Page 56 - A Visit With the MacLeods at Belfry

ISSUE : Issue 74

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1999/6/1

Horse and sleigh, you could haul it, you Icnow. Hide it in the woods, everywheres. I don't re? member it, but I remember the barrels around here. Well, you remember them. They used to have them, have them for pots for washing the wool. Remember? Flora: Yes, yes, yes. Jimmy: They were steel, same as a 90-gallon oil drum. Ranald: Did people around here do rumrunning? Muffler Man 93 King St., North Sydney :D SERVIOE3I • Exhaust • Brakes • Struts • Shocks • Springs • Michelin and Goodrich Tires • Life Time Warranty • 4-Wheel Alignment • Wheel Balancing Free Estimates 794-7500 ''Business for People'' new dawn enterprises ltd. Real Estate ??Cape Breton Association for Housing Development Provides housing for low and low-middle income families • Pine Tree Park Estates Ltd. Housing for seniors and families, and incubator space for small businesses Health Care • The New Dawn Guest Home A 30-bed residential facility providing quality care for seniors • Cape Care Services Ltd. A home care company providing personal and nursing services to people in their own homes • Home Living Ltd. Families providing home care for up to three seniors Training, Education and Consulting • Highland Resources Ltd A private career college offering certification for personal care workers • Highland Resources Ltd. • Industrial Training Division A private career college offering Industrial training • Volunteer Resource Centre Coordinates the work of 400 community volunteers Tel: 539-9560 • Fax: 539-7210 Jimmv: Oh, yes. In the '30s, when was it? Flo? ra: In the "308, late '30s. Jinrniv: In '36. Roy: '36, sure. There was plenty of it. Plen? ty. It was every place along the coast, Cape? lin Cove, St. Esprit Jimmv: Everywhere. Roy: Everywhere along the coast. Lena: You see, there are so many little coves in Cape Breton, there was no problem at all. Jimmy: They landed here till the war broke out. When the war broke out that was the end of it because they had all these subma? rines in there, could detect anything. That was the end of it. Ranald: So where'd they bring the rum from, the West Indies or St. Pierre or...? Jimmv: West Indies, yeah. West Indies. Roy: St. Pierre. Jimmv: St. Pierre. Rov: Yeah, the heads of it used to come and make the arrangements: "A boat is coming in tonight now, fellas. Let's go down there." And they used to pay them so much money and dig caves along the coast. There was caves--put it in caves. And then next night, or the next night, they'd haul it away in trucks. They used to take it into Water? ford, Sydney, and North Syd? ney, and all around the cit? ies, you know, and store it in the cities emd sell it. That's the way they did it. Jimmy: I stored some of it myself. Lena: I cem remember Jimmy trundled over to our place • you know, they stayed in the factory--and we were sitting on the steps, the back steps out home, and you could see Guyon Island, just out like that. And I said, "Jimmy, isn't there a light flashing down there somewhere?" He looked and he said, "Yes, there's a light flashing. I guess I'd better go home, take the kerosene home." What he was going to do was get home and get down to the landing. Jimmv: I didn't drink or any? thing at that time. Flora: No, I remember, you didn't drink for years, Jimmy, after that. Jimmv: I didn't drink for years, long after '30s. Ranald: Did you help unload the boats then, Jimmy? Jimmy: Oh, yes, yes. Got good money, boy: 2 dollars, 2.50. For every, every five-gallon can, you got 2.50 split two ways. But I seen myself going to a dance with a couple of hun? dred dollars in my pocket emd you couldn't spend it. No, 56

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