Cape Breton's Magazine

was a hard man to beat. The first 20 years on cars that wouldn't start. How many cars did I ever start for people in Sydney, when I was driving cab! Yeah. The way you'd turn your carburetor, the way you'd fix your choke. Or the way you'd--there were things on the cars then that they lost them after 20 years.... (But the first 20 years, you knew how a car worked.) Oh, boy, yeah. Oh, yes, sir. Even check the rear end. Even--I put an axle in a GM car, on the road. Took the old one out, put a new axle in. Hands would be all grease, but you didn't mind that. See, you learned. Everything you learned it in youth, and it followed you. That was the only way I could figure out why I was so keen on everything.... Suppliers of Commercial Recreational Fencing P. 0. Box 98, King St., North Sydney, N. S. B2A 3M1 794-4773 JltcC. ??HAVE OUR AUGER TRUCK DIG YOUR HOLES." (So you didn't really make the choice, to begin with, to be a taxi driver. This Mr. Joe Cole....) He was manager of the Isle Royale Hotel. (And he called you.) "Come to work." (So, you went. Your own car?) Well, I had to buy it; It belonged to the fellow that owned the service station. But he sold cars anyhow. Remember Bert Samp? son, he had it up at that big garage on Argyle. He sold Austins--first man in Syd? ney to sell Austins. So, I had to buy it (from) him--$300. It was a '27 Studebaker. It had no trunk, you know--none of them had trunks then. I saw this big Buick down at Logues', and it had a nice big platform behind it. I said, "My God, I'll get a box built down at Chap- pell's, and I'll be able to take luggage. Instead of putting it in the front seat from the train, I'll put it in that, take it up to the hotel." And that's what I did. I had the '35 Dodge, '29 Buick until '35. And Bought it from Moffatt-- I got $934. BELLE ISLE LINCOLN MERCURY ~ SENIOR SERVICE ~ • Any Make Car Care Plan for Senior Citizens • FREE Leaner Car on Overnight Repairs • FREE Pick Up and Delivery of Your Car • FREE Tow to Our Service Department • FREE 20% Off on Ford Parts • FREE 20% Off on Repairs Done Here • FREE Life Insurance on Car Loans • FREE I. D. Card BELLE ISLE LINCOLN MERCURY SALES LTD. 195 Prince St., Sydney "At the Tracks" 539-9292 (Let's go back. You go to the hotel--it's your first night, or your first week. And what do you do? Do you just sit there, or is there busi? ness for you right away?) Well, if there was a taxi, I'd get it. But he arranged --Joe Cole--made a nice little room where the bell? hops were, a place there I could set down and rest, you know, and wait for the call. Or sit in the car. And the bellhop, the desk had a bell there. One ring, for the bellhop. Cab wanted: THUMP, THUMP--two rings. Well, I'd come out of there and go and take them. 1989 MERCURY TOPAZ [MERCURY' LINCOLN 1989 MERCURY TRACER (So was your first business usually related to the ho? tel?) Oh, that was all I did. (You would be taking people from the hotel to...?) The steel plant. Stores. Stores out of town. See, in spring and fall there'd be an average of 80 Jewish travellers from Ot? tawa, Montreal, and Hali? fax., and Moncton, come in here with their sample rooms. They had 40 sample rooms over here. (In the Isle Royale Hotel.) Yeah. They had that big building back of the old bank. New bank there now. And they had 20 sample rooms there, besides the ones they had in the hotel. (What's a sample room?) These men would come in with