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In September '41, there was bleak prospects for the coming winter, the summer fishing
season had been a disaster. Harbour days were spent just doing odd jobs, something to wile away the
time. I spent most of my time making a plywood suitcase, which as it turned out, came in handy.
Around the middle of September a boat came out to Cape North from Cartwright to tell the news that there would be plenty of work in Goose Bay. Anyone who would like to go would be picked up the next week for free, courtesy of the Hudson Bay Company at Cartwright. I packed up the best of my clothes in the new suitcase. I would have to leave behind my team of five dogs. I went to everyone I could, asking if they could take one or two but everyone already had too many. I went out on the inner Sister Island, were I kept them. They were so glad to be coming home, licking my hands, rubbing around me. This made me feel so sad and guilty for what I had in mind. I just wasn't going to leave them to slowly starve to death. Out of mercy for them I drowned them in the deep. What an awful feeling , like I stabbed my friends in the back. Yes, I cried. Next day I went around and said goodbye to all my friends, then to my dear old mother. She said goodbye quietly, turned and walked away. She knew she would never see me again. I went on board the HBC boat Fort Cartwright not quite realizing I was leaving forever a whole traditional way of life. There were 14 of us who went to Rigolet where the other HBC boat Fort Rigolet took us up the bay. My first impression was one of awe, the far blue hills to the north, the nearby Mealy Mountains all decked out in their autumn dress of golden yellow leaves, the dark green/blue forest, the ducks, geese and divers by the thousands.
We would go ashore on the island just to walk about and keep ourselves warm. The island was full of geese but we had no guns. All we could do was drool and imagine the taste of goose gravy. When we got too cold in the bare hold, without any heat, we would get into a wrestling match to keep warm, but this made us more hungry! When the wind became civil we had a nice trip up, though it was the next morning before we could get in the HBC store and get something to eat. I spent the only 50 cents I had all summer on a can of corned beef. I wolfed it down and gave myself a bad stomach-ache for awhile. We headed up to Goose Bay. There on the southwest shore of Terrington Basin, we saw our first glimpse, though it was pretty jumbled up, piled at the edge of the woods! The SS McLean was tied up to the sand bank, discharging all kinds of equipment, the like of which most of us never saw before. It was an all-out assault on the quiet forest. We landed on a floating log walkway. Half way in we met a man who asked us if we were looking for work. He told some to help with unloading. To me he said, "See that man there at the edge of the woods? Go help him stack up those railway ties." I found them plenty heavy, especially as the pile got higher. Three in the afternoon the same man, a timekeeper, came around, took our names and time. I've worked on many jobs in Goose Bay without losing an hour from that day until the date of my retirement 22 September 1983. |
