Page 60 - Katie Margaret Gillis

ISSUE : Issue 37

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1984/8/1

Katie IVIargaret Gillis: He had a way of going around with the wires. Angus often made wires of the hang? ers ; just cut them, and they would do for Angus. But he only had little ones; oh, he was something. The apple crotch or the cherry crotch wouldn't work for Angus, like it did for others. But the wires--any little wire, he'd take--and he'd walk and walk around, from northeast. It was just like a pie: going, going, going, and he'd find this little place. (Like slices of a pie.) Yeah. And he'd go in that little mid? dle, he'd find out that that was the eye for the well. Oh, he was beautiful at it. I don't know, whatever was in his hands, the wires would bend. And one woman, Mrs. Simpson, up in Bedford, she took the wires, and if they didn't do the same thing for her! That proved that there was no--they were saying, "Oh, he's witchy," or something like that. Tricking, witchy, like witchcraft. So this woman, Mrs. Simpson, a middle-aged woman, she was going around, and by hookey--but she had no knowledge of how to go to get just the eye, you see. Angus knew the knowledge where he was going to get the eye. But when she'd go where the eye was, the wires would go right down for her. Oh, that made a beautiful writing for Angus, you know. They said then, "Oh, he can't be this." And by hookey, I don't think he was out 5 feet on how deep he. told her that it was going to be. Now, that's telling you it's good. (Did Angus find water for a lot of peo? ple?) Yes, he did, and a lot of them did not want him at all. Some drilling compa? nies said, "Keep Angus Gillis off this place." 'Cause they weren't making money, they weren't getting down deep enough. Do you know what I mean? Angus was out a lot of money. And he never charged on going to do it. But if he got the water, then he got the well. (He would go and look for wa? ter and tell you if there was water there-- no charge?) No charge. (But he would take the job to drill it.) Yes. But there was a lot of them fooled him and he didn't get the j ob. No matter where he went, there wasn't a place but he'd find it. He'd probably have l''''l jl Our thanks to Dr. Daniel Maclnnes, Department of Sociol us with Sheila L. MacDonald's 1978 interview with Angus to go through the bush--maybe he'd have to go half up that mountain to find out where the stream was coming, dear. Lines--go a mile that way and this way, that way, and then they'll come in a pie form, (Were you able to do it, too?) No, they don't work for me. They don't work for everybody. And then there's an understanding to it, and there's schooling to it, and there's know? ing. (Angus's real work was drilling?) Yeah, drilling gold, zinc, and iron, or what have you. (Did he ever tell you how he found out he could do it, years ago, when he was just a young boy?) Well, to tell you the truth, he did not do it until the last 25 years. He made over 800 wells in Halifax County. But he had no knowledge, I mean, he never knew himself what this was. Until, for fun, he read it in the books. Oh, books--he'd be in books all the time, and he read a- bout those things. And so one day, he just took the pliers. It's all true, true as God in heaven. And I wish you could meet some of those that he did do it for them. Some day you might. ogy. Saint Francis Xavier University, for supplying J. Gillis. DINO'S fresh baked goods * souvenirs magazines * film * charcoal gifts * novels * camp fuel * ice Ingonish STAY AT One Stop Store & Restaurant DINO'S Trailer Park Laundromat * close to the National Park * Ingonish Iniake a Value home today-l . , . , A ' CAPE BRETON SHOPPING PLAZA -- SYDNEY RIVER ''A 0KKf W Now We ArG 3 MAYFLOWER mall -- grand lake ROAD 'Sk!ilrn I' I 'vyvv vvv'r-'iv'v' pQp.,. HAWKESBURY SHOPPING CENTRE -- PORT HAWKESBURY WjUUILU 11 ' ALL OPEN 'TILL 10 PM DAILY P''ltJlTr''l'ZQ''! j|i (60)

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