Dr. G.E. Young transforms garbage dump into beach for citizens plus memories of growing up in Chapleau from Michael's email bag

Chapleau beach area over 40 years ago. Photo courtesy Bob Lewis

After hearing from Bob Lewis about the Chapleau beach. my thoughts turned to Dr. G.E. "Ted" Young, who returned home to practise medicine (for six months!) after doing his internship at Columbia University in New York City and was instrumental in transforming the town's garbage dump into a beach for the community.. Bob provided the photo of the beach area.

Dr. "Ted" Young

As World War II was drawing to a close, Dr. Young arrived home to replace a doctor for six months -- the rest of course is history as Dr. Young stayed, and within a few years had undertaken the creation of the beach behind Chapleau Public School, completing the project by about 1953.

Oldtimers will recall that the location was the site of the old town dump, and Dr. Young had to have all the garbage hauled away before he could begin the restoration, complete with change rooms, wading pools, grass, benches, picnic tables, diving towers on a dock and fresh sand hauled to the site yearly -- all at his own expense.

Also in the beach area were the bandstand where the Chapleau Town Band would give concerts on special occasions and summer evenings, a canteen and pavilion, a very popular spot for playing games of chance at community celebrations.

In 1948, the council led by Reeve B.W. "Bubs" esablished the first Chapleau Recreation Commission with Councillor J.M. "Jack" Shoup as its first chairperson, but the beach project was Dr. Young's, although in later years the annual "Beach Day" in August raised funds to maintain the area. Dr. Young served on the Beach Committee, as the recreation commission was commonly called, and interestingly his father George Young was a member of Chapleau council in 1951.

Dr. Young, who loved swimming, also became famous for his swim from the town dock area to his family's camp at Mulligan's Bay. When I once asked him about it, he played down his fame on this one: "Well, I started out to swim to the point, and when I got there I just decided to keep going and ended up in Mulligan's Bay."

I often think of Dr. Young's contribution in undertaking this project and providing a beach area for the people of Chapleau - especially the children. And modest person that he is, Dr. Young never took much credit for transforming the town dump into a scenic waterfront for his community. He just did it.

Growing up in Chapleau I sure played and swam at the beach -- so after all these years, thanks "Doc" for your efforts, not only on this project, but for all your contributions to life in Chapleau.

One of the great enjoyments of writing Chapleau Moments is that I hear from so many people who share some of their memories of life in Chapleau, so here are a few from my "email bag."

JODY THERIAULT

We walk back a bit. It is the early 60's. I'm staring at my feet, I'm in a yard full of small black cinders in the south end of town, near the railway yard. Then on my right as I walk north, i see a laundry mat with golden washers circling about in the window. I know that behind that laundry mat is Victor Sonego's house and I am thinking of him. I go into Mione's, a small strange smelling store that sells ice cream. and as I continue my walk down Lorne (?) I go to Desi's on the corner of Birch.

I look for new comic books, Betty and Veronica, Superman and Dennis the Menace. They are all displayed and I check to see if the latest issue is there yet. There are orange popsicles in the freezer but I am looking for a blue one. It will cost 5 cents. Ice cream and chocolate bars are 10 cents. Then I pass Collins and they have camping things and a tent in in the window, a male mannequin who is the father with a chipped chin and a small one who is the boy. They are wearing jackets. Graham's dog Joey sniffs me as I pass the house. I go into my yard through a white picket gate and up the cement steps into the back door. The shoes are piled into a jumble, running shoes and boots with mud.

I am glad to be home.

VIVIAN (EDWARDS) McLEAN

I read your articles in the Chapleau paper and I thought I could share some of my grandfather's life. My grandfather Bill Creighton was born in Chaput, Quebec and married Loretta Giroux in Pembroke. He was the last man to have a team of horses in Chapleau. He picked up people's garbage and was a proud man (he looked tall but it was because he was sitting on his wallet. )Grandpa would let me sit beside him and drive his horses(they knew where they were going )I felt like I was queen of the hill sitting beside him Grandpa took me to the Trainman dances at the old town hall I was about 15 and boy could he dance so many women loved to dance with him as Fred Astaire could of learned some steps from him.

My uncle Sonny and brother Bill worked for him and worked darn hard. Grandpa had worked on the railway at one time but gave it up as he loved horses basically he was a happy man in his own way . My grandmother was a very special lady we stopped at Granny's on the way home from school. She was always baking and we stood there until she said would you like a cookie.W we never refused . My grandmother and Mrs Deluce were best friends and loved blueberry picking. She always had a garden. We loved our little grandma. But Michael my Grandfather was a very intelligent person and I appreciated his stories . Well Michael as I said, love your stories in the paper .

MURIELE FORTIN

Everybody seems to have covered everything I was about to recall about back lanes , except maybe this part about the garbage pick up. We actually would hitch rides on the back of Mr. Chreighton's horse drawn wagon, filled with trash and thought that was great entertainment for the day. He would pretend not to notice us. Many dark evenings when I headed home down that unlit back lane did I imagine some creature jumping out and scaring me but it never stopped me from taking that short cut when I was late for curfew.

Interestingly, in the subdivision where I now reside in Kingston, a development behind me is being built using the lane way design. Folks will have access to their garages via this private lane way. I like that it will give more distance between their house and mine, for privacy. Thanks for the memories. Muriele

JACK POYNTER

Sadly I cannot remember anything extra exciting , or illegal , going on in our back lanes although they certainly did join the Community together. I do remember they were a great shortcut to UPTOWN as well as for CPR employees going to work. When we were facing Pine St. as you noted our directly opposite lane neighbours were the Kemps where there was always some activity going on , at least until they arrived home one noon hour and the house was sadly engulfed in flames.

On one side of us was the Anglican Rectory and of course the Tennis courts where a lot of us got daily exercise ( in the summer ) with a different type of exercise going on across the lane at the Legion..Down the lane in the opposite direction were the CPR houses of the Burrows and Dessons then Austin , Goheen and Chrusoskie. Remember when Howard G. was buried in the ground and left there when everyone had to go to supper ?

When we moved and faced Beech St. the same lane continued and we then had Dick Hoath , the oil man directly opposite us. We used to play baseball in the backyards before church Sunday... It is interesting to note that from our area the quickest way to get to all three Churches was by the back lanes albeit you may get a little dusty.

Clothes could always be seen drying from the lanes and Dr. Young's French poodle put on a show over the fence. There were also a lot of great vegetable and flower gardens evident from the lanes.

Yes , there are a lot of lanes in Chapleau and I am certain some have great stories but in the area I lived they were just fun ways to get home , meet kids and socialize.They were too narrow to play serious baseball plus the windows on the front of most houses were closer on the main drags and hence could be broken easier by a wayward ball. Neither were they wide enough for a rink .

ART MADORE JR.

I was recently on holidays at my camp in Dalton visiting my dad. Roger Mizuguchi has been collecting the Chapleau Express and giving them to my dad. There were two years worth of papers that I managed to read during my stay.I found your articles very interesting, and I was anxious to read the next as I went throught them chronologically.

You did an article this spring on the "CPR ice gangs", which was my favorite because "Dalmas Paquette" is my grandfather. I always knew he was a foreman for the CPR but never knew he was in charge of the ice for the trains. I was part of an ice gang one winter when Tommy (Sawyer) and I helped my uncle Ross gather ice for the bait shop. Thanks for the great writing.

Thanks to all the contributors. My email is michaeljmorris@ymail.com

Ice cracks causing tractor to sink in Chapleau River as Bob Lemieux jumps to safety during Great Depression

The ice cracked and a new five ton Diesel tractor started to slip into the frigid waters of the Kebsquasheshing (Chapleau) River with Bob Lemieux escaping by climbing up a pole on a sleigh behind as it sunk.

Anne (Lemieux) Lacroix believes the year was 1938 and her father had been awarded a contract by the Canadian Pacific Railway to haul blocks of ice from the river to the ice house near the railway station.

A news report at the time said that as the ice cracked and the sleigh started to slip, Mr. Lemieux jumped over the back of the tractor onto a sleigh, climbed a pole and for there he made it to stronger ice as the tractor sunk into about 15 feet of water.

Apparently Mr. Lemieux did not even get wet but a timber frame had to be built to bring his tractor to the surface. The operation was successful.

Ice cutting crews hastened to the scene as they saw the tractor disappear below the ice surface. The temperature was noted as about 50 degrees below zero Fahrenhit

Mr. Lemieux, the owner of the tractor, had been awarded a contract from the CPR to haul ice. At the time of the mishap, he had been crossing ice on his tractor pulling a load of sleighs in preparation to haul a load of ice cut from the river.

A news report said that the ice cutting and hauling was helping to relieve local unemployment with twice as many hired as in the previous year. This was during the Great Depression.

Also they were cutting aboutp 3500 tons of ice compared with 1445 tons in the previous year as more air conditioned cars were being used by the CPR.

My thanks to Anne for providing details on this incident.

Dr. Bill Pellow recalls working winter weekends on CPR ice gangs in the 40s and heading to Boston Cafe to 'let heat jump inside body'

Dr Bill Pellow at CHS Reunion 2012

Dr. William R. 'Bill' Pellow agreed to share some of his memories of working on CPR ice gangs on weekends during the winter months when he was a high school student in Chapleau during the 1940s. Bill, who was born and raised in Chapleau, is the editor of 'Chapleau Trails.' Thanks Bill for bringing us some moments from a day long gone now in Chapleau's history.

Bill wrote:

""The site for cutting ice in Chapleau was on the Chapleau River west of the railroad tracks and half way between the Old Power house and the Chapleau Lumber mills. Very near where the Broomhead's farm property is located and where Dr. Frank docks his plane in the summer.

"A contract was drawn up and was let out for a horse and scoop to take the snow from the top of the ice and allow for a deep freeze . ' Blue ice" as it was called was preferable and was 'manufactured' in this manner.

"Ernie Rice was one of the perennial contractors for clearing ice, and with his team of horses for hauling the withdrawn cubed ice from the river to the CPR ice house opposite the Boston Cafe, Later another ice house was built at the east end of the CPR platform across the street from the homes of E. Lacroix and Bartley Kennan.

"Later, years later,horse drawn sleighs were replaced with trucks and snow plows. Once the ice depth was determined and measured to depth, a huge fowere ur foot circular saw cut a block pattern on the ice surface with lines running north and south and east and west and to a depth of about three feet. Heavy steel five foot chisels were used to break it clean from the mass.

"The blocks of ice were taken from the water by a gas driven endless belt and loaded onto the horse drawn sleighs for delivery. Raymond Sarto was put in charge of the ice saw. No one else wanted the job because it was a constant task to keep ice cut and to keep up to the sleighs on demand. There were few breaks in the work. Raymond went around all winter with his skin peeling from his face because of the severe frost bite he acquired behind that saw with the snow and ice chips constantly hammering his face. His entire body was covered in a thick film of 'ice dust'.

"Safety shields, saw guards and precautionary fencing to prevent drowning in the open frigid Chapleau River were not thought about then. If you happened to slip into the open water, you had to be retrieved within seconds or you were in for big problems with hypo thermia. Walking on blue ice next to the open watr was a constant concern. The splashed water froze instantly and it was always slippery.

" Imagine, diabolically opposite though. In those days no one spoke about wind chill factor. If it was fifty or sixty below on the thermometer it was just that cold outside and often we could talk about a chilling wind off the lake to boot. I have often listened to people from southern Ontario reiterate, 'But it was a dry cold'. Dry or wet it was damn cold. There was no protection from the cold and the wind on the lake. At least in town you had some protection from the building.

CHS Reunion 2012, Bill with friends from pioneer families

"Delmos Paquette was assigned as the foreman to ice cutting and storing. As young boys looking for week-end work we had to check in with Delmos and get "hired on" If you presented for work you were never turned away. Perhaps because we lived next door to the Paquettes all our lives in Chapleau, I was given one of the better jobs at the ice house up town. I never was sent to the lake.

"The sleighs filled with ice were drawn up to a loading ramp at the ice house. Each horse drawn sleigh could haul 20-24 blocks of ice as a full load. The ice house was a two storey wooden building painted CPR red, with tons of sawdust that was used within the walls for insulation and was shovelled on top of the ice to preserve it until needed for summer use to air condition the trains

"There were fifteen or twenty trains going through Chapleau every day. (in the summer) The regular trains were numbered from 1 to 8. The even numbers were headed east to Montreal and Toronto. The odd numbers were headed to Vancouver. There were sometimes four sections of a regular scheduled train . Passenger trains were always running on "block" i.e. at twenty minute intervals behind each other. Dangerous before block signal systems were installed.

"At the ice house loading platform the ice was tonged into a gas driven hoist that raised the huge blocks into the top levels of the ice house. A crew was inside the ice house and with ice tongs they wiggled the blocks across layers of frozen ice and snow to their finally resting place twelve or fifteen feet in each storey. When a section was completely filled the large thick insulated doors were shut and sealed. Ice is brittle and even with care and not much care was exhibited, there would be an accumulated pile of broken chipped ice around the hoist. This had to be kept clean and free from the mechanism.

"That was my regular job. It had its perks: when you got caught up and the hoist was clear you could slip across the street to the Boston Cafe and lean against the hot water radiators and let the heat jump inside your body for a short spell before you had to go out side and brave the elements and do it all over again. You could also see if the foreman was around and maybe looking for you. But the foremen were fathers as well as gang foremen and they had great compassion and understanding.

MJ Morris, Marg Fife, Bill, Vince Crichton

" I look back and admire men like Delmos Paquette, Jimmy Purich and Ed Swanson. If you kept moving and did some work you were never scolded and never turned down on a future Saturday.. Red flags of caution were placed on the overhead bridge to warn of horse and sleigh traffic at the bottom of the bridge where the ice was removed and stored.

"Saturday mornings freezing to death working on the ice gangs for the CPR made a body wonder about an inside job where you could "look out" and always be warm. It was a perpetual dream and the thought crossed my mind many a Saturday. Two pairs of pants, sometimes overalls three sweaters, Stanfield long underwear was standard apparel, flight boots and heavy woollen inserts over leather mitts, a beaver hat with lugs, ( my head at least was always sweating) and scarves just would not keep you warm.

"You couldn't put on more clothes even if you had them, because you had to navigate and work and there was a limit on wearing too much bulky clothing and being practical. Work was the salvation. So you constantly kept moving, and kicking your toes against something to remind you that your feet were down there and they were not turning to ice although it felt like that and maybe your feet could fall off if you didn't keep the circulation moving.

Moving prevented frost bite and severe chill. I am eighty years old and so often in winter the small of my back aches from what I must believe was a permanent chill in my back when I worked the ice gangs in my early teens. Ice gangs started at 7 a.m. and quit a 7 p.m. Dark starting to work and dark finishing. The pay was between 35- 50 cents an hour.

Bob Fife of CTV News with Bill

Tonging the blocks took a little skill and a little brawn.. There was no way to lift a block of ice this size, some three-four feet thick but with a side to side action they would "slide" across the loading ramp into the hoist and slide them into their final resting place inside the house.

You were warned that you were not to sit on the ice that you could get severe haemorrhoids. Truth or fiction, however most believed the story an it provided an incentive to stay on your feet and constantly keep moving. Maybe it was only a good bit of propaganda generated from the CPR to increase productivity and make the time motion studies practical. Now it is called work ethic and where have they gone?

MAIL

Leo Ouimet of Peterborough wrote regarding Louis Fortin's memories from ice gang: "Thanks for this. Takes me back to the 60's when I worked in the dining cars one summer. I was on the spare board, so every trip was different; Thunder Bay, Halifax, etc. Some trips were spent peeling bushels of onions, others, washing dishes and scooping out pre-mixed mash potatoes. 18 hour days at $1.05 an hour. I still love trains."