{"id":5338,"date":"2020-07-22T20:24:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T00:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5338"},"modified":"2020-07-22T20:35:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T00:35:34","slug":"episode-85-underground-at-elliot-lake-part-2-mayh-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5338","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 85 UNDERGROUND AT ELLIOT LAKE PART 2, MAYH 1960"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 85      UNDERGROUND  AT ELLIOT LAKE, PART 2, MAY 1960<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
July  2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Note:  My interest in mining \u2018Cages\u2019 will be peppered  here and<\/div>\n
there in these episodes\u2026.seems irrelevant but every mine had<\/div>\n
a cage except for Knockmahon, Ireland.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The uranium mine at Can. Met. Elliot Lake had a cage large enough for<\/div>\n
moralized  vehicles.  See  below \u2026the contrast.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/div>\n
MINING CAGES<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
THIS mining cage in England\u2026Cornwall\u2026was a luxury when compared to the shaky ladders<\/div>\n
of Knockmahon.   Even so, this mining cage was dangerous\u2026if the cable  broke, the men were<\/div>\n
doomed.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The  term \u2018cage\u2019 will occur  again and again in the next few Episodes.   Mining cages delivered miners<\/div>\n
quickly to the ore faces.   At Bunmahon, in Ireland, we discovered<\/div>\n
shafts but there never were any cages.  Meaning that the miners had to climb down<\/div>\n
800 to 900 metres  on a series of wooden ladders.  And they did so in the dark.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Can.Met.  was a modern mine.  it had all the benefits of  electricity, modern machinery like bull dozers and Scoop<\/div>\n
trucks,  power drills, lots of  dynamite\u2026and some union protection.  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

  On May 14, 1960,” waiting for us was a \u2018Scoop\u201d…sort of  a spliced dump truck and bulldozer. We piled into<\/p><\/div>\n

the big ore scoop.
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s the last vehicle below,\u201d greeted Harry MacGinnis who would be our escort through the<\/div>\n
darkness.   Most mechanical aspects of the mine had already been withdrawn including<\/div>\n
the electric light system.  The mine was not a  pretty sight below ground as the walls<\/div>\n
were dirty and  sticky\u2026black from the dust of blasting and sticky from the black smoke<\/div>\n
of vehicles like our Scoop Mobile.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  did 293 determinations today using the Ronka.  When  our miners lights are turned off<\/div>\n
the  darkness is  absolute.  A  blackness that only a miner would understand.   Ventillation <\/div>\n
is a problem as is radiation which stands at 292 when  the normal human toleration is 100.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 We would  only be here a  few  days though.  Regular miners spent years here.
<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/div>\n
Geologist John Hogan is down  here represents Dennison Mines.  Wh am  I down  here?  Hard<\/div>\n
to know.  My job is to get as much information using the Ronka as  possible.  This  information<\/div>\n
has  no possible use for the mine can never  be reopened as  the pillars were<\/div>\n
pulled when the stopes  were abandoned.   Pillars were made by cutting around natural<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

rock… pillars then sculpted  Pillars contained.
<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
of high grade ore so were recovered as the last part of a stope.  Occasionally we would  hear a great dull \u2018whump\u2019<\/div>\n
where part of the mine ceiling collapsed.  No pillars left to hold up the roof.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
  At the same  time the roof was collapsing, Can Met mine  was filling with<\/div>\n
water.  Sometimes we had  to wade  through low points.  Eventually the whole mine wll be<\/div>\n
flooded but right now it is explorable\u2026barely.  So why am I down here?  I have no idea.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
For the past 60 years I have wondered why we did this job in an abandoned<\/div>\n
and collapsing Uranium mine.  I have no answer.  Were  we  testing the Ronka.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

  Or were we testing the instrument man before he went to Ireland.  Not likely the<\/p><\/div>\n

 answer.   Why then?   Harry  asked the questions often in his  colourful  manner.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy the fuck are  we down here, Alan?”
  
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/div>\n
Harry loved to tell stories about mining in general and Can. Met. in particular.  Amusing  barely<\/div>\n
believable stories perhaps with a kernel of truth or perhaps fully factual.  I remember<\/div>\n
his stories to this day.  My journal confirmed my memory.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If I might make  light of the job, I could say we were down there just so Harry MacGinnis<\/div>\n
would have  an opportunity to entertain us\u2026otherwise he would be all alone.   The last man out,<\/div>\n
as  it were.   Here are some of his  stories\u2026outlandish\u2026maybe true\u2026maybe partly true\u2026maybe<\/div>\n
invented through hearsay.  All of them a  bit unsettling.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
1) \u201cA lot of dead  men down here\u2026some still  under the rock falls.  We call the big blocks<\/div>\n
that fell \u201cPortuguesers\u201d because  some of the men under those boulders were Portuguese<\/div>\n
immigrants\u201d   Between  1955 and  1996 when the last mine closed at Elliot Lake more than 130 men were<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
fatally injured.  As to the truth of Harry\u2019s stories I  am not sure.   He had lots  of stories.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
2)  \u201cYou know how you can tell that a mine is good\u2026about to open up and hire miners?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo idea.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHookers arrive.   If the hookers  arrive then the mine is good for sure.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
3) \u201cTo get a job as a waitress with Crawley and McCraken, the girls did  double duty as hookers.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
4)  \u201cThat radiation count was  a worry.  The more time underground here, the more radiation<\/div>\n
exposure.   What\u2019s the count today\u2026292\u2026almost three times acceptable level.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

  NOTE:
<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\u201cThe conditions in Elliot Lake are not the best conditions to work in to survive a normal life span. If anybody does not like to go to the hospital with lung cancer, he should have a very close look at the Elliot Lake situation before he signs on as an employee of either one of the companies. We believe that the companies should not have the right to expose people to conditions that will cause bodily harm. There has to be a clean-up programme before we can definitely advise people to seek employment in Elliot Lake.\u201d (Paul Falkowski, United Steel Workers of America, Environmental Representative \u2013 June 1976)<\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

MINERE JOE ZULJIN:  \u201cI could be healthy, still workin. Now I have dust plus cancer. And the family is all upside down.  Dad\u2019s gonna die maybe today, maybe tomorrow, we don\u2019t know.\u201d His voice broke once again. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the way it looks like. It\u2019s bad. It\u2019s very bad for a family. Family\u2019s more hurt than me. Cryin\u2019, you know. Disaster.\u201d  (Joe Zuljin, Elliot Lake miner, died 1975, cancer, CBC documentary)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
5)  \u201cNo one checking roof bolts anymore.  Some are popping loose.  The  pillars were  pulled<\/div>\n
when  the stopes were  abandoned.  Damned dangerous for all of us. Knew a shift boss who<\/div>\n
got telescoped by chunk from the mine ceiling\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDid you say telescoped?<\/div>\n
\u201cHe was suddenly a much shorter man if you know what I mean.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
6) \u201cPoor old Can Met is filling with water\u2026deeper every day.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
7) \u201cA lot of million dollar machines are not worth taking to the surface.  Emerge like ghosts<\/div>\n
in our lamplight beams.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
8) \u201cStealing  becomes a way of life.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
9) \u201cMen are just walking away from those houses they mortgaged\u2026hoped the bank would let them.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
10) \u201cWhat the fuck are you doing  down  here anyway?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
ASIDE:  Harry\u2019s use of the F\u2014\u2014 word made me do a lot of thinking in 1960.  Thinking that has<\/div>\n
popped  into my mind now and then over the last 60 years.   What the fuck was I doing down at<\/div>\n
the bottom of an abandoned uranium mine?  Second week of May,1960.   Just a week earlier<\/div>\n
I was writing U. of T. exams in Russian History, the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant and  other <\/div>\n
non-engineering courses.  That ended on May 7.   By May  14, I  was cursing and swearing in<\/div>\n
the darkness of  Can. Met where low  grade uranium had been extracted, then enriched in some <\/div>\n
way to make Uranium 235  so unstable that a tiny bit of that element could be detonated<\/div>\n
producing enough energy to kill  thousands of people and devastate whole  cities like Toronto.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I had the presence of mind to slip a shard of that uranium ore  into my pocket.  The uranium, about 1%<\/div>\n
of the shard, is nestled somewhere in the rather pretty pebbly conglomerate.  Every once in a while<\/div>\n
I open my desk drawer and there the shard rests.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Somewhere inside this  shard  of Elliot Lake uranium ore there are tiny flecks of  uranium I imagine.   This  is  my only reminder<\/div>\n
of  the Elliott Lake adventure.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cHow the fuck did I ever find myself 2000 feet deep  in the bowels of the earth?\u201d  Pure chance\u2026good  luck really.  A few years earlier when<\/div>\n
I was a student at Humberside Collegiate in West Toronto I wondered what I would do  with my life.  What could  I do?  I was a  middle of the pack<\/div>\n
kind of person\u2026not  the top, not the bottom.  Comfortable in the middle.  Homework was always avoided.  So on one spring day I wondered what<\/div>\n
I could  make of my life.  What was  I good at?  Dancing, chasing girls, football, camping, hitch hiking, talking, Rover Scouts?   No jobs there.  But there was an answer.  The <\/div>\n
school had  given us barrages of  IQ tests over the years.  Multipole choice things which I took seriously.   Some of  my friends treated those<\/div>\n
tests as  jokes  and just marked the little boxes  without reading the questions.  Finished fast. Must have got IQ of rabbits.  I took my time.  Maybe there was  an answer there.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
38th Rover Crew\u201d..back row left to right\u2026Big Red Stevenson, Don Strathdee, Alan Skeoch, Ed Hissen<\/div>\n
front tow left to right\u2026Doug Mason (drove Marjorie to our wedding), Harvey Scott,  Harry, Jim Garden<\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
This  is  a  picture  of our 38th Scout Rover Crew.  We had  just got our kilts.  In the 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s Scouting was  popular.   My first job in mining<\/div>\n
exploration happened  because the mining boss, Gus  Schlitt, felt Boy Scouts were ideal  employees.  He asked mom and suddenly<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 my brother and I were deep in the Canadian wilderness.  I travelled alone to Chibougamau, northern Quebec. Spoke high <\/p><\/div>\n

school French with words  I made up like \u201cDonnez moi un chien chaude!.  Always got an amused look and later discovered<\/div>\n
the French Canadian words for \u2018hot dog\u2019  are \u2018hot dog\u2019.
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
It was a  tough job in the<\/div>\n
bush of Northern Quebec.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(continued):<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What was  I good  at?  I dropped in on the guidance counsellor.  Nobody there.   The filing cabinets were not locked so I pulled out the \u201cS\u201d  drawer and<\/div>\n
found my name.  There was  one  big Bar Graph that shocked me.  I  had  a great long line under which  it said  \u2018abstract reasoning\u2019.  What the<\/div>\n
hell is abstract thinking?   I had  no idea.  Most disconcerting was  my low level of mechanical ability when compared to abstract thinking.<\/div>\n
Shocked me.  Up to that point I wanted to be some kind of an engineer.  My forest ranger fantasy had ended years earlier.  Low mechanical<\/div>\n
ability?  That must mean I  would not be a  good engineer.  Or so I thought.  I must keep  that secret since every summer I did engineering<\/div>\n
type work and loved it.  Yet I was not supposed to ge good at it.   The shock made me more diligent believe it or not.  As it turns out all human<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

beings  use both kinds of reasoning\u2026abstract and concrete.   The engineering door was not closed. I just thought<\/p><\/div>\n

it was closed.  Lucky really for I fell by chance into a wonderful career.
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/div>\n
(Human beings are both concrete reasoners and  abstract reasoners.  But one or the other dominates apparently.  How  would you<\/div>\n
know which  you are?  Really I have no idea.  A concrete thinker follows  a recipe while making soup.  An Abstract reasoner says \u2018To hell<\/div>\n
with the recipe, I can make my  own  soup\u2019 and proceeds to pile in whatever seems available.  Maybe  even an old rubber boot.  Get the<\/div>\n
idea?   I wish I had  not looked at that bar graph.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I only saw that one bar graph.  The guidance teacher arrived back from lunch.   She was  incensed. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 \u201cJust what are you doing here?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTrying to find out my future\u2019\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWell that is secret information\u2026none of  your business\u2026now get out of here.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Strange.   A guidance counsellor who had secret files on every student.  But kept them hidden forever.  No matter.   It took some time to get over the shock of<\/div>\n
that bar graph.  Changed my life.   I wish abstract thinking had been explained to me.  Then perhaps I would have become some<\/div>\n
kind  of engineer.  I  do like to figure things out for myself rather than follow step by  step instructions.   I did manage to puzzle out <\/div>\n
how to use a slice rule when I had to do  so.   I did read  manuals but when necessary..   Concrete thinkers like step by step<\/div>\n
instructions.  Abstract thinkers like to figure things out for themselves. That would make me a bad cook.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
7 signs you may be an abstract thinker<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
    \n
  1. You spend a lot of time thinking about big questions such as \u2018what is the meaning of life<\/a><\/em>?\u2019 or \u2018what is the nature of consciousness<\/em>?\u2019<\/li>\n
  2. You are constantly wondering and asking why. As a child, you probably drove others a little crazy with your endless questions.<\/li>\n
  3. You don\u2019t like doing things unless you can see a good reason for doing them: \u2018just because\u2019 won\u2019t cut it.<\/li>\n
  4. You hate to follow step-by-step instructions and would much rather work things out for yourself.<\/li>\n
  5. You don\u2019t like routines and get easily bored<\/a> if you have to do the same task over and over again.<\/li>\n
  6. When thinking about something new, you often link it to something you already know, even if they seem to be unrelated ideas.<\/li>\n
  7. You are great at coming up with metaphors and analogies and linking ideas together in new ways.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
    WHAT ARE WE  DOING  2,000 FEET DOWN AN ABANDONED URANIUM MINE”<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Let\u2019s get back to Harry\u2019s question.  \u201cWhat the fuck are you doing down here\u20262000 feet down in the Can Met mine?\u201d<\/div>\n
    I have  wondered about that question for a long time.  <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    SUNDAY  MAY 15, 1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \"\"<\/div>\n
    We used a  machine like this to explore the abandoned<\/font><\/div>\n
    passageways  of Can  Met.  All of us in the bucket except<\/font><\/div>\n
    the driver.  <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    We are living  in the Senior Staff  House, a kind of  hotel reserved for Can.  Met big shots.   A beautiful ranch house  structure  that has<\/font><\/div>\n
    never been fully used and is now vacant at a cost of $100,000.   Lots  of  other vacant buildings such as the single men\u2019s<\/font><\/div>\n
    bunk house and 22 houses  built for families along with the huge mill and related machinery on top of the two shafts<\/font><\/div>\n
    that descend 2000 feet below surface.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    We went underground at 8 a.m.   My crew consisted of Bob  McConnell,  Allan Pegler, Joe  Weber and  Harry MacGinnis\u2026all<\/font><\/div>\n
    employees of Can. Met.  A  motorized  \u2018Scoop\u201d was waiting for us and  then we travelled through the main passageway to the eastern border<\/font><\/div>\n
    of the mine. This  Scoop would  be The last vehicle in the mine except for wrecked vehicles.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    WERE WE SAFE?<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThat\u2019s fresh \u2018loose\u2019 you hear falling,\u201d announced  Harry.  \u2018Loose\u2019 refers to pieces of  rock falling from<\/font><\/div>\n
    the mine ceiling where roof  bolts  have loosened.   Not a nice thought.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThis is  the spot where our shift bosses  \u2018telescoped\u2019 by falling \u2018loose\u201d.<\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cAre there many such accidents?\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cA Cat driver over in the Panel Mine drove right into the grizzly and was mashed to a pulp.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

     \u201cWhat is a \u2018grizzly\u2019?\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

     \u201cA rock crusher\u2026tears rock apart like a grizzly bear would do with you”
    <\/p>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \u201cWhy is that Danger Sign pulled aside?\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cSpecial treatment for us \u2026 we can go  anywhere we want… likely safe enough.”<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThese stopes have been sealed  off as dangerous.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThen what are we doing  here?\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cWe  do what we are told.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Then  we set up the Ronka in a  pattern that looked logical. Difficult<\/font><\/div>\n
    to arrange a grid with right angles but no alternative.  Then we  Sat for lunch<\/font><\/div>\n
    on what Harry called a  \u2018Potugueser\u2019 and  had lunch.  The lump of rock<\/font><\/div>\n
    was as big as a half ton truck.   When it fell there was a man underneath.<\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \u201cHe is still there\u2026never saw the rock  moved.”
    <\/p>\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    Many  new  Canadian  immigrants  find work as miners.  In  the 1960\u2019s  many<\/font><\/div>\n
    Portugue immigrated to Canada.  According to Harry the body was never<\/font><\/div>\n
    removed.  True or false?  No idea.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    MONDAY MY 16,  1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    A new  motor was scheduled to arrive in Sprague this morning.  We spent time plotting what data<\/font><\/div>\n
    we had.  Harry  kept  us entertained with his library of mining fiascos.  <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cCan Met invested $36,000 in an air conditioning system that never worked.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThere are Jumbo vehicles down here that cost $50,000 but never worked.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThe haulage ways and stopes are filled with abandoned  equipment\u2026it\u2019s like<\/font><\/div>\n
    travelling through a graveyard.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    He actually never spoke these words.  To speak  like Harry try adding<\/p><\/div>\n

    the word fuck wherever you can.  Becomes kind of  lyrical.  Go back<\/div>\n
    and try doing that with Harry\u2019s comments\u2026how many F words  can<\/div>\n
    be put in one sentence?<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \"\"<\/div>\n
    This  huge machine could drive roof  bolts into the ceiling of Can Met.<\/font><\/div>\n
    The bolts combined with heavy metal  netting helped prevent mine collapse.<\/font><\/div>\n
    They needed constant attention.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Meanwhile, we  set up the motor generator and  laid out our spread  wire through this part<\/font><\/div>\n
    of the mine.  In some places we had to crawl through ceiling rubble.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Joe Weber, an  ex-Nazi,  said he \u2018was released  from his war crimes in 1953.\u2019  Joe had<\/font><\/div>\n
    no kind words for Csn. Met. which he said  was  a company founded  on greed.<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    Uranium mining is not the best kind of  mining because the market is saturated<\/font><\/div>\n
    quickly.  Rush to market can cause safety problems.  Joe was an unhappy man.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Harry MacGinis kept referring to \u2018the whorehouse\u2019. a metaphor  which confused  me a bit.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cWhat whorehouse, Harry?\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThe Company warehouse\u2026each time we go there we get fucked.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Then Joe piped in.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cCan Met lost $1,500 worth of gas each month\u2026stolen.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cThere was  $50,000 worth of spare parts ordered  for a  nonexistent truck.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    My crew loved telling these stories.  Sounded  true but who really knows. Theft<\/font><\/div>\n
    is common among miners. (*Remember the Yukon story?)  High  graders in the gold<\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    mines are quite famous in Timmins, Ontario.  Books are written about them.  Where<\/p><\/div>\n

    could  you hide a chunk of  gold ore\u2026in your uneaten lunch sandwich?<\/div>\n
    in your thermos bottle, in the shift bosses pocket, in a crevice in your<\/div>\n
    own body?
    <\/p>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    TUESDAY  MAY 17, 1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    How did  machines as big as this  ever get 2,000 feet down the shafts at Can  Met?   The \u2018Cage\u2019 had to be large even  if the<\/font><\/div>\n
    machines  were taken down in pieces.   This was  brought back up when the mine was abandoned.  many others  were just abandoned<\/font><\/div>\n
    in the stopes and passageways far below.  These wrecks startled me as they suddenly appeared in our cones of light from our helmet lamps.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Today Harry MacGinnis came into the cook house reeling drunk after spending the<\/font><\/div>\n
    night at what he calls the Legion which is \u2018just a shack  built in the woods by<\/font><\/div>\n
    the boys\u2019   Seems drinking binges are common\u2026at least according to Harry.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
     By 8.30 a.m. we were down in the mine finishing up our resistivity<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    work and then began hauling in our base line cable.   Just walking alone in<\/font><\/div>\n
    the dark with a cone of light from my mining helmet was an experience\u2026combination<\/font><\/div>\n
    of mystery, fear ad curiosity.   Often large objects  would suddenly burst upon<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    the cone of  light\u2026startling.   Silence and  blackness.  Back at the Scoop<\/font><\/div>\n
    I took a picture of the boys but my flash bulb exploded . The  Sound was like a cannon<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    as it echoed down the dark passageway.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Today  Harry decided to take the Pope apart then shifted back to is<\/font><\/div>\n
    favourite target\u2026his mother in law.  \u201cShe is  harder than a whore\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Job complete.  Contrast between my two worlds\u2026the sophistication of the<\/font><\/div>\n
    University of Toronto and the earthiness at the bottom of  Can Met uranium mine.<\/font><\/div>\n
    Which do you find more interesting?<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    WENESDAY  MAY  18, 1960   <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Train heading home.  Phoned Marjorie as soon as I reached Sudbury from Elliot Lake.  So <\/font><\/div>\n
    nice to hear her voice.   I wonder how she would have liked the mine experience. Then on <\/font><\/div>\n
    to Toronto where Eric met me at West Toronto Station.   Drove Eric to his post<\/font><\/div>\n
    as lifeguard on Toronto\u2019s notorious Cherry beach then on to the company HQ.on O\u2019Connor Drive.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Flooyd Faulkner is getting married on Saturday.  Floyd has been a real leader<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    of men with a tricky sense of humour.   He calls me  \u2018Fucking Al\u2019 for instance  and<\/font><\/div>\n
    has done that ever since the terrible Groundhog River job back in 1957.  We lived<\/font><\/div>\n
    together in the  wilderness for nearly three months\u2026only contact was an occasional<\/font><\/div>\n
    food drop and the emergency  evacuation of  poor Walter Helstein who had fallen on<\/font><\/div>\n
    an alder picket and pierced his hand with subsequent screaming infection.  That job<\/font><\/div>\n
    was  a test of endurance and  privation.   So I accepted the nickname with good humour.<\/font><\/div>\n
    Roughest job I ever had.  How rough?  We had to cut the blowfly larva off our sides of  bacon for instance.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Floyd had been  a cage operator in Kirkland Lake until  his other shift operator was<\/font><\/div>\n
    mushed  into jelly when the cage cable broke.  Floyd quit that job\u2026resolved to<\/font><\/div>\n
    only work on the surface thereafter.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \n
    The day after his marriage he  will fly to Hudson\u2019s Bay for three months on a geophysical job.<\/font><\/div>\n
    This business can be hard on family life.   <\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
      I picked up my passport and health <\/font><\/div>\n
    certificate today.   Shortly I will fly to New York\u2026then Glasgow\u2026.then Dublin.<\/font><\/div>\n
    Our equipment should arrive  by ship  about the time I land.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
     KINMOUNT \u2026 MADE FAMOUS BY MY FATHER<\/div>\n


    <\/p>\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    Gord  Brand said  \u201cShort job for you in Kinmount for two  days\u2026can<\/font><\/div>\n
    you get your car\u2026pay 9 cents  a  mile?\u201d  \u201cSure”<\/font><\/div>\n
    Dad is mad\u2026hates to lose the car as trip from West Toronto to Whitby<\/font><\/div>\n
    plant is a  nightmare by street car and bus.  The only redeeming factor in that<\/font><\/div>\n
    cross Toronto trip is that the Racetrack is at the mid point.   Whether going <\/font><\/div>\n
    to work or coming home he could stop to lay a bet or two.  Harder by streetcar.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    THURSDAY MAY  19, 1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    The Kinmount site\u2026a known anomaly where E.M. machines  could be tested.   That\u2019s our family 1953 Meteor.  What cannot be<\/div>\n
    seen  are the clouds  of black flies and mosquitoes\u2026dense clouds  of them sucked blood in May each  year.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    The Arizona crew testing their equipment.   Initially I was slated to join this crew but suddenly the Irish  job  materialized.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Left for Kinmount at 6 a.m. travelling north east on largely empty roads.  Saw<\/font><\/div>\n
    two cow  moose that ran beside me for a short distance just east of  Kinmount.<\/font><\/div>\n
    Our test site was  on  a  barely visible grassed ever bush road  where I<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    met Gord Brand and Paul Head  who  had set up the large new Induced Polarization<\/font><\/div>\n
    unit.  Operatonal .    Lunch consisted of a case of IPA\u2026Ale.   Then I spent the<\/font><\/div>\n
    afternoon laying spread wires through the bush.  Came upon one shack<\/font><\/div>\n
    containing many dead  porcupines.  A mystery.  Porcupines are rare and<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    supposed to be protected.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Drove to Peterborough in the evening.  Staying at Rock Haven Motel.<\/font><\/div>\n
    Two big turtles on the side of the road\u2026a Snapping Turtle and a Painted Turtle.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Paul Head told stories about the Arizona job where I was supposed to<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    go until Ireland came along.  The Irish  job  seems to be a bit of a<\/font><\/div>\n
    mystery. <\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    <\/div>\n

     In Arizona near the Mexican border
    <\/p>\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
     Apparently one of our guys got tangled up in a fast marriage<\/font><\/div>\n
    down there and had to be rescued by the company.  The story was more<\/font><\/div>\n
    earthy than I describe which made me wonder about the truth of the <\/font><\/div>\n
    matter  As with all stories told.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    FRIDAY MAY 20, 1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    After  a great breakfast we drove back to the job site\u2026from triple lane highway to<\/font><\/div>\n
    double lane to single lane  to gravel road to turf road\u2026to the job site  again.<\/font><\/div>\n
    The month of May is the worst month for blood sucking insects\u2026clouds of<\/font><\/div>\n
    black flies trying to bite lumps of  flesh and burrowing their way along tight brltlines <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    or squirrelling into ears\u2026then mosquitoes by the thousands.  The females want<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    and need human blood\u2026or any other kind of blood.   We managed to only get<\/font><\/div>\n
    1.5 miles of readings done.  This instrument can be dangerous \u2026shock value of 500 volts.<\/font><\/div>\n
    So we were careful.   <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    SATURDAY MAY 21,  1960<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    We got a good early start today.  Working fast,  pushed to do so by the clouds<\/font><\/div>\n
    of bloody insects.   We finished the job by 6.30 p.m. and I took off immediately<\/font><\/div>\n
    for Toronto arriving home at 9.30\u2026covered 250 miles in three hours.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Dad spent part of the evening killing black flies that were still trapped<\/font><\/div>\n
    in the car\u2026.and  cursing me in his usual hilarious way.  Dad  knew the<\/font><\/div>\n
    Kinmount job site because  I took the family there a year ago.  When<\/font><\/div>\n
    we arrived at the grassed  over end point, I asked:<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cWell, Dad,  what do  you think of it?\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    \u201cGet me out of this goddamned bastardly bush this goddamn minute.\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
    Mom, Eric and I often laugh when we think of that comment by Dad.<\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    This is my Dad, Red Skeoch, who made cursing sound like pop music.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    SUNDAY MAY 22,1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Drove to farm with mom and dad.  Rain and fog but we got a few plants in the<\/div>\n
    ground then drove up to visit Frank and Lucinda (mom’s brother on the next farm north of ours) ..<\/div>\n
     returning to Cherry Beach to pick up Eric from his lifeguard job.  Eric has a lot of great stories<\/div>\n
    about lifeguarding.   Like the time he held  his binoculars to his  eyes  and announced\u2026\u201dScrewing<\/div>\n
    match over there!\u201d  \u201cWhere?  Where?\u201d  And Eric opened his hand.  \u201cRight here\u201d showing a Screw and<\/div>\n
    a  match in his hand.   I thought that was hilarious.  He had other stories best not put in  print.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    It had been a  grand  day.<\/div>\n
    Our dog Peter had a great day prancing around in the mud.  Not so good<\/div>\n
    for the  car though.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    MONDAY MAY 23, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Bought some 35 mm film at Honest Ed\u2019s on the way to Cherry Beach  with Eric.<\/div>\n
    Then  Dad  and  I went to the horse races at Old Woodbine.   Dad  was in<\/div>\n
    his element.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    \u201cWe\u2019ll get into the club house unless you bugger things up.\u201d<\/div>\n
    \u201cWhat must I do.\u201d<\/div>\n
    \u201cNothing.  Just look straight ahead with no expression.  Do not<\/div>\n
    look at the ticket booth. Act like you own the place.  Follow me.\u201d<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Dad knew the guys in the ticket booth.  No problem.  I lost a couple<\/div>\n
    of dollars but Dad seemed to make a few.   Later we picked up Eric<\/div>\n
    and  had supper at Bassil\u2019s Restaurant before returning home<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    TUESDAY MAY  24, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Barry Nichols gave me my flight.tickets along with $300  expense money.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Gord Brand and Paul Head left by Land Rover for the Arizona  job.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    I handed  in my expense  account for our car\u2026$49.31\u2026covered 480 miles<\/div>\n
    in three days.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Dan Bereskin arrived from Saskatoon as  a seismic  assistant and was<\/div>\n
    immediately shipped off to the gas pipeline job  near Niagara Falls.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    WEDNESDAY MAY 25, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Back at office.   Everyone seems a little envious  that I got the Irish job.<\/div>\n
    All is ready.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    WEDNESDAY  MAY  25, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Today  I took several uranium samples to the Rover Scout crew.<\/div>\n
    Rested.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    THURSDAY MAY 26, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    I did nothing today except look up my friends checked my bag.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    FRIDAY  MAY 29, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Final briefing day.   Dr. Norman Paterson asked me to demonstrate<\/div>\n
    how the AFMag  worked.   Sort of strange because I thought he knew<\/div>\n
    everything.  Maybe he was just checking me out\u2026not the AFMag.<\/div>\n
    Then we had one of the secretaries  type up my  report on the<\/div>\n
    AFMag.   That was a strange experience for sure because she<\/div>\n
    called  me \u2018Dr. Skeoch\u2019   Seemed strange.  <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Then Barrie Nichols took me aside.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    \u201cAlan, you must pretend to be a permanent employee with<\/div>\n
    vast experience running the Turam  E. M. unit.  Can you<\/div>\n
    do that?\u201d<\/div>\n
    \u201cSure\u2026no one else seems to know the machine.\u201d<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    I picked up the volt meters and  went home.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    SATURDAY MAY 28, 160<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Shopping day\u2026technical books, rainwear, self-timer, filter for camera,<\/div>\n
    map case.   Talked  with Marjorie. We get along so well.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Thirty tomato plants for the farm then back to the racetrack<\/div>\n
    with Dad.   In evening Mom and I  went to see The Man from Havana<\/div>\n
    with Alex  Guinness.  <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    SUNDAY MAY 29, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Uncle Art, Uncle Norman and Cousin \u2018Long’ John  arrived<\/div>\n
    at the farm to have a beer with Dad\u2026his brothers and nephew.  I went over to Red Stevenson’s place<\/div>\n
    for coffee in the evening\u2026always welcome there\u2026nice feeling.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    MONDAY MAY 30, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Mrs. Stewart next door wondered if I  would drop in on her Mom<\/div>\n
    in Glasgow since I had a  bit of a layover.  Promised to do  so.  Mr.<\/div>\n
    Cook drove me to the airport where Doug and  Harry had  arrived<\/div>\n
    to wave me off.   TCA stewardess nice.  The airport in New York is<\/div>\n
    immense.  KLM, Royal Dutch  Airlines had a man sent to meet me<\/div>\n
    and escort me to the right terminal.  Boarded at 6.25 after a  long rush.<\/div>\n
    Nine hour flying time.  Dutch are very friendly.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    TUESDAY  MAY 31, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Landed Prestwick airport south of  Glasgow.  Had  been  a landing <\/div>\n
    point for World War II bombers \u2026 at least the planes that survived<\/div>\n
    the long flight across  the Atlantic Ocean.   Rather depressing place.<\/div>\n
    Spent much of the day in Glasgow.  Long lines of heavy stone tenements<\/div>\n
    turned black  from coal  fires.   Visited Mrs. Stewart\u2019s Mom who had prepared<\/div>\n
    a  special  steak  with a fired  egg on top.  Because  of the blackened tenement building<\/div>\n
    I expected the residents to be unhappy.  The reverse was true \u2026 cheerful place.  I was<\/div>\n
    introduced to other tenants and taken on  a  tour of Glasgow.   Then back to<\/div>\n
    Prestwick for the fight to Dublin.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 1960<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    AT last I arrived in  Dublin, Ireland.  Ready for the job.<\/div>\n
    But equipment had not arrived  at Arbuckle, Smith and<\/div>\n
    Company.  No Turam.  I will have to wait in Dublin.  Who knows<\/div>\n
    how long.  Fell asleep three times today.  Very tired.  Being alone<\/div>\n
    in a new city is not all that pleasant.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Kevin Behan \u2026wife  and daughters \u2026made my days in Dublin enjoyable.  They did not have to do that.   Irish hospitality.<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    I phoned Mrs. Behan who some friends had suggested as  a Dublin<\/div>\n
    contact.  She was full of joy.  \u201cMy husband  Kevin will be arriving from Italy shortly,<\/div>\n
    we want you to come out to the house immediately.\u201d   And<\/div>\n
    so began my  days  in Dublin\u2019s fair city\u2026”<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    END EPISODE 85<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    (THIS EPISODE LINKS BACK  TO THE FIRST IRISH EPISODE)<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    alan skeoch<\/div>\n
    July 2020<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n

    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    EPISODE 85      UNDERGROUND  AT ELLIOT LAKE, PART 2, MAY 1960 alan skeoch July  2020 Note:  My interest in mining \u2018Cages\u2019 will be peppered  here and there in these episodes\u2026.seems irrelevant but every mine had a cage except for Knockmahon, Ireland.    The uranium mine at Can. Met. Elliot Lake had a cage large […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5338\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}