Page 7 - Johnny Allan MacDonald of Enon

ISSUE : Issue 48

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1988/6/1

(Did you actually see that here in Cape Breton?) No, I didn't see it here, but I know it was used. (Would these log houses have a second floor on them?) No, they didn't. But they'd have, you know, with the pitch of the roof, they'd have a place to shove different things in, above. There was one down in Ben Eoin, and I think there were a couple of the children sleeping up in that hole. (But most of the family lived just in the first floor.) Oh yes, oh yes. (And there was a log house like that on this prop? erty?) Oh yes, on every property. On every property around. (And your grandmother actu? ally lived in one.) Oh yes. (What did they do for a stove?) An open fireplace. That was--the on? ly- -they had. They didn't have a stove until they built this house here. And this house was built in 1873. And they were ready to move into it--they didn't have very much anyway, at that time--they moved some of the stuff they had. But in the morning there was no house. That was the time of what they call the Au? gust Gale--they have another name for it. We call it the August Gale, anyway. And most of the house was down at the lake. So--of course, there was a bunch of boys. In Memory of Catherine, wife of John McDonald, who fell asleep in Je? sus Aug 24, 1873, Aged 45 years. Came to her untimely death/By the falling of a barn into/ Which she had taken shelter/During the great gale of the/Above date. Say ye to the righteous that it/Shall be well with him. WANDLYN LOUNGE "Where our music won't interfere with your conversation." 100 King's Road, Sydney ??ji and they started gathering up again, to start building. (You mean the house came apart?) Ach, yes, went to pieces. Went to pieces. And they had to cut most of the frame short. That's this house here. (Why did they cut most of the frame short?) Because the end of the framing was--you know, it would be homemade spikes, and mortice and tenons. And that would be broke. They'd have to cut it off, you know. (So the house was just that much smaller.) Oh yes. (Because of the August Gale.) On account of the August Gale. (All around Cape Breton, I guess, things happened because of the gale.) Yes. My grandmother's brother--his wife was killed. They had a new house. No, they had their old house, and a new barn. So, the gale was so savage that they thought it would be better for them to go to the barn because it was new. The barn came down in pieces, and it was across her breast here, the crowning, the beam--that's the main beam in the barn, see. It was right across her breast. She was killed. And she had a child in her arms. And this child was living. And it's only a number of years since--I sup? pose around 2Q years--since Angus (the child) died. (So a house, and a person was killed. Is that all that the August Gale did here? That's quite a lot.) Ach, no. There wasn't a tree standing. All over the whole coun? try. But it's a tree country, anjrway. Trees grow very fast here. (I guess ships were driven ashore all over, around Cape Bre? ton.) Oh, yes. I often heard them talking about Port Morien. There was a big ship an? chored out in the harbour, and it was up on dry land. But I don't think it was broken up, though. (Your grandmother is the descendant from the Big Carpenter.) Yes. (But who was your grandfather descended from?) Well, I don't know. (I guess it had a lot to do with how much time you spent with your grandmother.) Oh, well, yes, yes. Well, I wouldn't be in? terested, anyway, in anything, at that time, because she died in, I think it was...1906. And I wouldn't be very inter? ested in things in the Old Country at that time. I was only young then. (What were you interested in, when you were a young man?) Well, the only thing I was interested in was carpenter work. That's the only thing I was interested in. (And 539-4800 U. M. 1 ?co'' I J. A. Young & Son Maritime 'v>.??- IVIarlin Ypoygl 181 Charlotte Street sou-,,.v.'; OR TOLL FREE 1-800-565-1538 Sydney

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