October Daily Times
in Beardmore - based on reports in the Fort William Daily Times-Journal in
1938
Sat 1 Oct 350 MEN
WORKING – “About 350 men are
working on the 43-mile section of highway from Nipigon to Beardmore, said Eric
Smith, district engineer of the highways department, today.” John Brothers of
Toronto are filling grades and taking out rock immediately west of Beardmore,
and Emil Anderson is doing the same immediately east and north of Nipigon.
Anderson has a power shovel working. Gangs are mostly cutting and clearing
timber. After Christmas, work will consist of heavy rock and earth cuts.
Sat 1 Oct ORIENT
BAY TUG – The second steel tug
of the Abitibi company will be launched tomorrow. “Orient Bay” is 97 feet long,
has a 25-foot beam, and draws 7 feet of water. Each tug cost about $200,000.
Sat 1 Oct NEW FLAG – The Beardmore Women’s Institute elected Miss
Laura Snell secretary to replace the acting secretary. Poppies will be ordered
for Nov. 11. The Institute displayed the flag bought for the school. “Inspector
W.J. Judd visited at the Beardmore and Empire schools on Tuesday and Wednesday
of this week. He also acted as one of the judges at the school fair on Monday.”
Norman Kelly, student minister, left for Toronto to continue his studies.
Mon 3 Oct TUG
LAUNCHED – In news datelined
Macdiarmid, the “Orient Bay” was launched at Cove Inlet on Sunday. “The day was
glorious, calm and warm and at 3:30 p.m. Mrs. R.J. Askin, wife of R.J. Askin,
manager of the Thunder Bay Paper mill.
Broke the traditional bottle of champagne over the ship’s bow, naming her
‘Orient Bay’.” “The ceremony took place on a platform decorated with flags and
bunting.” “It is electrically operated throughout, is equipped with electrical
refrigerators, foodwarmers, dishwasher and dryer, an oil cooking range, shower
baths, etc.” It also has a wireless telephone and an echo sounding device to
measure depth of water.
Tue 4 Oct CGIT
MEETING – Following a
“devotional period”, the 13 members decided on an initial fee per member of 10
cents, and 5 cents a meeting thereafter. The club decided on a name: Gold
Nuggets. The club uniform and motto were displayed. It was decided to hold a
wiener roast on Thanksgiving Day. After some community singing, the meeting
closed with “taps”. “A Junior Red Cross branch was organized at the local
school on Friday afternoon”. Elections: president, Kent Montgomery; secretary,
Helen Duguay; treasurer, Olga Makasymow. “It was decided to keep the name of
the Gold Diggers branch.”
Wed 5 Oct NORSE
RELICS FIND – J.W. Curran,
publisher of the Sault Daily Star, and two reputable investigators are
preparing a report. James E. Dodd of Port Arthur, a railway conductor and
prospector, claimed to find the relics near Beardmore. “Mr. Curran asserted the
newly gathered evidence might possibly prove that Norse sailors came to Ontario
by James Bay before the year 1100, or 400 years before Columbus crossed the
Atlantic, and reached Lake Nipigon by way of the Albany and Kenogami rivers.”
Fri 7 Oct DR.
SUTTON LEAVING – At a banquet
at the Beardmore Inn, Dr. N.H. Sutton said goodbye to many older residents as
he left for a position at a mine [Uchi Lake] near Sioux Lookout. The Beardmore
Badminton Club, at its first meeting at the school, chaired by its president
W.W. Allen, decided to charge 75 cents a month. “The school board will now be
paid for the use of the school and the janitor will also be paid removing and
replacing the seats.” “Rev. Mr. Cass, of the Anglican church, Nipigon, had
evening services at the school.”
Sat 8 Oct HIGHWAY
REROUTED – Employment
preference to men working on the highway will be given to the unemployed in
Thunder Bay district first. The highway has rerouted. “At first the survey took
the road through the Indian village* near Nipigon, but in order to avoid
disturbing the Indian residents, the route has been placed several hundred
yards to the east.”
Sat 8 Oct NEWS FROM
MACDIARDMID – “Daily mail
service to and from Macdiarmid commenced on October2.” “J.G. Burks, Indian
agent, Port Arthur, visited Gull Bay on Tuesday, on F.F. Sykes boat Bonnie
Margy. He was accompanied Separate School inspector W.J. Greening, who will
visit the Indian reserve schools on Lake Nipigon.” “The Vedette plane, with Joe
Heaven pilot, and Joe Finnigan, mechanic, stationed at the local forestry
branch air base throughout the summer, left for Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday.”
Tomlinson Construction company put a motor truck in operation, the first
licensed vehicle on this section of the Nipigon-Beardmore highway. “The Atibiti
Paper company put 11,000 cords of pulpwood through the Virgin Falls dam in 14
hours this week.”
Fri 14 Oct
TEACHERS’ CONVENTION – “The
four teachers from Empire and Beardmore left on Wednesday evening to attend the
teachers’ convention which is being held on Thursday and Friday of this week at
the lakehead.”
Tue 18 Oct NEWS
FROM TASHOTA – “Eric McConnel,
assistant [telegraph] operator at Tashota, while on a hunting trip a few miles
east of here, became lost in the woods. He spent a trying night in the forest. Volunteer
searchers were out, but next day he found his way out to the railway tracks.”
“Edward Best and William Reichert have arrived at Tashota having been at Ara
Lake for a couple of weeks building fish camps for Mrs. S. Cashaback.” “Mr. and
Mrs. A. Spooner, accompanied by Andy Spooner, have arrived here to take up
fishing operations on Meta Lake.” “Mr. and Mrs. Alex MacKay, accompanied by
daughters Jean and Doris, arrived here to take up residence for the winter. Mr.
MacKay has fishing interests on Onaman Lake.” “Mabel McLeod, Tashota school
teacher, attended the teachers’ convention in Fort William.”
Thu 20 Oct TEACHERS
RETURN – “Miss Laura Snell,
Sheila Brooks, Helen McKinnon, and Wilfred Allen have returned after attending
teachers’ convention in the city.” At a meeting of the Home and School Club,
Mrs. Mackie was appointed treasurer to replace Mrs. Kilby.
Thu 20 Oct MORE
FROM MACDIARMID – A young man,
22, was severely injured while trying to board a CNR fast freight going east.
He was walking on top the cars when he fell, struck the coal car, and was
thrown clear. He suffered a broken collar bone, a crushed arm, and severe cuts
to the head. He walked back two miles to Orient Bay where the section foreman,
Joe Pilon, gave first aid. He was taken to the Red Cross Hospital at Jellicoe.
Thu 20 Oct CHICKEN
FARM – “E.M. Jones, cook at
the [Northern Empire] mine, is building a large chicken house. Mr. Jones
already has one of the largest chicken farms in the district.” “Albert Hemphill
and Howard Hemphill today started laying the foundation for a recreation
building, size 30 feet by 50 feet, on the Empire subdivision, opposite the
Northern Empire mine.”
Fri 21 Oct MORE
FROM MACDIARMID – Tomlinson
Construction company has installed rock drilling equipment to begin rock cuts.
Clearing and grading is progressing well. Work has begun on a culvert. “The
Abitibi company’s alligator is taking lamp [?] supplies to Humbolt Bay.”
Construction is finished for the camp of DOH engineering department staff on
the “Pustagoni” river.
Fri 28 Oct
BEARDMORE DAIRY DESTROYED –
The fire siren shrieked at 6:30 a.m. but no pumps were available. Flames broke
out in the boiler room when the staff were at breakfast. The three buildings,
owned by W.C. Broughton of Dorion, were destroyed although the volunteer fire
brigade and townspeople made strenuous efforts.
Fri 28 Oct MORE
MACDIARMID NEWS – The Abibiti
Power and Paper company’s tug “Orient Bay” made trial runs under Captain J.
McIvor. The company is building camps at Humbolt Bay, Onaman River, and Stewart
Creek., and the tug “Nipigon” is taking up supplies. There is a brief reference
to S. Webster, local teacher. “The village was shaken when cut No. 1 east was
blasted by the Tomlinson Construction company on Tuesday. Forty cases of dynamite were used in the one
blast.” Several flocks of geese were spotted flying over the lake.
Sat 29 Oct FIRE
CHIEF RESIGNS – Fire Chief
Balderer resigned over criticism that the local fire pump was in Port Arthur
being repaired during the dairy fire.
Sat 29 Oct HIGHWAY
WORK TO STOP – B. Mitchell,
President of Beardmore Chamber of Commerce, informed Mayor Chisholm M. Ross of
Fort William by letter of a work stoppage ordered on the Nipigon-Beardmore
highway. The DOH informed Tomlinson Construction to close down its camps on the
13-mile link from Orient Bay to Beardmore on Oct. 31. The Provincial appropriation has not been
approved although Tomlinson is willing to proceed another 3 weeks anyway until
this road section is finished.
[Note * > The
unnamed “Indian village” is the community of Lake Helen Reserve 53A, just north
of the junction of Hwy. 11 and 17. It’s been there longer than either highway
was, or the community of Nipigon.]
Photo 1 > View
of highway construction at Reflection Lake, looking towards Pijitawabik Bay in
the fall of 1938. The talus slopes from the Palisades are being incorporated
into the road foundation. Photo MTO.
Photo 2 >
Canadian Vickers Vedette II biplane flying at Orient Bay ca. 1930. This flying
boat was used for spotting forest fires and for aerial photography. This
aircraft carried a crew of 3. Length, 22 ft. 10 in.; wing span, 42 ft.; 187
h.p.; cruising speed, 47 mph, with a two-bladed push propeller (note the
propeller is mounted behind the wings with the blades facing backwards). RCAF reg. no. G-CYYF, photo Library and
Archives Canada MIKAN no. 3650434.
Photo 3 > The
CGIT middy blouse was white with navy collar and cuffs, worn with a navy tie in
a square knot.
Photo 4 > A
sister tug to the “Nipigon”, the “Orient Bay” was acquired in October 1938 from
Marine Industries Ltd. It operated on Lake Nipigon until 1975, when it was
bought by Kimberly-Clark of Canada Ltd. It was transported along Highway 11 to
Long Lake where it was launched under the name Guy M. No. 1. The unmoored tug
is the “Nipigon”. Photo Nipigon Museum.
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