{"id":5441,"date":"2020-08-05T22:52:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T02:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5441"},"modified":"2020-08-05T22:55:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T02:55:42","slug":"fwd-episode-87-my-last-kick-at-the-can-last-mining-exploraton-job-summer-1965","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5441","title":{"rendered":"Fwd: EPISODE 87 MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN…LAST MINING EXPLORATON JOB SUMMER 1965"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Begin forwarded message:<\/div>\n


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From: <\/b><\/span>ALAN SKEOCH <alan.skeoch@rogers.com<\/a><\/a>>
<\/span><\/div>\n
Subject: <\/b><\/span>EPISODE 87 MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN…LAST MINING EXPLORATON JOB SUMMER 1965<\/b>
<\/span><\/div>\n
Date: <\/b><\/span>August 5, 2020 at 9:01:06 AM EDT
<\/span><\/div>\n
To: <\/b><\/span>Alan Skeoch <alan.skeoch@rogers.com<\/a><\/a>>, Marjorie Skeoch <marjorieskeoch@gmail.com<\/a><\/a>>, John Wardle <john.t.wardle@gmail.com<\/a><\/a>>
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EPISODE 87   MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN\u2026MY LAST MINING EXPLORATON JOB  SUMMER 1965<\/p>\n
      (Marjorie surprised us all\u2026dare  not say more)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch\u2019<\/div>\n
August 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE STRANGEST THING HAPPENED WITH THIS  STORY.  I WANTED  A PICTURE  OF<\/div>\n
THE  COMINCO OPEN  PIT MINE SO PUNCHED  UP MERRITT  B.C. ON THE INTERNET AND THERE<\/div>\n
IN BOLD PRINT WAS MY ORIGINAL STORY\u2026SAME EVENTS AS BELOW  BUT DIFFERENT.  SO<\/div>\n
YOU WILL GET TWO VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY.  HOW ACCURATE WAS MY  MEMORY.<\/div>\n
YOU BE THE JUDGE\u2026VERSION #2 COMING NEXT EPISODE.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
COMINCO MINE \u2026 picture taken  several  years later than  our visit in 1965<\/div>\n
\u2026Now Called the Highland  Creek  Mine.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Open Pit mines use massive  Euclid trucks to clear away the overburden to get at the ore.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This is the Cominco  \u2018holding pond\u201d for mine tailings.   It is now a new lake complete<\/div>\n
with trout for fishermen and fisherwomen.  Not all  mines are disastrous to the<\/div>\n
environment although that is hard to believe when the open pits  are in operation.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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VERSON #1:  WRITTEN FROM MEMORY ON AUGUST 4, 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Yes, I am back.  This terrible  summer of 2020 has not been pleasant.  There has been<\/div>\n
a big gap in my plants deliver an episode each day the goddamn Covid 19<\/div>\n
virus has forced so many of  you into  involuntary isolation.  I have  wanted<\/div>\n
to put some  of these stories in print for ages\u2026actually for 60 years. While locked<\/div>\n
up like  a lunatic  this  spring  and summer I have been  typing and some of<\/div>\n
you have taken  the time to read and  comment on the stories.   Thanks.  Your<\/div>\n
comments are like a pint of   Guinness to an Irish alcoholic. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Two comments before I begin Episode 87<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
1) The  pain in my gall bladder was excruciating.  My performance  in the<\/div>\n
emergency ward  of Mississauga\u2019s Trillium hospital a few days ago was<\/div>\n
embarrassing.  Having an anxiety attack while nearly nude really threw  <\/div>\n
me  for a loop.  (see last  Episode for the particulars).  I am fine now. <\/div>\n
No gall bladder.   the holes in my chest now match  the holes<\/div>\n
in my head.   The death of Gabriela, one  our daughters in law was<\/div>\n
a double shock contributing to the panic attack no doubt.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
2)  This Episode 87 does not follow the chronological order  of the Irish<\/div>\n
stories.    I will get back to them shortly.  I must tell the  of the story of the Summer of<\/div>\n
1965 while I remember what happened.  Cannot find  my  journal.  Just memory.  But<\/div>\n
the events are true.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
EPISODE 87   MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN\u2026SUMMER  1965<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We had  been married for two years.   A good marriage. Loved each<\/div>\n
other with no second thoughts.  at least none on my part.  Maybe Marorie<\/div>\n
had second thoughts after this adventure. Doubt it. Best Friends and lovers as they say. Everything was  new<\/div>\n
to the both of  us.  We started life as husband and wife  with nothing.  No <\/div>\n
pile of money.   No great rich  parents to load  us with the  luxuries  of  life.<\/div>\n
We were self supporting.  Marjorie was a teacher at Emery Junior High School<\/div>\n
and  I had job teaching history and english at Parkdale Collegiate Institute.<\/div>\n
  We looked  forward to a  quiet summer<\/div>\n
in our huge apartment at 120.5 Westiminster Avenue in west end Toronto.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I blame  that fish and chip dinner we ate  at a greasy spoon store on Roncesvales<\/div>\n
Avenue.  Ulcerated  mouth \u2026 Trench  Mouth.   It began slowly with a<\/div>\n
sore throat and progressed to a ghastly mouth that became one huge<\/div>\n
ulcer.  Eating food was like sticking my  throat in a  bonfire.  And it<\/div>\n
was ugly to look at\u2026white rather than red.  We reported the suspected<\/div>\n
origin to the Board of  Health where the nurse explained  Trench  Mouth<\/div>\n
comes from  eating off plates with cracks. \u201cMore often coffee cups with<\/div>\n
cracks.\u201d  The inspector  wondered how sure  i was the infection came<\/div>\n
from the fish and chip store.   I was not sure.  And regretted<\/div>\n
sending  inspectors to the small hole in he wall restaurant.   \u201cHappens<\/div>\n
all the  time, people make  guesses and restaurant owners get hurt.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I wished the inspector would leave.   Wished  I could  lie down.<\/div>\n
Wished the pain would go away. wished  I could eat or drink without<\/div>\n
incessant fire  in  my throat. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 \u201cThe summer is terrible, Marjorie\u2026On all those mining jobs we never got<\/div>\n
sick in the bush.   Cooked our food some of which was disgusting.  Remember<\/div>\n
that \u2018campers special stew\u2019.  Dried.  All it needed was boiling water.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBoiled  over a fire  late at night as we set up camp.  Dark.  The stew  tasted<\/div>\n
great.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThen in the morning light we noticed  the pot was  full of tiny dead worms.<\/div>\n
The dried  stew had been pre-digested  by the worms.  We at the worms.<\/div>\n
Never got sick.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWorse than that was the sowbelly maggots\u2026and weiners exuding a<\/div>\n
white preservative that stuck to our hands like glue.  Never got sick<\/div>\n
in 9 summers  of mining  exploration.\u201d (Not quire true)<\/div>\n
\u201cThen I got this nice  safe teaching job and here I am flat on my back with Trench Mouth.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMight be a good  idea  to stop talking about it Alan.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cEasy  for you to say.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot easy\u2026this summer seems dreadfull.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The  Trench Mouth ordeal was nearly over in the first week  of August.<\/div>\n
The phone rang.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, this is Norm  Paterson.  How is the teachig career going?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cVery well,\u201d (What would Dr. Paterson be calling me  for?\u2026.certainly not<\/div>\n
for small talk.  Certainly not to hear me  whine about Trench  Mouth.<\/div>\n
\u201cHow would  you like  a short job?\u201d  <\/div>\n
\u201cGreat.\u201d  (Amazing how  my blubbering about Trench  Mouth ended so abruptly)<\/div>\n
\u201cWe need  a guy to do a seismic job in British  Columbia.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe Portable Seismic\u2026FS 2?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyes, same one you used  in New Brunswick and  again on the Niagara River job\u2026you know it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow  long?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cA week\u2026maybe two weeks.  You will be back  in time for school.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Norm\u2026i mean Doctor Paterson\u2026knew I was a mining exploration addict.)<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLeave tomorrow\u2026Air  Canada  to Vancouver then local flight to Kamloops where<\/div>\n
a car has been rented.   Then south to Merritt.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy the urgency?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOpen pit mine with a big problem.  One wall of the open pit seems<\/div>\n
unstable.  Could  collapse into the mine.  Wipe them out financially.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSo  how  will  our seismic machine,\u201d (Funny how I began using <\/div>\n
the term \u2018our\u2019)  How will we help\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe geologists and  mine manager are hoping that somewhere along the <\/div>\n
line of unstable rubble  there will be a big hook of bed rock  capable<\/div>\n
of stopping the collapse.  Millions of dollars involved.   If we  can help…<\/div>\n
the cost will be negligible.\u201d<\/div>\n
(I do not  remember ever asking Norm\u2026I mean Dr. Paterson\u2026how much<\/div>\n
I would be  paid.  The chance to have an adventure trumped money anyhow.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Trench mouth be damned\u2026I was back  in the  saddle again as the song says.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
     Some of you readers may have  already  made  a snap judgment about me.<\/div>\n
\u201cDamn fool does not know he is now a married man\u2026never consulted Marjorie..ready<\/div>\n
to bugger of on an  adolescent male holiday without thinking about Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
  Not true.  The previous  summer we took a job in the bush  north of Sault Ste Marie<\/div>\n
and I invited  Marjorie  to join us.  She arrived on the ACR<\/div>\n
(Algoma Central Railway)  at our flag  stop\u2026i.e. we simply<\/div>\n
waved to the engineer and he  stopped the train.  Marjorie got off<\/div>\n
carrying two things.  Both of  which  were quite useless.  She brought<\/div>\n
her sewing  machine \u2026 electric\u2026useless.  And our cat, Presque Neige\u2019\u2026.wolves<\/div>\n
howled every night.      Marjorie was not averse to adventure.  While waiting for<\/div>\n
me  to fly out to Salt Ste. Marie  she accepted an invite  to practice takeoffs and<\/div>\n
landings with a character just learning to fly. She only got out of that<\/div>\n
adventure  by pretending to throw up all over the windscreen  as they dipped  and  dove<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWell,Alan, what did Dr. Paterson want?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe have a job in B..C.  Flying out tomorrow.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDoes  Dr. Paerson know I will be coming as  well.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot exactly\u2026no\u2026he does not know.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho pays for me?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI will pay\u2026our holiday time.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut you will be working\u2026no holiday.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBetter than a holiday.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So we  flew  to Vancouver the next day.  I was a bit worried.  How  would the geologists<\/div>\n
and  mine manager react when I arrived with my wife.  Not such a good idea.<\/div>\n
Miners facing the  loss of a whole multi-million dollar mine would  not be<\/div>\n
amused. Their thoughts could be…<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 \u201cHe brought his goddamned  wife.\u201d<\/div>\n
(and  then phone Norm\u2026I mean Dr. Paterson\u2026in Toronto.)<\/div>\n
\u201cWe waned a seismic  man  out here\u2026not an asshole with his wife.\u201d<\/div>\n
(That could spell  trouble\u2026but i had a plan. The plan turned out to <\/div>\n
be bad.)<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie,  could you stay in Vancouver overnight and then come<\/div>\n
to my motel room in Merrit tomorrow.  Take the bus.  That would give me time to<\/div>\n
prepare the big shots  for your arrival..\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSuppose I could\u2026.\u201d (she was  not ecstatic about the idea but<\/div>\n
accepted the plan with reservations.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So I few  to Kamloops.  Rented a big flashy red  convertible and<\/div>\n
drove to Merrrit with the radio belting out Gordon Lightfoot and<\/div>\n
Peter, Paul and Mary.  Life was good.  Forgot about the Trench <\/div>\n
Mouth.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Earth mover\u2026like riding a dinosaur\u2026cowboy drivers sat in that little cage in front.  Bounced their way to the dump site.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I drive right down  into the open pit\u2026an immense hole in the land.Parked at the mine<\/div>\n
managers  shack,   Some cowboy about my age came thundering  out of the pit<\/div>\n
driving an earth moving machine\u2026bouncing along with a load  of waste to dump in<\/div>\n
the tailing dam.  He saw me\u2026saw  the red convertible and  decided to scare the<\/div>\n
shit out of  me for no good reason.   He wanted see  how close his earth mover<\/div>\n
could get to the passenger door of the convertible.    He misjudged and  ripped<\/div>\n
a  slab of steel siding as if he was driving an immense can opener   So much<\/div>\n
for the  red convertible. We got a less glorious replacement. next day\/.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
That little incident was a forewarning of things to come.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I thought Marjorie was safely tucked away in a modest<\/div>\n
hotel in East Vancouver.  East Vancouver?  Never been  there.<\/div>\n
Not such  a nice  place so I am told often by  Marjorie over<\/div>\n
the  past 60 years.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, the hotel was terrifying and the<\/div>\n
streets  outside were worse.  Scared me.<\/div>\n
So I left it behind.   Caught an overnight bus at 10 p.m.<\/div>\n
from  Vancouver to Merrit.  Found  your motel\u2026<\/div>\n
signed  in and went to bed.   You were out on<\/div>\n
the job\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
This was true.  I was out on the job with the big shots.  Doing some practice<\/div>\n
blasts  on the edge of the immense open pit<\/div>\n
Nice  guys.  Soon convinced I  knew what I was<\/div>\n
doing.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cLet;s go  for a beer near your motel.?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cGood idea.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The men  were startled to find a woman sleeping in my motel room.<\/div>\n
I was just as startled  to find Marjorie there. but immediately<\/div>\n
introduced  her to the geologists  and  the mine manager.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“This is my wife Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
They winked!   They grinned.   They did not believe me\u2026they were<\/div>\n
convinced I had hired a hooker from Vancouver to ease the<\/div>\n
tensions  of the seismic  job.  No matter what i said they grinned.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie, no matter what I say, those guys are<\/div>\n
convinced you are  a Vancouver prostitute.\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing much we can do about that\u2026I will just<\/div>\n
have  to play the role\u2026could be amusing.:\u2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
:\u201dHow in hell;s half acre did you ever get to Merrit on<\/div>\n
your own?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt was not  easy but I sure was not going to spend<\/div>\n
the night in that hotel.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Secretly I marvelled at Marjorie\u2019s ability to take the bull<\/div>\n
by  the horns and  adjust  circumstances.  Some  of her <\/div>\n
friends were shocked at our earthy  adventures.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
Post Script.  \u201cNice  guy sat beside me on the bus\u2026all night.\u201d   Wow!<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The  job worked  out OK.  First full day the  powder man fell off the edge  of<\/div>\n
the open  pit carrying our box of  Forciete and blasting caps.  We hauled  him<\/div>\n
back to the mine crest.  His  fall was  only about thirty or forty feet on  a  stable<\/div>\n
slope.   Forcite does not explode easily.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Later, when the big shots came to see a demonstration  I set everything up\u2026seismic<\/div>\n
machine as  base point and  blasting stations with 50 or 100 for intervals.  My job<\/div>\n
was simple.   Push  the \u2018fire\u2019 button  and read  how many milliseconds it took for<\/div>\n
the sound wave to reach  the seismograph.  What could go wrong.?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Lots.  Dr. Paterson knew that so before takeoff from Toronto he gave me a small<\/div>\n
package  of  computer boards.  \u201cAlan, if  the machine fails, just slip out a computer<\/div>\n
board  or two and replace them with these new  boards.  I don\u2019t expect that to happen<\/div>\n
but you never know.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Of course  the  first firing failed.   The forcite exploded  but the milliseconds<\/div>\n
of  the sound wave did not register.  And  all the mine officials were standing<\/div>\n
beside me.  Big time pressure.  \u201cKeep cool, Alan\u2026cool.\u201d  My thoughts.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cJust a computer problem fellows.  Will fix it in a  minute.\u201d<\/div>\n
(opened  up the seismic machine\u2026slipped out one computer board and<\/div>\n
slid in another from the stash provided by Norm.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cOK,fire again.   All clear.\u201d  I pushed  the button . The Forcite exploded and<\/div>\n
the millisecond  lights  lit up.  Perfect.   Everyone was  impressed including  me.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I do  not remember whether we found  a bedrock  hook to stop the mine<\/div>\n
collapse.  Not sure  we  did.  What I do remember was  looking down<\/div>\n
\u2026a  long way down\u2026to the bottom of the open pit.  And watching the<\/div>\n
detonations  below.  Huge  explosions\u2026massive walls of overburden just<\/div>\n
folded into piles of rubble for the Euclids to receive from Excavators.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
AMMONIUM NITRATE detonated  in an  open pit mine.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAmmonium Nitrate by the ton\u2026poured down blasting holes and then <\/div>\n
sweetened with diesel oil.  Detonated.  Makes  piles of rubble.  End of the world<\/div>\n
it seems at times.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We finished the job.  Had a couple of  meals with the mine manager and others.<\/div>\n
Marjorie  was included\u2026bubbly as ever.  She played her new role to perfection.<\/div>\n
They continued to wink.  Actually they liked her.  By the end  of  the job they may<\/div>\n
have even considered she was really my wife.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cHow will we get home, Alan?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJob is over.  On all my jobs  I tried to take the slow<\/div>\n
way  home.  To enjoy the sights of  a strange place.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCut the guff, how are we going  home?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBy the train\u2026the transcontinental\u2026Dining car and<\/div>\n
big bubble  viewing car\u2026and bunk beds.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSounds expensive.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI cut the cost buy just ordering one bed\u2026a lower\u2026.we will both be in<\/div>\n
the same bed\u2026.might be  a little tight.\u201d<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
END  VERSION #1   EPISODE 87<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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


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

Begin forwarded message: From: ALAN SKEOCH <alan.skeoch@rogers.com> Subject: EPISODE 87 MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN…LAST MINING EXPLORATON JOB SUMMER 1965 Date: August 5, 2020 at 9:01:06 AM EDT To: Alan Skeoch <alan.skeoch@rogers.com>, Marjorie Skeoch <marjorieskeoch@gmail.com>, John Wardle <john.t.wardle@gmail.com> EPISODE 87   MY LAST KICK AT THE CAN\u2026MY LAST MINING EXPLORATON JOB  SUMMER 1965   […]<\/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-5441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5441","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=5441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5441\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}