrent une meilleure terre autour du Sacré Coeur, les autres dans la courbe de la baie près du poste de traite des fourrures. Avec la construction de l'hôtel et de quelques chalets dans le village, des emplois sont devenus disponibles et certains agriculteurs ont trouvé du travail. 48
- Tides of Tadoussac
La Rivière Saguenay Endroits Intéressants Cool Places on the Saguenay River Pointe à la CROIX Pointe à la Croix Pointe à la Croix L'origine de la croix n'est pas connue, mais il y a des références à la Pointe à la Croix dans 2 livres, de 1889 et 1891. La croix a été remplacée au moins quatre fois ! The origin of the cross is not known, but there are references to Pointe à la Croix in 2 books, from 1889 and 1891. The cross has been replaced at least four times! Circa 1930, tea (with china teacups!) on Pt à la Croix, at center my grandmother Emily Evans, and my father R Lewis Evans Vers 1930, thé (avec des tasses en porcelaine !) sur Pt à la Croix, au centre ma grand-mère Emily Evans, et mon père R Lewis Evans This was the old cross that was mounted on Pointe à la Croix, the little point jutting out into the Saguenay River, from the east below the cliffs between Anse La Barque and La Boule bay. This one fell down and somebody put up another...the cross is dated 1941, the vertical piece on which it stood up supported by a pile of rocks was missing at the time we brought it home, about 1971 (tag by Jack Molson). This cross was replaced by R Lewis Evans and Tom Evans in the early 1970's C'était l'ancienne croix qui était montée sur la Pointe à la Croix, la petite pointe qui s'avance dans la rivière Saguenay, par l'est en contrebas des falaises entre l'Anse La Barque et la baie de La Boule. Celui-ci est tombé et quelqu'un en a posé un autre... la croix est datée de 1941, la pièce verticale sur laquelle elle se tenait soutenue par un tas de rochers manquait au moment où nous l'avons ramenée à la maison, vers 1971 (tag de Jack Molson) . Ce croisement a été remplacé par R Lewis Evans et Tom Evans au début des années 1970 The cross fell down again and was replaced by Tom Evans and friends! 2005 La croix est retombée et a été remplacée par Tom Evans et ses amis ! 2005 more coming soon... 11
- Other wildlife | tidesoftadoussac1
Other Wildlife This page goes from the largest mammal in the world to some of the smallest creatures we can see - there is beauty in all! Blue Whales - they are in the St Lawrence every year, but not seen everyday. On this trip we were lucky to have 2 swim right past us. Humpback Whales often show their tails when diving, individuals are identified by the white patches on the tail. Their faces are often covered in barnacles - see the bumps... Minke - these smaller whales are seen almost daily in the bay. This one was rolling around so we can see his belly. Mule Deer - this is a rare sight - the only one I have ever seen in Tadoussac. Another rare sighting was the Snowshoe Hare - he is changing from winter white to the summer brown in this picture... note how big the back feet are. A nuisance for most of us are the Red Squirrels , they are everywhere, including in our attics! This one was moving her babies from a tree to under our house! Squirrels are a nuisance but everyone loves the Chipmunks . The one on the right is storing up for winter!
- CONTACT | tidesoftadoussac1
PREVIOUS WELCOME/BIENVENUE to/à Tides of Tadoussac/ Marées de Tadoussac Please send me an email and tell me you saw the site! Tom Evans tomfevans@icloud.com This site is going to be a home for historic photographs of Tadoussac. Our ancestors came to Tadoussac in the mid-1800's and built a summer house in 1861. Over the years many other houses were built, and the families came to Tadoussac every year. They took many photographs, and together these photos illustrate the social history of the community. I'd like to thank all the people who have shown me their photographs! If you have photos or other historic material you would like to contribute, or any corrections to the information here, I'd love to hear from you! I copy the photos by taking pictures of them with a digital camera, it's fast and easy and non-destructive. If other people contribute to this site it could expand fast! So far I have collected almost 5000 photographs, there are over 1000 in the site, lots of work to do! But it is a pleasure to make these Materials available for everyone to see! I have added French using Google Translate, I apologize if it doesn't always make sense, please send corrections! Faites moi parvenir vos suggestions, vos documents, vos corrections ou vos commentaires à :Tom Evans (tomfevans@icloud.com ) Merci d’avance Ce site est destiné à recueillir des photos historiques de Tadoussac. Nos ancêtres sont venus à Tadoussac au milieu des années 1800 et y ont construit une résidence d’été en 1861. Au fil des années de nombreuses autres résidences ont aussi été construites et d’autres familles sont venues, chaque année, passer l’été à Tadoussac. Beaucoup de photos ont été prises. L’ensemble de ces images raconte l’histoire et la vie de notre communauté. Je tiens à remercier les personnes qui m’ont montré et prêté leurs photos ! Si vous en avez vous-mêmes ou possédez d’autres documents d’intérêt historique ; si vous désirez contribuer à la réalisation de cette «vitrine historique» sur Tadoussac ou si vous désirez faire des corrections aux renseignements qu’elle contient ; il me fera grand plaisir de les accueillir. About 1905 on the Terrien Yacht on the Saguenay - back - Frank Morewood, Bob Campbell (who is he?), Bobby Morewood, his mother Minnie Morewood, Kate VanIffland second wife of Armitage Rhodes. Middle - Sidney Williams and Billy Morewood, Nan Rhodes Williams and Lennox Williams. Front - Charlie Rhodes, ?, Nancy Morewood and Mary Williams Wallace. A l'époque 1905 sur le Yacht Terrien sur le Saguenay Note! 3 young people in the front row have cameras! ! 3 jeunes dans la première rangée ont des caméras! Mid 1860's. The old Hudson's Bay Post on the right, the back of the original Hotel, at the far left can be seen the 5 Price staff houses (they were all the same then, l to r Cote House, Ida's, Hovington's, Stairs', gap where the rectory is now, Beattie's). Also Spruce Cliff (behind trees) and old Brynhyfryd at the top of the bluff, no Barn or beyond. Dufferin House not built yet, the steeple of the old church is just visible above the hotel. Lots of landslides on the bank! Not many trees on the hills! Milieu des années 1860. Bay Post de la vieille Hudson sur la droite, à l'arrière de l'Hôtel original, à l'extrême gauche on peut voir les cinq maisons du personnel Price (ils étaient tous les mêmes; de gauche à droite Maison Cote, Chez Ida, Hovington, Stairs, écart où le presbytère est maintenant, Beattie). Aussi Spruce Cliff (derrière les arbres) et ancien Brynhyfryd au sommet de la falaise, aucune Barn ou au-delà. Maison Dufferin pas encore construite, le clocher de l'ancienne église est à peine visible au-dessus de l'hôtel. Beaucoup de glissements de terrain sur la rive! Pas beaucoup d'arbres sur les collines! Please send me an email. Comments, Corrections, Improvements, Additions, Photos, anything! Welcome Tom Evans 13 Rue Pc Languedoc CP 176 Tadoussac Qc G0T2A0 200 Clearview Ave #2730 Ottawa ON K1Z8M2 tomfevans@icloud.com Tides of Tadoussac seemed the obvious name for the website, being the name of the book my dad (Lewis Evans) wrote about Tadoussac. We have copies if you want one
- Rhodes Cottage | tidesoftadoussac1
PREVIOUS Rhodes Cottage "Brynhyfryd" 1860-1931 NEXT PAGE Col. William Rhodes (1821-1892) was the second son of a landowner in England, and came to Quebec City in the 1840's. He married Anne Catherine Dunn (1823-1911) from Trois Rivieres. They met the Price family who had a lumber mill and other houses in Tadoussac, and they built a summer residence "Brynhyfryd" in Tadoussac in 1860. The Russell family built a similar house next door shortly thereafter (Spruce Cliff), and Col Rhodes was part of the group that built the original hotel in 1864. The Rhodes family had 9 children, the cottage was expanded by adding on at both ends, and remodelled several times. The house burned down in 1931 and was rebuilt in 1932. Both old and new houses are called Brynhyfryd and the owners are descendants of the Colonel and his wife. There are currently 15 houses in Tadoussac owned by direct descendants of the Rhodeses. Colonel William Rhodes (1821-1892) était le fils d'un propriétaire terrien en Angleterre, et est venu à la ville de Québec dans les années 1840. Il a épousé Anne Catherine Dunn (1823-1911) de Trois-Rivières. Ils ont rencontré la famille Price qui avait une scierie et d'autres maisons à Tadoussac, et ils ont construit une résidence d'été "Brynhyfryd" à Tadoussac en 1860. La famille Russell a construit une maison semblable à côté peu de temps après (Spruce Cliff), et le Col Rhodes faisait partie du groupe qui a construit le premier hôtel en 1864. La famille Rhodes avait 9 enfants, la maison a été élargi en ajoutant sur les deux extrémités, et remodelé à plusieurs reprises. La maison a brûlé (1931) et a été reconstruite en 1932. Les deux maisons anciennes et nouvelles sont appelés Brynhyfryd et les propriétaires sont des descendants de Colonel et sa femme. Il ya actuellement 15 maisons à Tadoussac détenues par les descendants directs du Rhodeses. About 1864, the Hotel in the foreground, the 5 Price houses in the main street (note they were all the same originally) and Spruce Cliff and the Rhodes Cottage. Vers 1864, l'Hôtel au premier plan, les 5 maisons Price sur la rue principale (à noter qu'ils étaient tous la même origine) et Spruce Cliff et le Rhodes Cottage. Late 1800's, before the house was expanded. That's Colonel and Mrs Rhodes on the right. Does she look pregnant? She has a baby pram - 3 children were born after 1861. Lots of "help". Fin des années 1800, avant que la maison a été agrandi. C'est le Colonel et Mme Rhodes sur la droite. Est-elle enceinte? Elle a un landau de bébé - 3 enfants sont nés après 1861. Just after it was built in 1861, from a painting by Washington Friend (American watercolorist) owned by W Lewis Evans (note bathing huts on the beach). Peu de temps après il a été construit en 1861, d'une peinture par Washington Friend (aquarelliste américain) de la collection de Lewis & Cathy Evans (notez les cabines de bains sur la plage) about 1890 Inside the cottage, Col Rhodes reading, John Morewood looking at the camera, his brother Frank Morewood asleep. That's Carrie Rhodes on the far right, they were first cousins who later married, my grandparents! L'intérieur du chalet, Col Rhodes lecture, John Morewood en regardant la caméra, son frère Frank Morewood endormi. C'est Carrie Rhodes à l'extrême droite, ils étaient cousins germains qui épousa plus tard, mes grands-parents! 1890's Lennox Williams is the man with the BCS hat in both these photos. The house has been expanded at both ends. Lennox Williams est l'homme avec le chapeau de BCS dans ces deux photographies. La maison a été élargie aux deux extrémités. "Granny" Anne Dunn Rhodes in the middle. Looks a lot like Susie's house! At right the fireplace, similar to the one that's there now, probably in the same location. Mary Wallace reading. Looks like a tree, maybe holding up the roof, with small pegs or branches to hang stuff from. "Granny" Anne Dunn Rhodes dans le milieu. Ressemble beaucoup à la maison de Susie! À droite la cheminée, semblable à celui qui est là maintenant, probablement au même endroit. Mary Wallace lecture. Resemble un arbre, peut-être tenir le toit, avec des branches pour accrocher des choses. Nan Rhodes Williams and her son Jimmie Williams about 1895 Ping-Pong Team Play About 1905 Gertrude Williams (Alexander) on the right, Granny and Sidney Williams on the porch Going Fishing about 1902 Lennox Williams, Poitras, John Morewood, Frank Morewood (kneeling), Charlie Rhodes Aller à la pêche There's a Basketball net! It was invented in 1891 by a Canadian. Il ya un filet de basket-ball! Il a été inventé en 1891 par un Canadien. Probably heading to the CSL boat for the trip home, maybe Frank and John Morewood. Probablement aller au bateau CSL pour le voyage de retour, peut-être Frank et John Morewood. Late 1800's. The town hasn't made it up the hill, but there were houses at the top of the golf course (upper left) Fin des années 1800. La ville n'a pas fait jusqu'à la colline, mais il y avait des maisons en haut du terrain de golf (en haut à gauche) Zooming in From the bay - Note a BOARDWALK at the top of the bank between the two houses, and a clear path down to the seawall and hut on the beach. And a landslide or 2! De la baie - Note Une promenade au sommet de la banque entre les deux maisons, et une voie claire vers la digue et cabane sur la plage. Et un glissement de terrain ou deux! People on the boardwalk! with a canopy! This is likely the Russell family from Spruce Cliff, if you can identify them please help! Les gens sur le trottoir! avec un auvent! Il est probable que la famille Russell de Spruce Cliff, si vous pouvez les identifier s'il vous plaît aider! Frank Morewood's drawing shows new enclosed rooms where there used to be verandah, for the expanding family. The work was done, but with plain white finish, maybe stucco? (below) and the end porch was left open. Frank was in his 20's and later designed the new Brynhyfryd (1932). It's about 1910, Col. Rhodes is gone (1821-1892) but Granny is still alive in her 80's and she has 5 living children (of 9) and over 20 grandchildren under the age of 20!! The house keeps expanding. Le dessin de Frank Morewood montre chambres nouvelles clos où il y avait autrefois une véranda, pour la famille en pleine expansion. Le travail a été fait, mais avec une finition de couleur blanche, peut-être stuc? (ci-dessous) et le porche de la fin a été laissée ouverte. Frank était dans ses années 20 et plus tard a conçu le nouveau Brynhyfryd (1932). C'est vers 1910, le Colonel Rhodes est parti (1821-1892), mais Granny est toujours vivante dans ses années 80 et elle a cinq enfants vivants (de 9) et plus de 20 petits-enfants de moins de 20! La maison ne cesse de s'élargir. Mary Williams, Sydney Williams, Jim Williams, Evelyn Meredith, Lennox Williams, Nan Rhodes Williams, Gertrude Williams, Bobby Morewood about 1912-14, Granny Anne Catherine Dunn Rhodes (1823-1911) has died and Lenny got the house. Sports every day! Golf, Tennis and of course PingPong! Sport tous les jours! Golf, tennis et bien sûr PingPong! More changes to the house D'autres changements à la maison Lenny in the garden with grandchildren Jean Alexander (Aylan-Parker) and her brother Jim, circa 1922. At left with Nan. They are in their early 60's, Lenny lived to 99 (1958). Lenny's Study Lenny dans le jardin avec petits-enfants Jean Alexander (Aylan-Parker) et son frère Jim, circa 1922. À gauche avec Nan. Ils sont dans leur début des années 60, Lenny a vécu à 99 (1958). Major changes on the road side, seems like a different house. This is just before it burned in 1932 Des changements importants sur le bord de la route, semble être une autre maison. C'est juste avant l'incendie de 1932 The "new" Brynhyfryd looks like this, built in 1932. La «nouvelle» Brynhyfryd ressemble à ceci, construit en 1932. 37 NEXT PAGE
- 1950's | tidesoftadoussac1
PREVIOUS Images of the 1950's NEXT PAGE Many of these photos come from our family slides, taken by Lewis Evans, as well as contributions from other family albums. Many picnics and boat trips, that's when photos were taken! These people you may know! Plusieurs de ces photos proviennent de nos lames de famille, prises par Lewis Evans, ainsi que des contributions d'autres albums de famille. Pique-niques et des excursions en bateau beaucoup, c'est là que les photos ont été prises! Ces personnes que vous connaissez peut-être! In our family the 50's started with a new (old) boat. The Noroua (below) which Dad had bought as a bachelor in the 30's was not a family boat, so he sold it and found this Lower St Lawrence Yawl, probably built about 1900. In the photo above are probably Lew and Anne (bottom right) and Capt Dallaire telling stories. Dans notre famille, les années 50 ont commencé avec un nouveau (vieux) bateau. Le Noroua (ci-dessous) qui papa avait acheté en tant que célibataire dans les années 30 n'était pas un bateau de famille, donc il l'a vendu et il a trouvé ce Bas-St-Laurent Yole, probablement construit vers 1900. Sur la photo ci-dessus sont probablement Lew et Anne (en bas à droite ) et Capt Dallaire raconter des histoires. July 1951 The two boats were together in Tadoussac briefly, and then Dad took the Noroua up river to the buyer in Ottawa. His crew included John Price, our cousin and frequent visitor to Tadoussac. Les deux bateaux étaient ensemble à Tadoussac brièvement, puis papa a pris la Noroua sur le St-Laurent à l'acheteur, à Ottawa. Son équipage comprenait John Price, notre cousin et visiteur fréquent à Tadoussac. Above, Anne, Lewis, and Tom (that's me!), and our mother Betty Evans. At right, Doris Molson. Below, Ernie and Phoebe Skutezky. Guy Smith and the Hobo Below, anchored up the Saguenay with the Bonne Chance, dumping water out of a nor-shore canoe on the deck. Ci-dessous, ancré sur le Saguenay avec la Bonne Chance, vider l'eau d'un canot sur le pont. Horse-drawn picnic at Moulin Baude, Russell Dewart, Elizabeth O'Neill, Ann Dewart and their kids Pique-nique tiré par un cheval au Moulin Baude, Russell Dewart, Elizabeth O'Neill, Ann Dewart et leurs enfants Left, Hector Gauthier, Lewis and Anne, and the Parker Brothers, and Marcel. Below right John and Jean Aylan-Parker and the boys, Ted, Ron and Jim. Below left Mary Wallace talking to Hector Gauthier, Bishop Lennox Williams. In the hotel pool Teddy Parker, Michael Reilly, Teddy Dewart Seeing people off on the CSL boat. Aylan-Parker family on the left. Dire au revoir aux gens sur le bateau de CSL. Famille Aylan-Parker sur la gauche. The Dewart family Tom (with the girls) Cathy O'Neill, ?, Beth and Judy Dewart, Cathy and Bar Campbell Tom avec les filles! Need some help with names! Kids are Susie Scott, Aiden O'Neill, Bobby Scott, Cathy and Patrick O'Neill. Grace Scott on the right, beside her is Elizabeth O'Neill. Lilybell Rhodes at Spruce Cliff On the Bonne Chance Left, Michael Leggat with Tom and Alan Evans Below John and Robbie Leggat with Lewis Evans and Mum (Betty Evans) on the right Nan and Bob Leggat Picnics at the Flat Rocks From left (best guesses) Jean Parker, me?, Betty Evans, ???, Ainslie Stephen with her kids, Anne Evans, three Parker boys at the back, Bob and Nan Leggat with ?, Anita was a babysitter with ? Sally Price, Anne Evans, Margie Stephen Bill Stephen Lewis Evans Robbie Leggat John Leggat John Turcot Anne and John Price on the Bonne Chance Tom, and Alan>> Tom>> The end of the season, Hobo entering the drydock. Probably Armand Imbeau sitting on the gate, and Smith girls and others watching from the rocks. Below seeing people off on the CSL boat. La fin de la saison, Hobo entre la cale sèche. Probablement Armand Imbeau assis sur la porte, et les filles Smith et d'autres regarder le spectacle . Ci-dessous, dire au revoir aux gens sur le bateau de CSL. This video was taken by Jack Wallace in about 1962 at the Tadoussac Tennis Club, thanks to Mike Leggat for sharing and getting me to watch it! There's hours and hours... Faces I saw David Turcot John Leggat Robbie Leggat Deborah Wallace Armitage Judy Stairs John Turcot Judith Dewart Stinson Beth Dewart Marg Wallace Sue Stairs Barbara Campbell Nan Leggat John Price Teddy Aylan-Parker Mary Wallace and at the end Will Leggat and Catherine Williams(isn't she cute)! others? NEXT PAGE
- Anchorages | tidesoftadoussac1
Saguenay Anchorages By R Lewis Evans 15
- Saguenay Mills | Moulins et villes du Saguenay
Saguenay Mills and Towns Moulins et Villes du Saguenay The Saguenay River has a number of ghost towns, where large lumber mills and entire villages existed for a short time and then completely disappeared. The only remains are some slab-wood walls and rocks and bricks. The history is fascinating. Much of the text here is from the excellent website of Petit-Saguenay, which includes St Etienne, https://petit-saguenay.com/notre-histoire/, below is an english translation. La rivière Saguenay compte plusieurs villes fantômes, où de grandes scieries et des villages entiers ont existé pendant une courte période puis ont complètement disparu. Les seuls vestiges sont des murs en dalles de bois, des pierres et des briques. L'histoire est fascinante. Une grande partie du texte ici provient de l'excellent site Web de Petit-Saguenay, qui comprend St Etienne, https://petit-saguenay.com/notre-histoire/, ci-dessous est une traduction en anglais. ST ETIENNE et la Ville Industrielle/Factory Town 1883-1900 Anse CHEVAL MARGUERITE Mill/Moulin et Wharf/Quai circa 1910 ST ETIENNE et la Ville Industrielle/Factory Town 1883-1900 ST ETIENNE et la Ville Industrielle/Factory Town 1883-1900 Anse au Cheval Anse-aux-Petites-Îles Anse de Roche Baie Saint-Marguerite Arrival of the Société des Vingt-et-un in Petit-Saguenay April 25, 1838. The Société des Vingt-et-un prepared a schooner to set off to conquer the Saguenay, then under the Hudson's Bay Company monopoly. This team of 27 men first stopped at Anse-aux-Petites-Îles, between Tadoussac and Anse Saint-Étienne, to unload a group of loggers there, who built the first sawmill on the Saguenay. The expedition thus relieved continued on its way to Anse-au-Cheval, located opposite the Baie Saint-Marguerite, where a second mill was built. They waited for the ice to leave, which takes a month. Then, the rest of the crew continues their journey which brings them to the colonization of L'Anse-Saint-Jean and Baie des Ha! Ha! The first two stops of the Société des Vingt-et-un are therefore in two coves in the territory of Petit-Saguenay. These sawing facilities will be of short duration, since the mills were designed to be easily moved depending on the availability of the resource. At the time, it was pine, which was then abundant in the area, that they felled as a priority. However, these two coves are never permanently inhabited - although they are visited by priests who identify 8 men in Petites-Îles and 2 men in l'Anse-au-Cheval in 1839 - and it is rather at Anse de Petit-Saguenay and Anse Saint-Étienne that future colonization efforts were deployed in Petit-Saguenay. Arrivée de la Société des Vingt-et-un à Petit-Saguenay 25 avril 1838. La Société des Vingt-et-un apprête une goélette pour partir à la conquête du Saguenay, alors sous le monopole de Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson. Cette équipée de 27 hommes fait d'abord escale à l'Anse-aux-petites-Îles, entre Tadoussac et l'Anse Saint-Étienne, pour y débarquer un groupe de bûcherons, qui y construit le premier moulin à scie sur le Saguenay. L'expédition ainsi délestée poursuit son chemin jusqu'à l'Anse-au-Cheval, située en face de la Baie Saint-Marguerite, où un second moulin est construit. On y attend le départ des glaces, ce qui prend un mois. Puis, le reste de l'équipage poursuit son voyage qui l'amène à la colonisation de L'Anse-Saint-Jean et la Baie des Ha! Ha! Les deux premiers arrêts de la Société des Vingt-et-un se font donc dans deux anses sur le territoire de Petit-Saguenay. Ces installations de sciage seront de courte durée, puisque les moulins étaient conçus pour être facilement déplaçables en fonction de la disponibilité de la ressource. À l'époque, c'est le pin, qui est alors abondant sur le territoire, qu'on abat en priorité. Ces deux anses ne sont toutefois jamais habitées de façon permanente - bien qu'elle soit visitées par des curés qui recensent 8 hommes aux Petites-Îles et 2 hommes à l'Anse-au-Cheval en 1839 - et c'est plutôt du côté de l'Anse de Petit-Saguenay et de l'Anse Saint-Étienne que les futurs efforts de colonisation se déploient à Petit-Saguenay. St Etienne is shown on a map of 1744 1865 The Rhodes family had a summer cottage in Tadoussac, and they would row up the Saguenay and camp and fish! The fishing was very good, and St Etienne was a favourite spot. They also loved swimming and shooting. Godfrey Rhodes wrote about it in his diary from 1865, at age 15. 1865 La famille Rhodes avait un chalet d'été à Tadoussac, et ils ramaient en canot sur le Saguenay, campaient et pêchaient! La pêche était très bonne, et St Etienne était un endroit préféré. Ils aimaient aussi nager et tirer. Godfrey Rhodes a écrit à ce sujet dans son journal de 1865, à l'âge de 15 ans. The text here is from the excellent website of Petit-Saguenay, which includes St Etienne, https://petit-saguenay.com/notre-histoire/, below is an english translation. Construction of a company village at Anse Saint-Étienne At the end of the 1870s, the Price company began to take an interest in the Anse Saint-Étienne site to install a sawmill. The site is favorable for development, because it is well protected from the winds and offers an excellent anchorage. On site, there are at most a few fishing families and the remains of a mysterious sawmill whose owner we do not know. It was in 1882 that the Price company decided to build a real company village there, which would be the first of its kind in the region. The establishment is called a company village, since all the buildings belong to the Price company. The mill is for its part of a considerable size: it works with steam and has a power of 200 forces, which makes it de facto the largest factory of this type in Saguenay. Locks, slabs and docks are built around the mill to facilitate the transport, storage and loading of timber. A steam tug, the Belle, is based on site to facilitate the entry and exit of schooners and other sailing vessels at low tide. The workers and their families are housed in rooming houses near the factory, which makes for a very lively working-class neighborhood. The notables, mostly English-speaking and Protestant, were settled on an upper plateau, in what was called at the time the Anse des Messieurs or the Anse de l'Eglise. The village experienced significant growth and once again placed Petit-Saguenay in the heart of the Price empire in the region. Le texte ici est tiré de l'excellent site Web de Petit-Saguenay, qui inclut St Etienne, https://petit-saguenay.com/notre-histoire/, à gauche est une traduction en anglais. Construction d'un village de compagnie à l'Anse Saint-Étienne À la fin des années 1870, la compagnie Price commence à s'intéresser au site de l'Anse Saint-Étienne pour y installer un moulin à scie. Le site est favorable à l'établissement, parce qu'il est bien protégé des vents et offre un excellent mouillage. Sur place, on retrouve tout au plus quelques familles de pêcheurs et les vestiges d'un mystérieux moulin à scie dont on ne connait pas le propriétaire. C'est en 1882 que la compagnie Price décide d'y construire un véritable village de compagnie, qui sera le premier du genre dans la région. On qualifie l'établissement de village de compagnie, puisque toutes les bâtiments appartiennent à la compagnie Price. Le moulin est pour sa part d'une ampleur considérable : il fonctionne à la vapeur et possède une puissance de 200 forces, ce qui en fait de facto la plus grande usine de ce type au Saguenay. Autour du moulin, on construit des écluses, des dalles et des quais pour faciliter le transport, l'entreposage et le chargement du bois. Un remorqueur à vapeur, le Belle, est basé sur place pour faciliter l'entrée et la sortie des goélettes et autres navires à voile à marée basse. Les ouvriers et leurs familles sont logés dans des maisons de chambre à proximité de l'usine, ce qui constitue un quartier ouvrier très vivant. Les notables, pour la plupart anglophones et protestants, sont quant à eux installés sur un plateau supérieur, dans ce que l'on appelle à l'époque l'Anse des Messieurs ou l'Anse de l'Église. Le village connait un essor important et replace à nouveau Petit-Saguenay au coeur de l'empire des Price dans la région. Development of a modern village in Saint-Étienne Quickly after the founding of the company village of Saint-Étienne, it experienced a significant boom which increased the population to nearly 400 people in 1887, when the decision was made to build a church and set up a cemetery on the spot. To house all these workers and their families, they had to build around 30 homes in the working-class neighborhood and install many services. About ten residences were also built at Anse-des-Messieurs to accommodate the manager and the notables. A 27-kilometer-long telegraph line connected Saint-Étienne to Rivière aux Canards (Baie-Sainte-Catherine) and a colonization path - the maritime path - is opened along this line at the site of the current chemin des Îles. A post office is also set up on site and the post office is delivered twice a week between Saint-Étienne and Tadoussac and between Saint-Étienne and L'Anse-Saint-Jean. A farm is cleared on the surrounding plateaus to provide fresh food to the inhabitants. Two schools are also open for the education of children with teachers Adéla and Cécile Gobeil. Visitors are welcomed in a comfortable hotel. Rumors have it that some of the buildings are even served by electricity produced at the steam mill and a water supply service! Développement d'un village moderne à Saint-Étienne Rapidement après la fondation du village de compagnie de Saint-Étienne, celui-ci connait un essor important qui fait grimper la population à près de 400 personnes en 1887, lorsqu'on décide de construire une église et d'aménager un cimetière sur place. Pour loger tous ces travailleurs et leurs familles, on doit construire une trentaine d'habitations dans le quartier ouvrier et installer de nombreux services. Une dizaine de résidences sont également construites à l'Anse-des-Messieurs pour loger le gérant et les notables. Une ligne de télégraphe de 27 kilomètres de long relie Saint-Étienne à Rivière aux Canards (Baie-Sainte-Catherine) et un chemin de colonisation - le chemin maritime - est ouvert le long de cette ligne à l'emplacement de l'actuel chemin des Îles. Un bureau de poste est également aménagés sur place et la poste est livrée deux fois par semaine entre Saint-Étienne et Tadoussac et entre Saint-Étienne et L'Anse-Saint-Jean. Une ferme est défrichée sur les plateaux environnants pour fournir des aliments frais aux habitants. Deux écoles sont également ouvertes pour l'éducation des enfants avec les institutrices Adéla et Cécile Gobeil. Les visiteurs sont quant à eux accueillis dans un hôtel confortable. Les rumeurs veulent qu'une partie des bâtiments est même desservie par l'électricité produite au moulin à vapeur et un service d'aqueduc! St Etienne 1883-1900 The golden age of Saint-Étienne After several years of operation, the industrial village of Saint-Étienne reached its peak at the turn of the 1890s. It figures prominently among the 3 mills of the Price company on the Saguenay, a company which also has facilities in Chicoutimi and the Baie des Ha! Ha!. At the peak of activities, there was a permanent population of 495 people in 1891, which excludes the 400 to 600 workers who stay on the sites each winter. It was then the most populous village between La Baie and Tadoussac. About a hundred workers operate the sawmill, which processes between 200 and 300,000 logs per year. It was mainly spruce, which replaced pine as the main species, the latter having been completely exploited in the first decades of the colonization of the Saguenay or ravaged by recurring fires. The wood comes mainly from the territory of Petit-Saguenay and Baie-Sainte-Catherine. There were up to twenty logging sites per winter operating in the hinterland to supply the industry. The village began to decline from 1891, however, mainly due to two factors. First, the supply is more and more difficult and they had to harvest the resource further and further to bring it to the mill, which reduces the profitability of operations. Then, a major depression hit the world economy from 1891, which affected the wood exports of the Price company to the United States. However, Saint-Étienne remained a dynamic village until its tragic end in 1900. This photo does NOT show the village on fire, the smoke is from the chimneys! L'âge d'or de Saint-Étienne Après plusieurs années d'opération, le village industriel de Saint-Étienne atteint son apogée au tournant des années 1890. Il figure en bonne place parmi les 3 moulins de la compagnie Price sur le Saguenay, compagnie qui compte également des installations à Chicoutimi et à la Baie des Ha! Ha!. Au sommet des activités, on compte une population permanente de 495 personnes en 1891, ce qui exclut les 400 à 600 travailleurs qui séjournent chaque hiver sur les chantiers. C'est alors le village le plus populeux entre La Baie et Tadoussac. Une centaine de travailleurs fait fonctionner le moulin à scie où transitent entre 200 et 300 000 billots par année. On y scie essentiellement de l'épinette, qui a remplacé le pin comme essence principale, cette dernière ayant été complètement exploitée dans les premières décennies de la colonisation du Saguenay ou ravagée par les incendies récurrents. Le bois vient principalement du territoire de Petit-Saguenay et de Baie-Sainte-Catherine. On opère jusqu'à une vingtaine de chantiers de bûchage par hiver dans l'arrière-pays pour alimenter l'industrie. Le village se met toutefois à décliner à compter de 1891, principalement à cause de deux facteurs. D'abord, l'approvisionnement est de plus en plus difficile et on doit aller récolter la ressource de plus en plus loin pour l'apporter au moulin, ce qui réduit la rentabilité des opérations. Ensuite, une dépression importante frappe l'économie mondiale à compter de 1891, ce qui affecte les exportations de bois de la compagnie Price vers les États-Unis. Saint-Étienne demeure toutefois un village dynamique jusqu'à sa fin tragique en 1900. Cette photo ne montre PAS le village en feu, la fumée vient des cheminées ! Saint-Étienne razed to the ground June 5, 1900. A stubble fire started in the morning by colonist Benjamin Boudreault on the heights of Saint-Étienne spread to the forest thanks to the strong winds. In the space of two hours, the flames reached the village of Saint-Étienne, which was reduced to ashes. Only a handful of buildings were spared, but all the residents were literally thrown into the sea, picked up on board two passing ships. The sawmill, the docks, three ships and the entire wood inventory were lost in the fire. Only the district of Anse-des-Messieurs was spared. The next day, thanks to the generosity of the public and the authorities, aid was sent from Chicoutimi: money, food and clothing were distributed to the grieving families. If the workers got by without too much damage, the Price company must declare a total loss since the establishment is not insured. These losses are estimated at between $ 300,000 and $ 400,000, which equates to between $ 9M and $ 12M today. Faced with the scale of the disaster and taking into account the fact that the establishment had already been declining for a few years because of supply problems, the company decided not to rebuild and instead to open a new sawmill at Baie Sainte-Catherine, a mill which moved again in 1908 to Baie Sainte-Marguerite. L'Anse Saint-Étienne, for its part, was abandoned by the Price company, which hardly did any business there until the land was sold to the municipality in the 1970s. Saint-Étienne rasé par les flammes 5 juin 1900. Un feu d'abattis débuté en matinée par le colon Benjamin Boudreault sur les hauteurs de Saint-Étienne se répand à la forêt à la faveur des forts vents. En l'espace de deux heures, les flammes atteignent le village de Saint-Étienne qui est réduit en cendre. Une poignée de bâtiments seulement sont épargnés, mais tous les résidents sont littéralement jetés à la mer, recueillis à bord de deux navires de passage. Le moulin à scie, les quais, trois navires ainsi que l'ensemble de l'inventaire de bois sont perdus dans l'incendie. Seul le quartier de l'Anse-des-messieurs est épargné. Dès le lendemain, grâce à la générosité du public et des autorités, on achemine de l'aide en provenance de Chicoutimi : de l'argent, des vivres et des vêtements sont ainsi distribués aux famille éplorés. Si les travailleurs s'en sortent sans trop de dommage, la compagnie Price, elle, doit déclarer une perte totale puisque l'établissement n'est pas assuré. Ces pertes sont estimées à entre 300 et 400 000 $, ce qui équivaut à entre 9M$ et 12M$ aujourd'hui. Devant l'ampleur du désastre et compte tenud du fait que l'établissement décline déjà depuis quelques années à cause des problèmes d'approvisionnement, la compagnie décide de ne pas reconstruire et de plutôt ouvrir un nouveau moulin à scie du côté de Baie Sainte-Catherine, moulin qui est déménagé à nouveau en 1908 du côté de Baie Sainte-Marguerite. L'Anse Saint-Étienne est pour sa part abandonnée par la compagnie Price, qui n'y fait plus guère d'activités jusqu'à la vente du terrain à la municipalité dans les années 1970. Great Fire on the Saguenay Forty Families Homeless A dispatch announces that a big fire has ravaged the village of St Etienne, on the Saguenay, and that forty families are homeless. The telegraph office was also set on fire, making it more difficult to obtain full details, the distance being sixteen miles. The captain of the "Saguenay" boat was asked to stop at St-Etienne and transport homeless people to St-Alexis de Chicoutimi. LATER The large establishment of Price Brothers & Co, wood merchants of St-Etienne, was completely destroyed by fire this afternoon. The losses are considerable and include nearly 200,000 feet of trade lumber, stores and most of the docks. A schooner and two boats which were at the wharf were also destroyed. Forty families are homeless as a result of the conflagration and find themselves running out of food and even clothing. Most of the workers were occupied in the sawmills, and came to Chicoutimi. It is believed that the fire was started by reckless settlers. Losses are estimated between $350,000 and $ 400,000. The steamer "Saguenay" * Mill Village Anse-des-Messieurs Today St Etienne is a popular picnic spot, accessible by road, and there are remains of the old wharfs in the stream. Aujourd'hui, St Etienne est un lieu de pique-nique populaire, accessible par la route, et il reste des vestiges des anciens quais dans le ruisseau. Match up the hills! Circa 1890 >> 2020 Associez les collines! Vers 1890 >> 2020 Anse au Cheval Anse au Cheval Price installs debarkers at Anse au Cheval In 1838, the Société des Vingt-et-Un set up its first sawmills in the region at Petit-Saguenay, at Anse aux Petites-Îles and at Anse au Cheval. After a few years of operation, these two mills were sold to William Price, who did not continue to operate for long. L'Anse au Cheval was therefore abandoned for a few decades until Joseph Desgagné, son of the famous schooner builder Zéphirin Desgagné from L'Anse-Saint-Jean, took a lease there from the land agent of Tadoussac in the 1880s or 1890s. The activities of Joseph Desgagné at Anse au Cheval are not known, but we can assume that he does either cutting or sawing, since he regularly transports wood with his schooners. He then transferred his rights to Onésime Gagné of L'Anse-Saint-Jean, who obviously operated a mill there, since when the latter sold his facilities to the Price company in 1902, the notarial contract mentioned a " mill with machines, machine, kettle, shingle machine, carriage complete with saws and other accessories, ridges, edging saws [...], as well as the house [...], booms and docks used to pound the planks and other woods. " A small colony even developed around these installations, with some families affected by the fire in the village of Saint-Étienne in 1900. The Price company, for its part, operates debarkers there in a factory supplied with energy by steam. The pulpwood thus freed from its bark is then exported by ship to pulp and paper mills in Ontario and the United States. The Anse au Cheval mill was thus in operation for several years, until a law came to prohibit the export of pulpwood in 1910 and thus led to the decline of activities on the site. In 1914, the installations were dismantled and the kettle was transferred to Desbins, where the Price company operated one of the five pulp and paper mills in the region at the time. L'Anse au Cheval was abandoned for good. Price installe des écorceurs à l'Anse au Cheval En 1838, la Société des Vingt-et-Un installe ses premiers moulins à scie dans la région à Petit-Saguenay, soit à l'Anse aux Petites-Îles et à l'Anse au Cheval. Après quelques années d'exploitation, ces deux moulins sont vendus à William Price, qui ne continue pas l'exploitation bien longtemps. L'Anse au Cheval est donc abandonnée pendant quelques décennies jusqu'à ce que Joseph Desgagné, fils du fameux constructeur de goélettes Zéphirin Desgagné de L'Anse-Saint-Jean, y prenne un bail auprès de l'agent des terres de Tadoussac dans les années 1880 ou 1890. Les activitéss de Joseph Desgagné à l'Anse au Cheval ne sont pas connues, mais on peut présumer qu'il y fait soit de la coupe ou du sciage, puisque que celui-ci transporte régulièrement du bois avec ses goélettes. Il transfère ensuite ses droits à Onésime Gagné de L'Anse-Saint-Jean, qui y exploite manifestement un moulin, puisqu'au moment où ce dernier vend ses installations à la compagnie Price en 1902, le contrat notarié fait mention d'un "moulin avec machines, engin, bouilloire, machine à bardeaux, carriage complet avec scies et autres accessoires, buttes, scies à déligner [...], ainsi que la maison [...], booms et quais servant à piler les madriers et autres bois." Une petite colonie s'est même développée autour de ces installations, avec quelques familles sinistrées après le feu du village de Saint-Étienne en 1900. La compagnie Price, pour sa part, y exploite des écorceurs dans une usine alimentée en énergie par la vapeur. Le bois de pulpe ainsi libéré de son écorce est ensuite exporté par bateau vers des usines de pâte et papiers d'Ontario et des États-Unis. Le moulin de l'Anse au Cheval est ainsi en opération pendant plusieurs années, jusqu'à ce qu'une loi vienne interdire l'exportation de bois de pulpe en 1910 et mène ainsi au déclin des activités sur le site. En 1914, on démentèle les installations et on transfère la bouilloire à Desbins, où la compagnie Price opère l'une des cinq usines de pâte et papier de la région à l'époque. L'Anse au Cheval est définitivement abandonnée. 2020 there are some remains of the activities in Anse au Cheval. There are probably more remains in the forest. 2020, il y a quelques vestiges des activités à Anse au Cheval. Il y a probablement plus de restes dans la forêt. Marguerite Baie Saint-Marguerite The "MARGUERITE" is a beautiful place. Marguerite Bay is the mouth of the two Marguerite Rivers, which combine a short distance above the head of the bay. The bay is 2km deep and 1km wide. At high tide it is completely flooded, at low tide mostly dry, with the river running down the middle to the Saguenay. La "Marguerite" est un bel endroit. Marguerite Bay est la bouche des deux Rivières-Marguerite, qui se combinent à une courte distance au-dessus de la tête de la baie. La baie est à 2km de profondeur et un kilomètre de large. A marée haute, il est complètement inondée, à marée basse la plus grande partie est sec, avec la rivière qui coule au milieu au Saguenay. The Marguerite Parc Saguenay Visitors Center today Site of the movie set in 1972 Marguerite Rivers join here Remains of the Village Ice Caves The Notch Petite Rigolette Northwest Corner Banc des Messieurs Remains of Wharf and crib Sand Dune Amazing Canal Beach Saguenay River Belugas Village of Sainte Marguerite, built around the sawmill Circa 1910? Village de Sainte-Marguerite, construit autour de la scierie Periode 1910? About 1930's Remains of the town and the wharf, at high tide Environ 1930 Vestiges de la ville et le quai, à marée haute The "Muriel" anchored in the Marguerite, circa 1930 Below the "Hobo" and the "Bonne Chance" in the same location in 1956, the rocks in the background are the same. This is in the middle of the bay, in the river channel, which never dries out at low tide. Le "Muriel" ancrée dans la Marguerite, vers 1930 Ci-dessous le "Hobo" et la "Bonne Chance" au même endroit en 1956, les roches dans le fond sont les mêmes. Ceci est dans le milieu de la baie, dans le chenal de la rivière, qui ne sèche jamais à marée basse. A trip to the Marguerite in about 1935 Bill Morewood (my uncle) looking at the camera Jim Alexander with the crest on his sweater Not sure who the third guy is. Un voyage à la Marguerite en 1935 environ Bill Morewood (mon oncle) en regardant la caméra Jim Alexander avec la crête sur son chandai La "Marguerite" est un bel endroit. Marguerite Bay est la bouche des deux Rivières-Marguerite, qui se combinent à une courte distance au-dessus de la tête de la baie. La baie est à 2km de profondeur et un kilomètre de large. A marée haute, il est complètement inondée, à marée basse la plus grande partie est sec, avec la rivière qui coule au milieu au Saguenay. Putting up a beacon on the old pier at the Marguerite for 'navigation' July 1937 Herbert, Noel, Self (Jack Molson?) This marker (and other ones) stood on the 'crib' for many years. The crib was the pile of rocks that was the remains of the end of the old wharf, where it reached the river channel. Mettre en place un arbre sur le vieux quai de la Marguerite pour «navigation» Juillet 1937 Herbert, Noel, Self (Jack Molson?) Ce marqueur (et autres) se trouvait sur la «crèche» pour de nombreuses années. La crèche était le tas de pierres qui était les vestiges de la fin de l'ancien quai, où il a atteint le chenal de la rivière. Guy Smith and the 'Hobo' and Lewis Evans's 'Bonne Chance' anchored in the Marguerite in 1956 From the log of the "Bonne Chance" August 13th 1956: 4pm Entered Marguerite, schooner "Hobo" on anchorage, she reported having caught 18, and left for the Islets Rouge. Tuesday I fished half flood at dawn on the point above the crip - 4 trout, one a good size. Fished ebb all morning on Banc des Messieurs taking 17, all but 2 on flies. Trevor (Evans) and John (Price) fished Petite Rigolette (the smaller outlet of the Marguerite over the low tide flats), taking 26. Fished afternoon flood, I getting nothing on main channel, Trevor and John 18 on the Petite Rigolette. Sunny and calm. Below they are dumping water from the Nor-Shore Canoe from the deck of the "Hobo" Guy Smith et la «Hobo» et «Bonne Chance» de Lewis Evans ancrée dans la Marguerite en 1956 À partir du journal de la "Bonne Chance« Le 13 Août 1956: 16:00 Entrée Marguerite, goélette "Hobo" sur l'ancrage, elle a déclaré avoir pris 18, et a quitté pour les îlots Rouge. Mardi, je pêche la moitié inondation à l'aube sur le point au-dessus du berceau - 4 truites, une bonne taille. Pêché ebb toute la matinée sur le Banc des Messieurs prenant 17, tous sauf 2 sur les mouches. Trevor (Evans) et John (Price) pêchées Petite Rigolette (la plus petite sortie de la Marguerite sur les bancs de sable à marée basse), en tenant 26. pêché inondation de l'après-midi, je de ne rien obtenir sur le canal principal, Trevor et John 18 sur la Petite Rigolette. Ensoleillé et calme. Ci-dessous, ils déversent l'eau du canot Nor-Shore de la plate-forme de la "Hobo" In 1972 the movie "Journey" was filmed at the Marguerite, and a small village was built at the head of the bay. The movie was directed by Paul Almond and starred Genvieve Bujold. En 1972, le film "Journey" a été filmé à la Marguerite, et un petit village a été construit à la tête de la baie. Le film a été réalisé par Paul Almond et inclus Genvieve Bujold. Remains of the Wharf, 1951 Les vestiges du quai, 1951 Remains of the Wharf, 1970's Les vestiges du quai, 1970's In 2005 Lewis, Tom and Alan Evans spent a night in the Marguerite on Al's boat the "Trillium", a "reenactment" of the many trips we took there with our father. We fished in all the usual spots but did not catch anything. The trout have made a comeback in recent years, but they are smarter than they used to be! En 2005, Lewis, Tom et Alan Evans ont passé une nuit dans la Marguerite sur le bateau de Al le «Trillium», une «répétition» des nombreux voyages que nous avons là-bas avec notre père. Nous avons pêché dans tous les endroits habituels, mais n'a rien attrapé. Les truites ont fait un retour au cours des dernières années, mais ils sont plus intelligents qu'ils étaient! 2014 we visited the "Ice Caves". At the foot of the large rockslide on the nrth side of the bay, ice can be found under the large boulders in July, and even in August the air was very cold. Natural air conditioning! Look for the small stream and follow it up the hill. 2014 nous avons visité les "grottes de glace". Au pied de la grande éboulement sur le côté nord de la baie, la glace peut être trouvé sous les grands rochers en Juillet. même en Août l'air était très froid. Climatisation naturelle! Cherchez le petit ruisseau et suivre jusqu'à la colline. 61
- Short Stories by R Lewis Evans
R. Lewis Evans was an English Teacher who loved to write. Although his books are quite well-known, his short stories and articles belong mostly to the more distant past. It was during the 1940s and 1950s that magazine short stories were popular and sought after and Dad wrote over 20 of them. Most were published, and many are of interest especially to those of us who know and love the Lower St. Lawrence and Saguenay areas of Quebec, so I decided to get them out of the file and onto the web-site where they can be read once again. I've divided the stories into categories. While he wrote mostly river stories about the Tadoussac area, including some historical fiction, he also wrote 6 stories about World War II (4 of which overlap with our beloved river), and a number of odd inspirations, one biblical, several inspired by newspaper items, and even one (gasp!) Science Fiction. There are also some non-fiction articles which will be coming along later in the year. I love them all partly because he wrote about what he loved and I love it too, but partly because his characters are thoughtful, compassionate and real. I've included a few notes that he kept in the file. Some are news articles he drew his ideas from; others are comments he received from editors either printed in the magazine or sent along to him separately. I've also tried to reproduce the illustrations, duly credited, as all the stories that published were supported by visual art. Only one, Casual Enemy, has no illustrator mentioned. My guess is he drew that one himself. I've read all these stories several times in my efforts to get them up onto the web-site correctly and I've never tired of them. I hope you enjoy them. A fair warning: some readers might recognize a few people! Alan Evans NEXT PAGE R Lewis Evans More Stories "Zeb," he cried. "Zeb, come on up top. Bring your bucket. make it quick." In Case of Fire A Short Story by Lewis Evans (Published in The Standard, October 5th, 1946 - $60.00!) ILLUSTRATED BY MENENDEZ The old hand and the novice found hostility turned to friendship in a battle with death THE windward edge of the fire was below them now, a line that straggled across twenty miles of forest and ate its way in little salients doggedly westwards against the draught. Downwind, ahead of the aircraft, all was confusion for countless square miles—white smoke, and gray and brown, air-borne ashes, and occasionally the peach-glow of flame dimly reflected on the driving smoke. Don Ross, late of the RCAF, held the F-24 on its course, passing over the centre of the vast burning area where thousands of cords of Northern Quebec pulpwood were going up in smoke instead of fulfilling their destiny of providing Canadian and American papers with newsprint. With him in the cabin bronzed, graying Zeb Stearn sat with map on knee, pencilling in the present area of the fire for his report back to the Canadian Forestry Service and the Long Lake, Wolf Lake and River Beyond Pulp and Paper Company, which owned these limits. Old Zeb Stearn concentrated on the job and said nothing. He had been saying just that ever since they had taken off from the North Shore that morning. The northward border of the forest fire seemed to follow the curves of River Beyond, and Don Ross swung the aircraft in that direction. As they approached the river they could see that the fire had already jumped it in several places. Zeb Stearn noted them on his map. Suddenly Don peered at the river beyond the eastern edge of the fire, set the plane on a glide towards it, and then banked on a curve. He pointed, and Stearn followed his finger. A herd of caribou was fording the river to gain the safer north bank. Don turned to smile at Stearn, but the old fellow did not evince interest by even so much as a grunt. He was again working on the map. Don felt rather foolish, as though he had excitedly pointed out the Rhine to a man who had already made many operational tours. THE F-24 was now over the advancing eastern edge, of the fire, and the air was rough. Now and then the thermals rising from the hot earth bounced the plane uncomfortably upwards, and the cabin filled with the raw smell of smoke, making its occupants cough—the first sound Stearn had made so far, Don thought wryly. He started a slow climb to get above the smoke, and suddenly the engine sputtered, livened up again, and quit cold. Don worked at his controls, but nothing happened, and a great appreciation of the multiple engined aircraft he had known overseas was born in him in a flash. He shot a glance at Stearn. The older man’s face betrayed no emotion, but he was peering out at the landscape below — already looking for a spot for a forced landing, Don knew; and Don followed suit. Behind him was River Beyond, but like most northern rivers it was shallow, sown with rocks and seamed with sand and gravel bars—a landing there meant two shattered floats at the very least. To the south, beyond the path of the fire, was Wolf Lake, a perfect landing place, but with a cross wind and his present altitude he didn’t think he could make it. Downwind from the fire was the nearest water—he picked it out between waves of smoke—a tiny lake, almost round, possible for a landing, too small for a take-off. Don tried desperately to make up his mind—take a long chance on Wolf Lake, and maybe not make it and come down in the fire area, or land on this little pond and probably stay there, right in the path of the fire. Stearn grabbed his arm. "Wolf Lake,” he shouted. Don swung the gliding plane towards it, and as soon as he had done so he knew— knew for certain—they couldn’t make it. He shook his head and swung again, losing altitude rapidly. The little round lake appeared and disappeared through the smoke as though it were winking at him. "Okay, honey; here I come,” he murmured, and circled to come at it upwind. The tall spruce round it forced him to glide flatter than he wished, but he almost brushed their tops as he crossed them. The other side of the lake seemed to rush at him, a solid phalanx of dark spruces, but the pontoons took the water with a clumsy splash, the F-24 rocked forward as if she were going to stick her nose down, rocked back, and bucked gently into the matted bushes fringing the shore. “Well,” said Don, “here we are.” “And here we stay till we fry,” commented Stearn. “Why didn’t you try for Wolf Lake, where we could have fixed the engine and had room to take off?” “I knew I couldn’t make it,” said Ross. “It wouldn’t have been any fun putting down in the bush—and the fire.” “It was a chance,” said Stearn. “This is certainty. The fire will be here by tonight.” “We have plenty of water,” said Ross. “We can keep ourselves and the aircraft wet.” ZEB STEARN snorted. “Ever been close to a fire of this size?” he demanded. “Yes,” snapped Ross. “Mannheim.” “You weren’t as close to that as you will be to this, my boy. You try keeping the plane wet, and yourself wet, and breathing at the same time. Take my advice and drown quietly. It’s the more comfortable death.” “Oh, go jump in the lake,” said Don curtly as he opened the door. “I’m going to. I want to find what's wrong with this motor.” He dropped onto a pontoon. “Why?” demanded Stearn. “Even if you fix it you can't get out of here. “I'd feel a lot better if the engine could go, though.” “What're you going to do? Move it on top and take off straight up like a helicopter? We'll get to heaven soon enough without all that trouble.” “Aw, pipe down, and come and help me get this cowling off.” Stearn's reply was to settle back and light his pipe. For ten minutes Ross worked at the engine. The acrid smoke filtering through the bush and bellying out across the lake kept him coughing. Several times he turned the motor over without getting even a kick. At last he opened the cabin door. “Come on and have a crack at this thing,” he pleaded. “The smoke out here tastes much better than that ‘tabac canadien’ you’re inhaling, anyway.” “Fix the thing yourself. You're the pilot,” grunted Stearn. “Oh, come on. You know this engine much better than I do.” “How should I know anything about it?” Stearn's voice was heavy with sarcasm. "I'm too old to know about things like that.” The older man spoke with force, as though he were getting a weight off his chest. Ross stood looking at him for a moment. “Look, Zeb,” he said at length. “Let's have it. What's your gripe?” Stearn's eyes drilled him. “I'm too old – that's what they tell me. For years I fly this bush and never have any trouble—not like this, anyway—” he gestured at the tiny lake. “Then the war's over and they tell me that I’m too old, that young fellows like you must have my job, that I'm on the shelf. On the skids, more like,” he added bitterly. “Who says so?” demanded Ross. “When I got the orders to cover this fire,” said Stearn, “they gave me to understand very plainly that you were the pilot, and I was to leave the flying to you. I was to go just because I knew the country, because I have experience.” THERE was a silence. Don had only come to the base a week ago, but already he had heard the story that Zeb Stearn had learned his flying in World War I, had come to the bush in 1919, and long ago had been forced to reckon his air time in months instead of hours. He felt sorry for the old fellow, and admired his pride and his record. He felt that what he said next—and how he said it—was desperately important. “Well, you may be too old, and you may not—I haven’t seen you fly. But I’ll tell you two things: first, I’ve seen plenty of pilots who were too old at twenty-one; second, I’m darn glad that you’re along.” “Thanks,” said Zeb Stearn dryly. "It’s nice to be wanted on what looks like a fatal journey.” Ross grinned at him. “Come on and play with the engine.” Zeb Stearn climbed out of the cabin, a little stiffly. “Why do you want to fix it?” he demanded. “It’s just work for nothing.” “Feel a lot better when it’s in working order,” said Don, and Stearn snorted. “We can move it to the far side of the lake, keep it wet with buckets, and maybe save it.” Stearn turned on him almost savagely. “You talk a lot of hot air,” he shouted. “Save it for what? A curiosity for the caribou?” He ended up coughing. Ross gestured towards the yellow and black fuselage and the big CF and three more letters on the wing. “That’s the best mark there is for anyone looking for us,” he said shortly. That shot went home, for Zeb Stearn nodded and turned towards the engine. “Air intakes clogged up, I’ll bet,” he said. “Those ashes, maybe.” Inside ten minutes he proved himself right, and the engine exploded into life. Don Ross plunged waist deep into the water and weeds and brush of the lake edge and heaved on a pontoon. Slowly he worked the aircraft round and shoved out from shore. Live sparks were falling round them as they taxied to the down-wind edge of the pond, and when the motor was cut they heard for the first time the actual sound of the fire to the west, a faint menacing roaring that rode on the wind. Zeb Stearn listened to it for a few minutes and shook his head. “There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight” he quoted. “Put on all the clothes you have, get well soaked in the lake, and have a wet rag to tie over your face.” Don nodded. There were a canvas bucket and a galvanized iron one in the plane, and he was tying a length of rope to the handle of each. He got a blanket from a packsack in the cabin, wet it, and draped it over the nose of the aircraft. He climbed onto the wing top and sent a few preliminary buckets full splashing over wing, fuselage and tail, killing several hot sparks. The exertion made him pant a little, and his coughing became steady from then on. IN THE last of the afternoon light he saw a couple of porcupines and a skunk pass along the shore near by, all very intent on their business, which was travel. The faster moving animals and the larger ones must have cleared out long ago, he thought. Smoke snuffed out the last of the daylight, and the fire became visible, like a nearer after-glow of the sunset, silhouetting the tall timber on the west bank of the pond. Right opposite him, across the water, the trees seemed more widely spaced, and Don could see an inferno of flame roaring towards him. Now and then an evergreen ahead of the fire would flare with the roar of a rocket as its branches caught, and then the blackened trunk would be surrounded and hidden by flames. Don had a sudden qualm—the gas in the tank. Perhaps they should have tried to drain it off somewhere, but it was too late for that now. He went on lowering the bucket, dragging it up, sloshing the water on the aircraft. Below him he could hear old Zeb wheezing and coughing as he stumbled waist-deep from side to side underneath the plane, dashing water up at the fuselage and tail assembly. Now and then Don's clothing steamed out and began to feel hot, and he had to climb down and dunk himself in the water. He fought against the temptation to stay in its delightful coolness — each time the climb back seemed tougher, dragging his sodden clothes, and each time the plane was drier and hotter as the first bucketful dashed over it. The hot blast of the wind seared his throat and was painful in the lungs, and coughing was agony that never ceased. His thoughts became disjointed and he knew it and could do nothing to marshal them. In case of fire break glass . . . for use in case of fire . . . those funny axes like tomahawks — if he had one he could chop up the plane and save it from being burnt. Nuts — that was all wrong. Ice — that would be swell, a great big block of it on top the plane, melting and running down all round. Heat, hot as hell, hot air . . . “You talk a lot of hot air." Zeb had shouted . . . hot air bouncing the aircraft upwards — up — hey! wait a minute! Don slithered down into the water and ducked his head under. Hot air — thermals — there must be a lift from all this heat — quite some lift. In the red glare he measured the distance across the water — not enough, of course, but that place where the trees were more widely spaced — even as he looked the branches of the spruces flanking that gap went up with a roar and a fountain of sparks. “With those branches gone and the heat,” he thought, “there’s a chance.” “Zeb,” he croaked. “Zeb, come on up on top. Bring your bucket. Make it quick. He clambered up again, wincing as the heat blasted through the cloth muffling his face. Zeb dragged himself up, and Don told him. “We could hold her while we rev. her up,” he added, “and get a fast start.” Zeb Stearn manipulated his bucket in silence, and squinted at the far bank of the pond. “I don’t like the frying pan,” he said at last. “I'll take a crack at the fire with you." Don left him to sluice her down, and dragged a mooring rope from the cabin. He wrestled it into a sort of bridle on the rear struts of the undercarriage, stumbled ashore with the end, and took a turn round a tree. Already sparks had started fires on this side of the water, he noted. HE GOT up on top again at last, his mind snatching at the problems to be solved. “Go on down, Zeb. Get yourself cooled off, and then start her up. When she’s ripe race her a couple of times and I’ll come down.” Stearn literally fell into the water and Don could hear his coughs bubbling through the wetted mask. Get the blanket off the nose, chuck it in the lake . . . up with a bucket, slosh it on, up with a bucket — the branches seem burned out of that gap . . . the trunks are burning now . . . up with another . . . which pocket's my knife in? . . . got to get it . . . He felt the aircraft heave as Zeb got aboard again, and then the engine started. The slipstream blasted the heat at him and dashed the water away in spray. He couldn’t wait for Zeb to signal. He plunged down, got his head into the cabin door, groped for and found a packsack to wedge it open a bit against the slipstream. “You take her up,” he yelled at Stearn. “No,” shouted Zeb, “You take her — better chance . .” “You gotta take her,” Don yelled. “I’ve got to cut the rope. You couldn’t climb back in — Zeb Stearn nodded. He knew he was too old for that. “Give her the gun,” yelled Don. He had knife in hand now, and crouched on the pontoon, one hand gripping the door jamb, the other holding the blade on the quivering rod-like rope. The engine roared, the aircraft strained, and water squeezed from the taut rope. Don slashed and the plane leapt forward. Water and spray snatched, at his feet, hot air punched and tore at him. Inch by inch, straining and groaning, he fought his way into the doorway. Head and shoulders in, he felt the aircraft lift steeply. He panted and prayed. Zeb Stearn sat like a statue. There were flashes of fire and blackouts of smoke and then, suddenly, he gasped air that was fresh. With a last struggle he got his legs in, kicked the pack out, and the door slammed shut. He lay half on the floor, half on the seat for a minute. Zeb was coughing again, he noted, coughing continually, and he was heavy on the controls. You could feel it. “Take over,” the old man wheezed. “Can’t take it, I guess . . .” They changed places with the supreme care and slow effort of drunken men, and Zeb slumped in his seat. Don Ross settled his course by the stars and shivered. The cold was seeping through his wet clothes, blessed cold. Not good for the old man, though, he thought. “Get out of your clothes, Zeb,” he said. “Get a blanket or something.” Stearn moved slowly and said nothing. He seemed to be trying to stifle his coughing. Don suddenly realized that he was broken by the knowledge that he was too old — too old to climb into a moving plane, yes, but far worse than that — too old to fly it after that tough afternoon. Don eased the plane gently off course, steering a wide arc under the stars. “You sure lifted us out of that frying pan, Zeb,” he said. “Nice piece of judgment. I was glad to be out of that job.” ZEB STEARN said nothing, but went on fumbling with the blanket and coughing sporadically. Don tried again. “Check my course, will you, Zeb?” he asked. “I'm not sure of myself.” Zeb glanced at the sky, and gestured Ross back onto his former bearing. “Thanks,” said Don. “I'm a bit shaky on direction in these parts. You navigate, huh?” Zeb Stearn slowly straightened in his seat and cocked an eye at the sky. “Okay, I'll navigate,” he said. “Steady as you are.” There was a pause, and then Zeb added, “Don't you worry, Don. I'll get us home.” The End Note: 22 years after he wrote this story Dad was interested to find this short article in the Montreal Star, (Sept. 28, 1968) which tells of a similar, if less successful, situation. Team seek to salvage vintage plane from lake Kapuskasing Ontario, Sept. 28 — A federal team will go into a remote lake in this area next week to salvage an ancient seaplane that may be the last of its type in the world. The Curtiss HS-2L has been sitting in the silt in about five feet of water since 1925 or 1927, when the vintage “flying boat” made a crash landing on the lake. Air museums all over North America have sought one of the twin-engined H-boats, used as submarine hunters during the First World War, then as bush planes, but the one on the lake bottom is the world’s only confirmed find. R. W. Bradford, curator of the aviation and space division of the National Museum of Science and Technology, described it in Ottawa today as “a real find.” A team from his division will salvage the plane for the museum. The work may take a year. The HS-2L’s last flight was a colorful combination of ingenuity and farce but not tragedy. Bush Pilot Duke Schiller was forced down by engine failure on the tiny lake or so the story goes. The engine was repaired but to take off from the short lake, Schiller had the seaplane tied to a tree while he revved it up to full throttle. A woodsman was supposed to chop the rope at the appropriate time. The woodsman chopped but the rope was only partially severed. The fearless lumberjack then gave the rope a shake and it broke, hauling him into the lake as the seaplane burst away. Maybe it was the drag of the lumberjack but the plane didn’t gain quite enough altitude to get over the trees. It brushed them, then gently twisted back into the lake. No one was hurt but the plane was written off as a loss. The Fishermen Published in the Quebec Diocesan Gazette, (November, 1968) By Lewis Evans CARRYING the fishing rod, Joe left home at dawn for two reasons: he wanted to be a hero, and he couldn't stand another day of listening to his little brother Johnny whining. He really couldn't blame Johnny for whining, because Johnny was desperately hungry, and not old enough to understand why, or tough enough to be brave about it. Joe was both, because he was seven years old. But he was desperately hungry too, and had been ever since his father had had the accident at the mill, and was still too sick to work. Joe wasn't sure just how he could be a hero, but he figured if he could be the breadwinner even for one day his father would be pleased, and perhaps Johnny would stop whining for a while. The last time his father had gone fishing, on a holiday a week before his accident, he had taken Joe with him, and they had caught nine fat perch. Well, his father had done the actual catching, but Joe had helped by finding some of the worms for bait. As Joe ran down the valley path he had visions of coming home as proudly as his father, with nine perch dangling from a hooked twig. When he came to the place where the stream had undercut the valley side in flood-time, and had caused a small landslide, he stopped and put down the rod and started digging into the soft earth with his fingers. There was a worm - but he was too slow, and got only half of it. Those things could really move. There was another, and this time he was quicker, it took him about half an hour to get a dozen, and he shivered when he felt them wriggling in his pocket. He picked up the rod, and ran on down the valley, which flattened and widened out into grasslands as he neared the shore of the lake. The sun was higher now, and it was going to be hot. Where the stream flowed into the lake and the fishermen’s boats were drawn up it was too shallow for fishing from the shore, but a couple of hundred yards to his right there was a steep bank, and the water there was deeper closer to shore, and shaded at this hour by the height of the bank. Joe scrambled to the very edge of the bank and peered down. The lake water was very calm, and he could see the stones and pebbles dim and wavering on the bottom. He unwound the line from the rod, and impaled a wriggling worm on the hook. There was no barb on the hook, and Joe was afraid the worm would wriggle off, but that was a chance he had to take. He dropped the hook into the lake, and watched it waver down till it was on the bottom. He twisted the rod over and over so that it wound up the line a little and the hook hung about a foot above the pebbles. Then Joe began to learn how hard it was to be a hero. Nothing happened. The sun climbed higher, and it was getting hot. He tried to concentrate on the line where it passed through the surface, watching for any tremor that might be the sign of a bite. He felt a little dizzy, lying there staring down, and his eyes didn't focus very well. He pulled up now and again to check the worm, and twice found it had wriggled off and he had to put on a new one. He began to feel that nothing would ever happen, and he again raised the rod to check the worm. This time something did happen - the line went taut, and there was weight and a wriggle on the end. He scrambled to his feet and raised the tip. The rod bent a little, and there was a flash and then a splash on the surface. Joe heaved back and the perch soared over his head onto the grass behind him. He dropped the rod and fell on the perch, which had come off the hook, finally got hold of it, and banged its head on a stone, bruising his fingers. Triumphant, he laid the perch - it was a very small one - in a shady spot, and baited up. Where there had been one surely there were more. Sure enough, hardly had his hook broken the surface when he felt a tug. He jerked up and thrilled to the pull of the line. He swung the rod up violently, and it cracked and the tip sagged. He dropped it and snatched at the line, pulling hand over hand, and another perch came flipping to him over the edge of the bank. Two! But the rod - it was finished, it wasn't much of a rod really, and his father could make another when he was better, but how could he, Joe, catch more perch? Two little ones wouldn't mean much at home, and without a rod he couldn't get the line far enough out from the bank. He unwound the line from the broken rod, wondering how else he could be a hero. Putting it in his pocket he felt the remaining worms, and thought of throwing them into the water. That would be nice for other perch, but not for the worms. Instead, he dropped them to fend for themselves in the shady spot, and picked up the two perch. They were so small he didn't bother with a twig to carry them, but stuck them in his pocket where the worms had been. He was aching with hunger and discouraged. How could he get something more than two little perch to take home? Suddenly he put his head back and sniffed. A gentle breeze was blowing down the hillside now, and the odour it carried was like an answer to his question. Someone at the little farm had been baking. Perhaps . . . Joe started up the hill, not knowing what he would do, but drawn irresistibly by the smell. There was the squat little farmhouse, and there, off to one side, was the hump of a clay bake-oven. Joe paused in the last cluster of bushes before the open ground around the farmhouse. There was the farmer's wife, laying her baking in a row to cool on a wooden bench in the shade thrown by the house. Joe stared, and his hand crept to find the size of the perch in his pocket. He could hear Johnny's whining, and see his father lying hopelessly on his mattress. The farmer's wife wiped her hand on her apron, took a look at the sky, and went into the house. A moment later she reappeared with a basket of linen, and went round to the back, out of sight. Joe moved forward, and then broke into a tip-toe run. he reached the bench, and snatched up as much bread as he could carry, ramming it under his arm, and darted back to the bushes, he looked back, panting. There was no movement. Crouching, he started away to his right, back towards the valley that led homewards. Keeping among bushes and trees wherever he could, he stumbled along, sweating. He felt the heat of the bread through his shirt, and the smell of it was almost unbearable. Ahead of him was the crest, and beyond was the valley, wide and grassy near its mouth. He reached the crest and stopped dead. The valley was full of people. Joe sank behind a bush and stared, he had never seen so many people in one place in all his life. He had never imagined that there were that many people in the world. What could they be doing there? For a moment the awful thought flashed in his head that they were all waiting for him, to catch him and punish him for stealing the bread. But they weren’t looking at him. They were all in groups of different sizes, some standing, some sitting, some moving about from one group to another, and all, it seemed, talking at once. What in the world could they be talking about? Joe straightened up and moved closer. He had never been more curious. Closer and closer till he was almost up to the nearest group. Why were they there? Suddenly a big strong man, just an ordinary fellow, a fisherman perhaps, turned and looked straight at Joe, and his eyes fell on the bread. He started towards Joe. Joe dropped the bread and turned to run, but in a couple of long strides the man had him by the arm, and swung him to a stop. “Here, my lad,” said the man, “not so fast. You have nothing to fear.” Joe looked up at him trembling. The man did not look angry. He was smiling down at Joe. “Where are you off to with all that bread?” he asked. "I . . . I don't know,” said Joe, and in his confusion he really didn't. “Well,” said the man. “I'll tell you what. How about letting me have the bread? I'll find some way of paying you back for it.” “But I need it,” cried Joe. “That's all right,” said the man. “I'll see you get some more. But right now you just let me have it, will you?” And with that the man stooped, and swept up the bread, took Joe by the arm again, and led him into the midst of the nearest group of people, and up to a tall gentleman in the centre. “What have you there, Andrew?” asked the tall gentleman. “There's a lad with five barley loaves,” answered the man called Andrew, “he is willing to help us.” Some strange impulse sent Joe's hand to his pocket. “I have a couple of fish too,” he said almost proudly, pulling them out. The tall gentleman smiled, and all the people around laughed when they saw the two small fishes. * * * “I think, Joe,” said his father after the men had gone, and Joe had told his story, “you'd better take some of those twelve baskets to the farmer's wife, it may be only fragments of bread and fish, but there is more than you and I and Johnny can use, and, as the gentleman said, it should not be wasted.” The End NOTE: I remember when Dad wrote this story, back in 1968. At chapel that morning at Bishop's College School where he taught, the lesson for the day had been from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, Verses 1 - 14, The Feeding of the Five Thousand. For some reason Dad took an interest in the actor in the story with the smallest role, and of the smallest size. Dad went back to the staff room and spent every spare minute he had that day writing feverishly and telling his colleagues to go away! I have included the text of the gospel reading below: John 6:1-14 Revised Standard Version (RSV) Feeding the Five Thousand 6 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tibe′ri-as. 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii[a] would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” Winged Victory PUBLISHED IN THE MONTREAL STANDARD November 1, 1947 ($50.00!) He'd been waiting since last Hallowe'en to show them he wasn't afraid anymore By Lewis Evans ILLUSTRATED BY JEFF CHAPLEAU Pete cowered, and a sob of fear shook him “WELL, I made them for you,” said the old lady, and watched the light of excitement and anticipation flare up in Gordie’s seven-year-old eyes. He bounced off the chair by the kitchen table. “Oh Granny, did you? Can I see them? Can I see them right now?” “They’re upstairs. You’d better come up and try them on, in case they don’t fit.” Gordie shot out of the kitchen into the hall and up the long flight of stairs. The little old lady could hear his restless feet drumming their impatience on the floor above, but, spry as she was, she did hot hurry. “Wings, indeed!” she murmured as she started up the stairs. “What an imagination they have at that age!” When Granny Tompkins reached the top of the stairs she opened a large linen closet, and from the bottom shelf drew out a complicated black object. As she unfolded it it resolved itself into a pair of wings, and, between them, a sort of hood with pointed ears and nose, and slits for eyeholes. Gordie’s round eyes could not take it all in at once. They darted here and there, and his feet danced under him. He recognized parts of two huge old-fashioned black umbrellas — or was it one of them cut in half ? -— that made the framework of the wings and gave them their bat-like trailing edges. He remembered those umbrellas among countless other treasures he had seen in Granny’s marvellous attic. But over the umbrellas was some shiny black stuff, sewn on as though it were feathers, stuff that shook and rustled as the wings were moved, and the same material covered the head and shoulders. “Oh Granny!” cried Gordie. “They’re wonderful! Pete won’t have anything as good as this for his costume. Why — why he may even be scared of me in this!” Gordie became so enthralled at the prospect that his Granny had to shake the wings to recall his attention. “Here,” she said. “You’d better try them on. Why are you so worried about Peter Martin?” "OH,” said Gordie, as he struggled to get his arms into the tight sleeves that ran across the forward edge of the wings, “he thinks he’s pretty good. At the Hallowe’en Party last year he was dressed like a skeleton, and he kept jumping out and scaring people, and—” Gordie paused. “And?” “And he jumped out and scared me when I was passing the cemetery on the way home. I was dressed as a ghost and I tried to run and I fell down and I cried.” “And he’s never let you forget it all year, I suppose?” said Granny. She knew Peter Martin and had some idea of the constant battle Gordie had with him at school. Peter was a year older, but in the same class, and at everything but school-work he was just a little bit better and stronger and quicker than Gordie. “There,” said Granny. “They fit pretty well. How do you like them?” Gordie contorted himself trying to take in the general effect. “Can I go down to the hall and look in the big mirror?” he asked. “Of course,” said Granny. Gordie bounced to the head of the stairs. He was already savouring a triumph over Pete. “Whee! I’m a bat!” he cried, and he spread his wings and jumped down two steps at once. Then he emitted a shrill squeak of surprise and fear, which sounded quite bat-like, for his feet barely grazed the second step down, and he found himself floating swiftly and silently down into the gloom of the big hall below. Granny Tompkins gave a gasp of amazement and started down the stairs at a speed that did not look much like that of a seventy-year-old, but before she was half way down Gordie caught a wing-tip in the hatstand and crashed to the floor. “Gosh, Granny, they work!” he gasped, struggling to his feet. “Are you hurt, boy?” demanded the old lady. “Gee, Granny, you sure are smart. Betcha Pete’s granny can’t make a pair that really work.” Granny Tompkins took Gordie by the shoulders and shook him. “Listen to me,” she said. “They’re not supposed to work. It’s — it’s an accident. You must promise me never to try to fly with them again. You might break your neck, and then what would your mother say? Will you promise?” “Aw, Granny—” began the boy. “Promise!” demanded the old lady. “Or I’ll take them back and break them up.” “I promise,” said Gordie reluctantly, starting at his macabre reflection in the hall mirror. “Very well. Now get along with you to school. I’ll put these away so no one will know, and you can pick them up here on your way to the party.” She watched Gordie go down the path and turn left along the road past the cemetery and the church towards the school. He had not even thanked her, but Granny Tompkins was wise enough to realize that that was a compliment to the magnitude of the thing she had done for him. He would have thanked her for a doughnut, all right. The joyance in his gait was enough thanks for her. Note: This article is the one Dad had pulled from the paper to inspire his reluctant students: The Montreal Gazette. ADVENTUROUS WOMAN MAKES PAIR Of WINGS Virginiatown, Ont., Oct. 2/46. CP. An adventurous Virginiatown housewife has invented a pair of wings which she uses to jump from buildings 20 to 25 feet high. Mrs. Phil Golden, the mother of two children, began working on her wings two years ago after disecting birds in an attempt to learn how they fly. She made the wings of parachute silk and bits of plastic. They look like a mass of gigantic feather-like pockets built onto even larger feathers. These feathers or air pockets flush the air back through the larger feathers on to a plastic back. In so doing, a vacuum is formed underneath the outer feathers. The vacuum together with a movable outer attachment at the wing tips allows for the possibility of propulsion by means of earnest wrist action. Mrs. Golden said a weak heart so far has prevented her from more stringently testing her wings. Up until now she has been jumping from platforms at least 20 to 25 feet in height. Most of her "flying" has been done at night because she is shy of publicity. She started folding up the costume, but then she paused, and stood in the hall staring thoughtfully at the wings. “YAH! Gordie Allen — think you’re smart, eh? We all know you’re Gordie Allen.” The words ripped through Gordie’s disguise, and inside the black hood his face turned scarlet with disappointment and rage. Peter Martin was supposed to be a black cat, and he had a long black tail made of stuffed cotton stockings. Picking it up in one hand he swung it at the bat, and Gordie felt the umbrella ribs buckle under the blow. Powerless to retaliate, he turned to walk away, and another blow curled itself round his ankles and he fell to his knees. “Weren’t you scared to come?” went on the hateful voice. “Bet you went all the way round by Main Street so you wouldn’t pass the graveyard. “Bet you’re scared to pass it going home. Remember last year?” “I am not scared,” exploded Gordie, forgetting his incognito. “I’ll go past it any old time,” and he moved away, followed by Pete’s unbelieving laughter. There were witches on broomsticks and owls and ghosts and all sorts of spooky creatures in the big assembly hall, and the decorations were all orange and black, and there was even orange coloured stuff to drink and black candies that tasted much as they looked, and were probably designed to induce dreams of “things that go bump in the night.” GORDIE forgot all about Pete Martin for a while and began to enjoy himself again, but all of a sudden his stomach felt empty and his heart dropped into the void. Pete was nowhere to be seen! Gordie knew what that meant. The party was nearly over. Pete had gone to hide in the cemetery. When Gordie went past he would jump out and scare him. If Gordie detoured it he would broadcast the fact that he was afraid to pass it. Miserable, Gordie lingered in the coatroom as the children left. Finally, last of them all, he started homeward, his battered costume clutched under his arm. As he passed the church his steps slowed, and his ears and eyes strained to catch some forewarning of Pete’s onslaught. The tombstones loomed grey in the darkness to his right, and his footsteps grated loudly on the road. Suddenly, far ahead of him, there was a piercing shriek. He stopped, frozen stiff. Then there came the sound of running footsteps, pounding down the road towards him. He couldn’t move. “Gordie! Gordie!” It was Pete Martin, white-faced and panting. He grabbed Gordie by the arm and cowered behind him. “You should’ve seen it. It flew down out of the sky and landed right beside me . . . it was like a great big black bat with big black wings . . .” GORDIE tried to steady his voice. “Where were you?” he asked. “In the cemetery.” “Yeah — down at the end near the old Tompkins place, where there aren’t so many gravestones. I—I was waiting for you. . . . Come on, Gordie— go round by Main Street with me.” In all his confusion Gordie’s mind was able to realize that this was his great opportunity, if he only had the nerve to use it. “There’s nothing to be scared of in a cemetery,” he said stoutly. “Come on, Peter. I’ll take you past.” He gripped Pete’s arm, which made him feel a little braver himself, and set out. “We’re nearly past,” he whispered to the dragging Pete as the black shape of the Tompkins place loomed against the night sky ahead, and the tombstones on their right thinned out. Pete’s fingers sank into his arm. “Look,” he breathed, and pointed. Silhouetted over the roofline appeared a winged creature, and suddenly it launched itself into space, floating down towards the cemetery. Pete cowered, and a sob of fear shook him. Gordie braced himself. If it was Granny Tompkins practising flying with the wonderful wings she had hit upon, he wasn’t scared of her. If it wasn’t—well, they were nearly past, and the street lamps began in another hundred yards. “Come on,” he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” And he led Pete on. NEXT morning Gordie fell in beside Granny Tompkins as they came out of church. “Enjoy your party?” she demanded. “Sure did,” said Gordie, and told her all, ending in triumph with the victory over Pete. “You sure are a wonderful grandmother,” he added. “I bet not many guys have grannies that can fly.” Granny Tompkins made no rejoinder, and after a short pause he clutched her arm. “It was you, Granny, wasn’t it? It was you who flew?” The old lady hesitated, and then glanced round to make sure no one else could hear them. “Yes,” she said. “It was your Granny, all right. Thought I’d scare that Pete for good and all. But don’t you breathe a word of it, Gordie.” She shot a frightened glance at the long line of respectable neighbours filing out of church. “Just think how folk would talk!” “He’d never go by it again, day or night,” she added to herself, “if I told him the truth.” She had gone to bed with a headache last night — right after supper. THE END Short Story 3300 words DEAD MAN STEERING by Lewis Evans UNPUBLISHED (Dad always said there was no accounting for publishers who couldn't recognize sheer genius when they saw it!) AHEAD in the darkness, a pair of red and green running lights, canted at a sharp angle, told Pete that a sailing vessel was beating up the Sound towards him. He stuck his head down the cabin companionway and called to his wife. “Ann, there's a yacht about a quarter of a mile ahead. Want to have another try at a night photo?” “Sure.” Ann left the supper she was fixing in the galley, grabbed up the necessary equipment, and came out into the cockpit. “Careful going forward,” warned Pete. “There's a fair sea running.” They took most of their photos from the forward deck of the cabin cruiser in order to keep their own wake out of the pictures. Pete had built a sort of sword-fisherman's pulpit just aft of the anchor bitts. “Don't worry about me,” said Ann, climbing round the edge of the bridge deck. “Concentrate on getting me a good angle and distance.” Pete altered course to pass close to the yacht on her leeward side, so that her angle of heel would present her deck to the camera. Experience had taught him that most yachtsmen liked to see all their favourite gadgets in a photo, and most of these were on deck. Pete cut down the speed, and the little cabin cruiser's exhaust made bobbling noises as her stern squatted and lifted in the quartering seas. He hoped that the motion of the boat wasn't too difficult for Ann's aim, and that their speed in passing the yacht wouldn't be too much for Anne's camera. It would have been better to turn and run with the yacht, but it was too late for that. The green starboard light was abeam, and the flashbulb went off. Pete got a momentary impression of a yawl under plain sail smashing along close-hauled, and then the blackness of the night contrasting with the white flesh left him blind. He closed his eyes tight for a moment, and then opened them, and could pick out once more the flashing lights of buoys and the shore lights a mile away. Ann clambered back into the cockpit. “Not bad,” she commented. “I got it at the end of a roll, so I don’t think the camera was moving too much.” She went below and back to her job as cook, and Pete advanced the throttle and steered for their anchorage at Porthaven, twenty minutes away. The worst of this racket, he thought, was that it looked to the outsider as if his wife did all the work. And so she did, as far as the photography went, but he was learning the job fast and had some outstanding pictures to his credit already. And the boat was his responsibility - its maintenance and navigation, and the selling end of the business too. He had become engaged to Ann during the war, when he was in the Navy and she was a photographer for a small town newspaper. He remembered the first date they'd had after he'd been demobilized. He remembered the canned music in the little restaurant, and the cuba libra on the table, and that he had had to drink it with his left hand because his right was gripping Ann's under the tablecloth. He remembered too how desperately they wanted to get married, and how they had got the idea that had made it possible. “Got a break last week,” Ann had told him. “Had to cover a sailing race for my paper - it was for a trophy the paper puts up every year. I was lucky and got a really perfect picture of the winner crossing the line, and now one of those boating magazines wants to buy it for a cover, and the owner of the yacht wants a dozen big prints.” “Yachtsmen love to have pictures of their boats,” Pete had said. “Guess it's because it gives them something to dream over through the winter.” “Yes, and they never can take them themselves, because they’re always aboard the boat at the most photogenic moments,” added Ann, and Pete had got the idea. “Look,” he cried. “We want to get married and have somewhere to live - the only thing I know is boats, the only thing you know is photography - “ “Not the only thing, Pete,” murmured Ann. “Well,” continued Pete after a pause while his eyes answered that one, “we get a boat out of what I saved in the Navy, and live on it, and follow the regattas and races and sell photos of their craft to owners. Why, we could go South in the winter and keep right on with the job.” And so it had worked out. “Sea-Photos, Inc.” was well established, and the thirty foot cabin cruiser Photofoam was beginning to be recognized and welcomed at regattas and yacht clubs. Pete eased the cruiser into the anchorage, put her into the wind and cut her way, and went forward to drop the anchor. After supper the cabin became a darkroom, and the day’s take was developed and printed. Later, when Pete had worked over Lloyd's Yacht Register and other lists, small prints were mailed to owners, with a price list of enlargements. “That flashlight job we took on the way home looks good on the negative,” said Ann. “I'm going to enlarge it right away.” Night photos were an experiment they were trying out - the novelty might be good advertisement. So far their attempts had been disappointing. He bent over the developer tray with Ann. He still got a kick out of watching a picture emerge on the white paper like a ship breaking out of a fog bank. Slowly the photograph materialized - much the same as the split second impression he had got at the moment of the flash. He made out the yacht's name, Mistress Mine , on a ring lifebuoy on the shrouds. Suddenly Ann drew in her breath sharply, plucked the enlargement out of the developer, slid it into the hypo, and pointed. Her finger indicated the only figure visible on the yacht - the helmsman in the cockpit. “Look, Pete, look!” she breathed. Pete bent closer. The man sat with the long tiller tucked under his arm, and his bare head was slumped forward and to one side, presenting his right profile to the camera. Down his cheek ran a dark smear. “That man's dead,” whispered Ann, and her voice shook. “Get a magnifying glass and turn up the light.” Pete took the lens and peered through it. He couldn't be sure, but it certainly looked as if that dark smear started from a round dark spot on the helmsman's temple - a spot that could be a bullet hole. “But Pete, it's impossible - the yacht sailing straight on like that....” “No, it's not. With a yawl close-hauled and well balanced, and the hold he has on the tiller, even if he is dead - that's what would happen. She'll plough straight on till the wind shifts or she piles into something.” Ann sat down suddenly. “But who – what....?” she began. “Look up Mistress Mine in the register,” ordered Pete. “I'm getting the hook up.” “But Pete,” cried Ann, “you can't handle this. Go ashore and phone the police.” “Meanwhile the yawl piles up and the evidence is lost.” He scrambled forward and hove on the ground tackle. In three minutes the Photofoam was at full speed, bucking the chop in the Sound. Ann came to his side at the wheel, the register in her hands and a flashlight to read it by. “'Mistress Mine , yawl, built 1938 by....'” “Skip that,” cut in Pete. “Who's the present owner?” “'Joseph D. Bartram,'” read Ann. “Oh, Pete, I know who he is - he's 'Little Joe' - he's a sort of successful racketeer. The paper I worked for used to have a lot to say about him. He's always mixed up in something shady like gambling and the black market, but he always keeps just out of trouble.” “Just the sort of guy who'd get himself bumped off,” commented Pete. “But who - ?” began Ann and her voice suddenly lowered. “Pete, the murderer might still be aboard.” “Uh-huh,” said her husband. “But why should we stick our necks out? If it's 'Little Joe' he probably got what was coming to him, and I'm not crazy to meet his murderer.” “Listen, Ducky,” said Pete; “our picture is very dramatic, but it might be a picture of a suicide, not a murder. If we find the Mistress Mine as she was in the picture, and no gun in Joe’s hand or on the cockpit floor, we know it was murder. Personally, I think we may find the yawl, but I don’t think we’ll find Joe.” “Why?” “Seems to me the murderer would plan to tip Joe overboard with a weight to keep him down, and leave the yacht drifting, as though he’d been knocked overboard by the boom in the dark. That has been known to happen to men sailing single-handed. No body, no crime - and no Joe. A perfect set-up.” “How does the murderer get away from the yacht himself, though?” asked Ann. “Maybe we'll be in time to find out,” said her husband. “The yawl carries a dinghy, but that would be missed. To make it a perfect crime he would have to be taken off by a pal in another boat, or better still sail the yawl in close to shore and swim. Then no one need know he was there.” There was a pause while Ann thought it over. “Pete,” she said, “if you're right the murderer must have been aboard when we took the photo.” “He must have been somewhere below,” said Pete. “My guess is he hid aboard, waited till Joe sailed her well offshore, and shot him from the darkness of the cabin.” “Well, what about our flash?” demanded Ann. “What would he think of that?” “I don't know. He wouldn’t see much from inside, especially when the portholes on the side near us were heeled 'way down almost to the water. I don't think he could help seeing a bit of a flash wherever he was. He might have thought we'd raked him with a spotlight for a second. I don't think anyone would think of a photoflash.” There was another pause, and again the girl broke it. “You'll be careful. Darling? If we find the yawl, I mean?” “Of course. You're the only wife I've got.” “I don't know why I married such a madman,” sighed Ann. “If there was any truth in what you said when you proposed,” said Peter quickly, “you couldn't resist my good looks and you were dying to get your hands on my money.” Ann let him have a left jab to the ribs and Pete slid an arm round her and sought safety in a clinch. The Photofoam ran down the Sound on long zig-zags. The breeze was moderating and the water calmer. It was after midnight now, and most pleasure craft were snug in anchorages, so Pete was not surprised when the first running lights he picked up turned out to be those of the Mistress Mine . As the cabin cruiser closed the distance between them Pete switched on his spotlight and caught the yawl in its beam. She was hove to, fore reaching a few yards and then luffing and falling off. “There's a man moving about in the cockpit,” he said. “Get your photoflash and give it to me. We'll be friendly and pretend we think it's 'Little Joe' - what's his other name?” “Bartram,” breathed Ann. Pete leaned beyond the side wing of the bridge and hailed. “Mistress Mine , ahoy! Do you need any help?” “Sounds just too romantic,” he heard Ann murmur behind him, and his brain took a split second off to think what a swell girl she was. “What boat's that?” demanded the man on the yawl sharply. “Take us alongside,” Pete told Ann, “and give me that camera.” He slung it round his neck and clambered forward. “Photofoam , of Sea-Photos, Inc.,” he shouted. “We saw you hove to, and thought you might be in trouble. Mr. Bartram, isn't it?" The direct beam of the spotlight was off him now, but Pete could make out the man steadying himself with his left hand on the cockpit coaming. His right was below its edge; Pete could guess what that hand held. “No trouble, thank you,” the man replied, and Pete felt he could almost hear the fellow's brain racing to explain his position. At length the explanation came out. “I am cruising single-handed,” he said, “and I was cold, so I hove to to go and get myself some warmer clothes and a drink.” He paused, and then asked as if he couldn't resist it, “How do you know my name?” “It's our business to know yachts and who owns them,” said Pete. “We take photos of them, you know. Mind if I take one now?” “Portrait of a murderer,” Pete's brain quoted at him. The flash was over and he was blinded again before the man's reply started. In the blackness Pete moved quickly to one side. He was afraid of a shot. “No - I don't mind a bit.” The words came smoothly and slowly, and Pete's impression was that the man on the yawl had everything figured out now. “How many have you aboard?” the voice went on. “Can't see a thing after that flash.” “Two,” replied Pete. “Myself and my wife.” Only a yard or two separated the craft now. “Come aboard and join me in a drink,” the smooth tones continued. “The boats will be okay alongside each other - there’s little wind now. Come along.” The last two words were edged with insistence. “Hell,” thought Pete. “I'm behind the eight ball now. He’s got to have the camera....” His stomach contracted as his mind added, “and he’s got to have us, too. We're too close - he can get us both if we try to scram.” The boats bumped gently. “Play along, play along with him,” Pete’s mind kept telling him. “Maybe you'll get a chance to slug him or something.” He moored the cruiser fore and aft and helped Ann out of the cockpit. She slipped and he caught her to him. “It’s 'Little Joe',” she breathed. Pete's brain reeled. 'Little Joe' was the murderer, not the victim. Who, then, was the corpse? Bartram was awaiting them in the cockpit, his right hand in the huge side pocket of the heavy canvas hunting jacket he wore. He motioned them down the companionway ahead of him. “Whisky, rum, gin?” he asked. “Glad to have someone to drink with. Sit down, won't you?” Pete sat on a transom on one side of the central table, and Ann beside him. Joe moved past the table on its other side towards the door in the bulkhead at the forward end of the cabin. Beyond it was the galley, Pete guessed. “Whisky for me,” said Pete. “Ann?” “The same, thanks,” said Ann. She looked at her husband, and for a second her eyes crossed. Pete felt that his senses were leaving him, and then he got her warning - 'Little Joe' would probably fix those drinks, the two of them would go out like lights, and he would dispose of them and their films as he wished. Bartram was standing in the doorway, his left shoulder towards the cabin. Pete could bet that the gun was out of that right side pocket now and handy to grab. Bartram smoothly small-talked about the delights of night sailing and his sentences were punctuated by the clink of bottles on glasses. They couldn't refuse the drinks - that would just bring the gun out. They must drink, and go out like lights - out like lights - like a flash.... Pete remembered the way the photoflash had blinded him twice already that evening. He unslung the camera from his neck, and leaned over Ann as he put the sling over her head. “Here, Honey,” he said, “why don't you try a snap of this cabin? It's a swell job.” And he added under his breath, “You flash, I switch 'em.” Bartram placed the drinks on th e table, Ann's, Pete's, his own at the end nearer the galley. Ann stood up. “How about a picture, Mr. Bartram?” she smiled. “'The skipper at home' - that sort of thing.” She raised the camera. There was a pause and Pete imagined Bartram thinking, “One more doesn't matter - camera and all will be at the bottom of the Sound in a few minutes.” “Okay,” said 'Little Joe', leaning back against the side of the doorway, glass in left hand and his right in that side pocket again. Pete's heart sank, but Ann came through. “Put the drink down, if you don't mind. They spoil a photoflash - er - reflections, you know.” 'Little Joe' placed the glass on the table. “Ready?” asked Ann. “One, two, three....” Pete knew she was counting for his benefit and on three he shut his eyes. The flash was still perceptible through his eyelids, and he opened them quickly, reached out both hands, and switched his drink and Joe's. Then he looked up to find Joe passing a hand over his eyes and blinking. Pete copied him. “Some flash, eh, Mr. B?” he laughed. “Well, here's cheers.” He picked up his glass and knocked back about half of it. Thank Heaven it was whisky too - had 'Little Joe' decided on something different that gun would be out with his first sip. He was glad to see Ann fussing with the camera, not drinking. “Mud in your eye,” said Bartram, and to Pete it sounded as though, he meant it. The Sound had a muddy bottom. 'Little Joe' drained half his glass, and noticed Ann's preoccupation with her camera. “Drink up, lady,” he invited. He raised his glass to her. “Here's luck.” With that his knees folded and he crashed down across the table. Pete leapt on him to pinion his arms and yelled the one word “Rope” at Ann. Their haste was from fright rather than from necessity, for 'Little Joe' was out cold. In two minutes they had him trussed up, and Pete broke open the gun he had taken from his pocket. “One shell fired,” he commented. “But who at?” “At whom,” corrected Ann automatically. She was crumpled on a transom, white and shaking. Pete raised her head and kissed her. “Stick with me a little longer. Darling,” he said. “Pull yourself together.” He pointed forward. “There's a big sail-locker in the forepeak - that's probably where Joe hid when the other guy sailed the boat out into the Sound. But who was that other guy?" His eyes fell on a club bag on the port side berth. He started pulling out shirts, a toilet case, an opened envelope. “Ann,” he said, “ever heard of anyone called Victor Marsh?” “Sure,” said Ann. “He's an associate of 'Little Joe's'. He was up on a gambling rap last year. Got off with a fine or something, though.” “Listen.” Pete had the letter out of the envelope. “'Dear Vic: In reference to our conversation yesterday, about your borrowing the Mistress Mine next week end, you can pick her up at her moorings in Flounder River any time Saturday afternoon or evening. Have a good cruise, and don't worry about being single-handed - she handles very easily. Drop into the office Monday and tell me all about it. Joe.'" “Exit Vic,” commented Ann. “Don't let me hurry you, but don't you think we'd better scram? We're not close enough to land for Joe to swim ashore, so he must have been waiting for a pal to come and take him off.” Pete sprang into action. He lowered the yawl's sails, left them lying unfurled, and took her in tow. When they were some three miles on their course to Porthaven he caught a glimpse of a speedboat's white bow and red sidelight as she whipped by a mile away. Perhaps she was going to pick up 'Little Joe'.” By five in the chill dawn a sleepy Porthaven policeman was in charge of the yawl Mistress Mine and her passenger, police headquarters had been notified, and detectives were on their way. Once more the Photofoam dropped her hook. Pete yawned and stretched. “Bed, bed, beautiful bed!” he exulted. “Pete I'm going to develop those last two pictures first. If they're good we're famous.” “Aw Ann,” expostulated her husband, “for Pete's sake-” Ann smiled at him. “Okay; I'll come – for Pete's sake.” The End (Short Short Story) 1000 words (Date unknown. Sometime in the late 1970s or 1980s.) (Unpublished) FLASH POINT by Lewis Evans We on the planet Nereus, who have through these many aeons communicated with each other by thought-transmission, find it limiting to try to express ideas in the antiquated medium of language. However, as my report concerns the planet which calls itself ’Earth' (but which we know as The Flasher) it would seem appropriate, and an interesting exercise, to express the report, this time, in an 'Earth' language. I have chosen the language they called English, for it was, perhaps, used by most of the people responsible for the recent incident on their planet, though had the incident been delayed for a few of their years the Russian and Asiatic tongues might well have been by then the sole surviving languages. It is with this incident that my report is mainly concerned. We have, of course, been expecting it for some time, for these things generally run true to pattern, but the thing happened while the attention of most Nereans was centred on the Millenium Peace Celebrations on The Blusher (which in 'Earth' parlance, ironically enough, is called Mars after, of all things, a war god), and I was, by chance, the only close observer on this planet. My attention was first attracted to 'Earth' by my happening to notice the detonation on that planet of two nuclear explosions in short succession, evidence that the inhabitants had developed their intelligence and ability to the point where they had discovered and begun to make use of that type of energy. These first two explosions, which occurred at almost the same spot on the 'Earth's' surface, were shortly followed by others, of different intensity and at varying intervals and widely separated points. Assuming that the inhabitants of various parts of 'Earth's' surface were, as usual, at war with each other, I thought it might be interesting, and useful for our records, to have detailed information about the steps leading up to the inevitable climax of a nuclear competition, and so, through our normal channels, I arranged to obtain this information. I dispatched, therefore, a thought-conveyor of moderate size to 'Earth' from an orbit where it had been cruising until needed. It landed successfully in a good central position, and immediately went into action, receiving significant thought emanations from various parts of 'Earth', and relaying them to our receiving recorders here. The accuracy and delicacy of this thought-conveyor were well attested, by the way, almost as soon as it got there, by the fact that it immediately absorbed and passed on to Nereus the news of its own arrival. I record the actual item here as a quaint insight into 'Earth' lore, though, of course, it is scientifically ridiculous: “Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (an English language place name): Scientists here announced today that a meteorite ('Earth' name for our thought-conveyors) is believed to have fallen in barren lands near the northern borders of the province. An expedition under the leadership of Professor Hegstein is being organized to ascertain the exact locality of its crater and other scientific data.” (Though hardly credible to us, there is a widely accepted belief on 'Earth' that certain large circular declivities on the planet's surface mark the landing places of what they call meteorites. We, of course, know what really created these ancient craters, and the latest ones as well.) As soon as I began to correlate the information which came in from our thought-conveyor, I realized that my first conjecture had been wrong. The widely spread and sporadic detonations of a nuclear nature were merely the proving of scientific products by various inhabitants of 'Earth' who were, apparently, working independently of each other, and against 'Earth' time. It seems that each group felt that the more powerful and more numerous the items of nuclear energy it had, the less likely would any other group be to use its own stock against them. This state of affairs, with each group afraid of provoking the other, and yet equally afraid of falling behind in stock and power of nuclear energy, continued for some 'Earth' years, until I was almost convinced that the moments I devoted to its observation and record were being wasted, since the outcome was a foregone conclusion. However, curiosity as to the exact manner of the actual impulse which would promote the final incident prompted me to persevere in my observation. The primary impulse was one that appears to be second nature to the inhabitants of 'Earth', and one without which they do not seem able to survive for any extended period of their time – war. A trifling dispute between two small groups over the control of a small area of solid surface surrounded by liquid - or it may have been over a small area of liquid surrounded by solid, for the thought-conveyor did not seem to be able to gather the details, or perhaps did not consider them worth gathering - and all inhabitants of the planet ranged themselves in one or other of the two camps. Some desultory campaigning with antiquated weapons ensued, but each side existed in fear of the other initiating the use of nuclear energy. This situation might have continued until I was sure that the subject was not worth my momentary attention, had not the secondary impulse suddenly occurred. A single individual of one of the opposing groups, while controlling an air-borne vehicle on patrol over a large liquid area, feeling, no doubt, weary of the situation in general and of his own activity in particular, yawned uncontrollably. His primitive pressurized garment became disarranged, he made a sudden movement to adjust it, and triggered a nuclear item which his vehicle carried as a precaution against the surprise use of such by the other group. This item was detonated in the water area without damage to any inhabitants of the planet, but the detonation was recorded by both sides. At once each side assumed that the other had initiated a nuclear competition, and threw all its most potent weapons into the action. The result was an interesting - even spectacular - sight, and I was glad that I had not desisted from my observation a few moments earlier. First one and then another area of The Flasher, or 'Earth', was momentarily illuminated by the comparatively brilliant flashes that inspired our name for it. Beautifully patterned cloud formations occasionally obscured the play of light, and the emanations from our thought-conveyor became weak, confused, and distorted. Undoubtedly some of the larger detonations meant that the surface of the planet was again being pitted by large craters, and it amused me to conjecture that perhaps they in their turn would be explained by 'Earth' inhabitants of the future as the landing places of 'meteorites'. Hardly had it begun when all such activity ceased completely. The surface of the Flasher reappeared, unobscured by cloud or vapour, its well known features hardly altered, but with no illumination of any sort in any place. Needless to add, there was no communication whatever from our thought-conveyor, for a thought-conveyor cannot convey thoughts when there are none to convey. Such is my report of the most recent of such incidents on 'Earth'. Since we Nereans have been equipped to observe that planet, our records show that this is the fifth time that life on 'Earth' has destroyed itself, and, if the established pattern is repeated, in several Nerean years (or 'Earth' aeons) infinitesimal and primitive forms of life will gradually develop, and finally attain to the intellectual standard which is the prerequisite to the 'invention' of nuclear energy. Almost immediately, control of this medium will be lost, and it will once more destroy all life on the planet. If I thought that there was any hope that the pattern might be changed when next the inhabitants of The Flasher approached the flash point, I would be willing to take the time to observe the course of events. It would be an interesting study if they learned to live with and by what they have evolved, and it might even result in our having to discontinue the name The Flasher as inappropriate. (Short Short Story) (1000 words, Unpublished. Date unknown.) THE PLOTTER by Lewis Evans A great B-47 of a June-bug droned in through the open window of the class-room and started making bombing runs at the chandelier. Flak in the shape of Johnny Calder's Geometry book whizzed up and the dazed insect crashed on my desk. He was still alive, so I swept him into my pocket for future reference and was hard at work, like everyone else, when the master on duty stuck his head in at the door to see what the disturbance was. I wondered whether this particular bug was fast on his feet. The night before I had won thirty-five cents in the dormitory when my June-bug had been the first to crawl from the centre to the circumference of a circle chalked on the floor. Then I had sat on him by mistake at Prayers that morning, and so had to build up a new racing stable. The blank pages of the exercise book on my desk caught my eye. Old Hawk-eye, the English master, a guy with the most extraordinary ideas, had been teaching us the short short story in class, and we were supposed to have one written for him by next day. A thousand words to write, and I had not even the first glimmerings of a plot. I could remember most of his lesson, though. “Short first paragraph,” he had told us; “jump right into the middle of action at the beginning. Get some dialogue on your first page if you can. And don’t forget that somewhere in the first third of your story there must be a clue to your surprise ending - your 'kick in the tale'.” That was one of Hawk-eye’s little jokes - the same every year, they tell me. He had droned on about development of tension up to a crisis where everything was right for the crooks or the communists, or wrong for the cops or the Yanks or the British, and then the sudden twist. Oh, I could remember all that, but my mind was still as blank as the pages. The only thing I could think of was how I hated evening preparation in springtime, with the windows wide open and the smell of fresh leaves and grass coming in from the playing fields. “Hey, Johnny,” I whispered. “Lend me a cigarette? I’m going out for a smoke.” Johnny looked impressed - smoking is against the law at our school for some ridiculous reason. He found a battered butt in his pocket and chucked it across. I waited till the master - it was Davies, the Science man, and he's a bit vague or I wouldn't have thought of skipping out - went past again in the classroom corridor, and then I whipped over the window-sill. There was an eight foot drop to the ground, but I knew there was an old plank near by that I could lean against the wall to help me back. I had found it near the carpentry shop and brought it over for just such an occasion. I ran across the quadrangle, keeping out of the splashes of light from the windows, and ducked round behind the dark mass of the gym. There I sat down and lighted Johnny's weed and tried to enjoy life, but that blasted story was still on my mind. Perhaps if I started with the crisis I might get somewhere, I thought. Let's see - the good guy has to be in a jam. His plane's on fire and he has left his parachute at home - no, that's too tough; I'd never get him out of that. Well, he's a paratrooper, and on his way down. He realizes that he is going to land in the shark-infested sea, so what does he do? I don't know. Let's make him drift down over a volcano, and just when he thinks he's done for the hot air from the cone sends him up again; kind of hard to persuade old Hawk-eye there wasn't too much accident in that, though.... Oh, the heck with it. The cigarette was down to the last half inch so I stamped it out and started back. Half way across the quadrangle a familiar voice from the school steps said, “Johnson, come here." It was Hawk-eye in person, having a pipe in the fresh air - a good idea too, if I know his pipes. I started thinking fast and getting nowhere, except closer to him. “What are you doing outside the building during preparation?” he demanded. “Well, sir,” I began, and then I had an idea, a poor thing, but mine own, as someone said before I did. “Well, sir, Mr. Davies told us all to bring a specimen of insect life to his biology class in the morning.” “Yes?” “Well, sir, that's why I'm out here. I suddenly remembered I didn't have one.” “And have you succeeded in getting your - er - specimen, Johnson?” “Yes, sir,” I said, and produced the June-bug from my pocket. “Get back to your class-room,” ordered Hawk- eye. It was too dark to see the expression on his face, but his voice sounded amused. I don't think he liked Davies much. That meant I had to go back by the corridor instead of through the window, but Davies was quelling a noise in another class-room, and I made it without being seen. “Okay?” asked Johnny Galder. “Hawk-eye pinched me in the quad,” I whispered, “but I talked my way past him. I'm all right if he doesn't check with Davies.” As I turned to the blank pages of my English exercise book the bell went for the end of preparation. The next morning in English period old Hawk- eye made us read out our stories. The first two were passable, in a comic-book sort of way; lots of screaming jets and chattering guns spitting death, and stuff like that. Johnny was the third boy he asked, and he had summarized a de Maupassant story in the hopes that Hawk-eye didn't know any French. He did, though, and an afternoon dropped out of Johnny's life forever. Then it was my turn. “I'm sorry, sir,” I apologized, “but I couldn't think of a plot.” Hawk-eye chose to be sarcastic. “You couldn't have written a story with a June-bug as the hidden clue, I suppose?” he suggested in honeyed tones. And as he measured out my doom I thought, “My gosh! I could have, at that!” The End Dad did submit this story for publication but it was soundly rejected with the following note. I include it because Dad thought the note was very funny and he always kept it clipped to the top of his manuscript. NEXT PAGE