Cape Breton's Magazine

see, that I wouldn't get it. it wasn't dropped on me. And damned if I got the whole bloody yard. It was there, but not a thing working. I got the land and I got the two railroad drydocks and the buildings that were there, you know, and that's it. Well, I didn't have it two weeks when I got an offer from Yarmouth for just the machinery alone that hauled the cradles up, for more than I paid for it. Anyway, Dr. MacLeod was here • at that time, he was kind of an energetic fellow • and he was a magistrate and lawyer of the town. They got after me. He says, "Now, fonn a company, and repair it." I figured I haven't got the time, but my father was living at that time, he kind of said, "Now you've got it, you might as well do some? thing about it." We had an offer from the Crandall Drydock people in Boston • build? ing drydocks around the world • and they gave me a price of $15??000 to put one cra? dle in working order. I took a day off and I went round to see what people thought a- bout forming a company, if they'd put any money in it. Well, I just spent about a half a day and I had more money than I wanted. From local people, right here. There was no trouble as far as getting money or taking a risk. They were throwing it at me left and right. I just took e- nough, what I wanted. I operated the Marine Railway for kO years • 1923 to 1963. Worked on anything that came along. Up to 1000 tons we could handle, wood or steel, it didn't make any difference, whatever came along. Refitting or whatever was wanted to be done to a damaged ship. But wrecks • I did the sal? vage work on my own, independent of the Marine Railway. If she had to be dry- docked, she'd go on the Marine Railway. But most of the salvage work was done un? derwater. You'd be plugging the leaks, the damaged ships. Take during the war years, when a ship got ashore, she was in colli? sion or something, you'd patch them all' up. Take one ship, now, that I did here before the war • well, it was the very be? ginning, maybe. It was the Ulva. She struck a rock at Canso and she ripped a hole 60 feet long in her bottom, not the keel strake, but what we call the garboard strake. Eighty feet long, three feet wide, cut out as though it was cut with a knife. Now always there's a tank top, there's an outside bottom, then they come up 2 or 3 feet and there's another bottom, where they carry their ballast and oil and stuff like that. Well, all that was holding her now was the tank tops • the bottom was out of her. And she was .an old ship. She was going to Montreal. She had a load of mo? lasses and sugar from Demerara, or some place down that way. And she came into Canso to pick up something that was going on to Montreal from Canso. Now I think it was fish oil, to put on her deck. And go? ing out she struck • I guess it was a sub? merged wreck or something • I don't think a rock would cut her like it did. So I was The Warden and Councillors COUNTY OF CAPE BRETON welcome everyone to take part incelebrating 100 YEARS OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT June TE Bicycle Rodeo, Riverview Y Men's Club 16 C.B. Dog Club, County Rec. Centre 2k Strawberry Festival, Edwardsville 27 Docking Queen Elizabeth II, Pt. Edward 29-30 Centennial Horse Show, N. Sydney July I Lobster Festival, Main-a-Dieu 1-2 Grand Lake Road Picnic 1-2 Mira Gala Days, Marion Bridge 2-7 Centennial Sub. Softball Tournament 7 Lobster Supper, Reserve Mines 7 Air Show, C.F.B. Lingan Rd., Sydney 7 Auction, Mira Dist. Adult Rec. Centre 8 Centennial Week, Fortress Louisbourg II Train Ride, Lobster Supper, Port Morien lk Strawberry Festival, Marion Bridge lk Westmount Centennial Days 15 C.B. Ceilidh, County Rec. Centre 15 Scottish Concert, Big Pond 16 Golf Tournament, Lingan 17-18 Arts & Crafts Fest, Malcolm Munroe Sch. 18 Civic Dinner, Isle Royale Hotel 18 Garden Party, C. B. Hospital 19 Centennial Trot & Pace, Sydney 19 Mini Olympics, Port Morien Race Track 20 Train Ride, Supper Dance, Port Morien 21 Strawberry Festival, East Bay 21 Pun'N'Sun, Front Shore Beach 21 Horse Show Toum., East Bay Fire Hall 21 Senior Citizens Dance, East Bay 21 Auction & Fair 21 Centennial Dance, Reserve Dist. High 21-28 Donkin Centennial Days 22 Boisdale Concert 22 Open House, Pensioners Club, Reserve 23 Parade, Reserve & Gardiner 2k Sock Hop, Reserve Mines 2k Field Day for Children, Reserve Mines 2k Horseshoe Tournament, Reserve Mines 24-28 Beer Gardens, County Rec. Centre 25 Garden Party Sen-. Cit., Malcolm Mun. 25 Reunion of All Firemen Veterans 26 4-H Field Day, Grand Mira 26 Country Picnic, Two Rivers Park 26 Doll Parade, Puppets, Reserve Mines 26 Bike Parade, Reserve Mines 27 Stock Car Meet, Bud's Speed Way 28 Cabaret Night, Reserve Mines 29 Lake Cruise (C. N. Ship) 29-30 Snow Crab Fest., Mill Creek Com. Cen. 30 Male Fashion Show, Reserve Mines August 3 Mixed Junior Golf Tournament 6-11 Country Living 18 Box Lunch Supper (Old Fashioned) Sch. 1879 1979