{"id":5477,"date":"2020-08-14T11:53:33","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T15:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5477"},"modified":"2020-08-14T11:58:25","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T15:58:25","slug":"episode-93-paradise-lodge-mile-71-on-the-algoma-central-railway-how-does-paradise-lodge-fit-into-the-universe-as-we-know-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5477","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 93 PARADISE LODGE … MILE 71 ON THE ALGOMA CENTRAL RAILWAY (How does Paradise Lodge fit into the universe as we know it?"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE  93   PARADISE LDOGE\u2026MILE 71 ON  THE ALGOMA  CENTRAL RAILWAY<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
(How does Paradise Lodge fit into the universe as we know it?)<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n
PARADISE LODGE\u2026MILE 71 ON THE ALGOMA CENTRAL RAILWAY<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

My job was to get the numbers.  As har as thinking was concerned I was  not expected to do  much.  Best to keep my<\/div>\n
head as  thick as  this piece of rough sawn timber.  Just being an instrument man was  tough enough.  Most people<\/div>\n
would refuse to do the work.  Why?   Afraid  of losing so  much  blood  to carnivorous insects that tore flesh or shoved <\/div>\n
stiletto needles and sucked blood.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
MARJORIE:  ON OUR DECISION TO GO TO PARADISE LDOGE, MILE 71, ACR.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“ALAN, don\u2019t you think it\u2019s strange that so much  of your time in the mining game was  centred<\/div>\n
on the Canadian  Shield.?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNever thought too much about it really\u2026took it for granted.   I was never encouraged<\/div>\n
to consider the big picture. ” Just do your job\u2026get the readings.”Mining companies are secretive.<\/div>\n
In nearly all jobs Our contractors did  not want many people to know what we were doing..\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy is that?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMoney had a lot to do with the secrecy.  Big blocks  of land were staked as mining claims but<\/div>\n
never big enough.  \u201cSuppose  we claimed  the wrong place and  some other son of a bitch<\/div>\n
knew about our work and  snapped  up the good  claims.\u201d   If too much  was said about our work, then other mining promoters  would<\/div>\n
flood the area with claims.  So we were never told much  about our clients.  <\/div>\n
Most clients were honest even if  secretive.  At the same time there have always been<\/div>\n
A lot of  shady  <\/div>\n
characters boosting worthless mining stock\u2026sucking in the greedy people of this world.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
When I was a 17 year old high school student, I did  a job  in the Chibougamau region of Northern Quebec that taught me much<\/div>\n
about the shady side of  mining exploration.   My  role was minor on the job\u2026basically to <\/div>\n
help portage and  row a  rowboat through a series  of lakes \u201cto check  out a vein of<\/div>\n
chalcopyrite for a mining company\u201d.  It took us  two days  to get there and two days get back <\/div>\n
to Chibougamau.   Maybe a week.  No communication with anyone.  Secret.  While we <\/div>\n
were rowing in the shallows and then we had  a small outboard fising engine for the deep  water.. ..\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cRowing?   Why didn\u2019t you use a canoe?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNo canoes  were available or so we were told.   So  we rowed this ungainly towboat<\/div>\n
and  carried it across portages.  Carrying a rowboat over rocks, tree roots, and through <\/div>\n
tag alder swamps was  not pleasant.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy did they send you, Alan?  Were you special?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cJust for brute labour.  The real important person was  Dr. Wilson,an elderly geologist. .<\/div>\n
A really nice man who had been  asked  to give his opinion on a recently discovered<\/div>\n
vein of chalcopyrite.  Asked to do so by  a  small  mine company.\u201d<\/div>\n
(I have a  picture of Dr. Wilson in our motor boat but have not found it yet)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cOh, we found lots of chunks of Chalcopyrite.  The mine promoters had  spread  lots  of <\/div>\n
the stuff around.  They brought the lumps into the site from somewhere else.  The term<\/div>\n
for that  is \u201cseeding the site\u2019.<\/div>\n
 They had blasted the  vein all to hell.   Just a  smoke  screen.  The vein was a worthless<\/div>\n
vein of  pyrite.  The blasting was designed to indicate seriousness.  To fool investors.<\/div>\n
 Dr. Wilson did  not spend  much<\/div>\n
time on the site. however.  He knew  what was  happening. \u201cThis place has been  seeded.<\/div>\n
The chunks  of chalcopyrite have been brought in\u2026the vein is  pyrite\u2026no copper.<\/div>\n
We are heading back right away.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
He was angry.  He had  been duped for he was an  honest man.  The owners  of the claims<\/div>\n
were crooks.  There was no potential mine.  But they could  make big money by noting<\/div>\n
in an advertisement in the Northern Miner that \u201cat team  with a noted geologist has  been sent in to check<\/div>\n
out the value of  our claim, etc.etc.\u2026 whatever.”   The mining stock  they issued would<\/div>\n
go up in value.  Speculaitors wanting to get rich quick bought the stock\u2026ordinary people<\/div>\n
often who  knew nothing about mining.  Pharmacists like your grandfather from Lindsay.<\/div>\n
Remember all the mining stock you inherited.  Worthless.  The shady promoters would  Fools would buy it.  The stock would  go up  in value.  <\/div>\n
When the promotor thought it was close to a peak, the promoter would  sell and  make a  bundle.  Let\u2019s say the stock sold<\/div>\n
at 20 cents  a share\u2026and then shot up to $2 a share.  One hell of a profit possible.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened when you got back to Chibougamau?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
CHALCOPYRITE\u2026COPPER ORE\u2026GOOD <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDr. WILSON told the truth.  \u201cAll  we could find was a vein of worthless pyrite\u201d<\/div>\n
And the stock would plummet.  Investors would lose their shirts  The promoters<\/div>\n
would walk away with the money.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t that illegal?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cReckon so.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cI brought out a big chunk of the pyrite vein.  it\u2019s around  the  garden somewhere.  <\/div>\n
Can\u2019t remember where.    Bottom line, I did nothing..  What was I supposed to do?<\/div>\n
My job  was  pure and  simple.  I rowed the boat in and  I rowed the boat out.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cCouldn\u2019t you call the police?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNever occurred to me.   One thing  I did learn though.:<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNot to buy mining stock.  I never knew what was  good  and what was bad.<\/div>\n
Many of our customers preferred us to know as little as possible about<\/div>\n
what we were doing.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you mean  you spent nine years of your life checking mining claims but<\/div>\n
never knew whether they were worth anything?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s about right.  I was a simple cog in the machine.  Bottom of the <\/div>\n
pyramid.  Not expected  to think much.  \u201cJust get the data, Alan, nothing<\/div>\n
more.  We will do the interpretation.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE BIG  PICTURE AS I SEE IT.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Image<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Lately, I have been thinking about what I did  for those nine years.  The big picture.  <\/div>\n
And  I am bowled over.  What I spent nine  years (maybe ten  years) doing was <\/div>\n
linked to the origins of planet earth.   Our big  ball whirling around  the sun is a<\/div>\n
most unusual  place.  Perhaps unique in the universe.   Certainly unique in our<\/div>\n
solar system.   Perhaps unique in our galaxy.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I remember asking a Grade Ten class to speculate on what life would be like<\/div>\n
on our planet 50 years from now.  One boy \u2019s  answer remains with me.<\/div>\n
\u201cSir, in 50 years we will have explored our solar system and other solar<\/div>\n
systems.   We will have concluded that we are alone in the universe.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What makes our planet singular\u2026unusual?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The  September issue  of Scientific American is titled \u201cHumans, why we\u2019re unlike any other<\/div>\n
species on the planet.\u201d   At the back of that issue is an article  by John Gribbin titled :Why we are <\/div>\n
probably the only inellifent life in the galaxy\u2026ALONE IN THE MILKY WAY.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
QUOTE FROM GRIBBIN,  P.96, SCIENTIFIC  AMERICAN,  SEPT. 2018<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cASTONOMERS HAVE FOUND thousands of planets orbiting other stars<\/div>\n
in the Milky Way,  and 100 million more strars in the galaxy presumably host planets<\/div>\n
of their own.  Given the sheer number of worlds out there,  scientists find<\/div>\n
it easy to hope that some of them might be harbouring sentient beings (like us).<\/div>\n
After all, could  Earth really be unique among so many planets.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Gribbin\u2019s answer?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cIt could.  Optimism about the possibilities  of intelligent extraterrestrial life ignores<\/div>\n
what we know about how humans came to exist.  We are  here because  of a<\/div>\n
long chain of implausible coincidences \u2014 many, many things had to go right<\/div>\n
to result in the  situation  in which  we find ourselves.  The chain is so implausible,<\/div>\n
in fact, that there is good reason to conclude that humans most likely are the<\/div>\n
only technological civilization in the galaxy.<\/div>\n
(Let us leave aside  the other countless  galaxies in the cosmos because, as <\/div>\n
the  saying has it, \u2018in an infiinte universe, anything  is  possible.\u201d)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So Mr. Gribbin  is saying the same thing my Grade 10 student said\u2026i.e.<\/div>\n
we are alone.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We are the result of a  whole mess of good  luck.   And some of that<\/div>\n
luck is apparent in the places I have worked.  If I had to drive a<\/div>\n
thumb tack into the centre  point of my mining exploration activities<\/div>\n
i would drive that point into Mile  71 on the Algoma  Central Railway.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And the place is called Paradise  Lodge.   No doubt the name was<\/div>\n
chosen to attract fishermen rather than the Paradise  of which I speak.<\/div>\n
Let me just select some of the lucky circumstances.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
First and foremost is  the thin crust of rock and minerals on which<\/div>\n
Paradise  Lodge rests.  Very little topsoil because  past centuries<\/div>\n
of glaciation has pushed whatever topsoil once existed into depressions<\/div>\n
or into glacial rubbish hills far to the south in Ontario.  That has exposed<\/div>\n
the vast sheet of granite and  volcanic rock  on which our thin<\/div>\n
crust of earth floats.  Our own  tectonic plate.  Our Canadian Shield.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Beneath that shield is an immensely thick envelope of  molten magma\u2026molten <\/div>\n
rock and minerals.   And deeper still is the core of the earth there  is a  Heavy metallic<\/div>\n
core of  nickel  and iron.  Hot as the hubs of hell.  Huge core.  A  solid core\u2026but a hot core\u2026<\/div>\n
that rolls around somewhat creating the magnetic  field that shields us<\/div>\n
all from the deadly cosmic rays  emitted by the sun.   Without this magnetic<\/div>\n
field  we would  be fried.  Fried?  More than  that.  We would never have come<\/div>\n
into existence in the first place.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As  astronomers search  the galaxy for other worlds  like ours they have<\/div>\n
found  many that exist in a  liveable zone like earth.  But they have not <\/div>\n
found  as yet round balls like ours with a heavy metal core, a huge envelope<\/div>\n
of molten magma that occasionally bursts through the thin but solid tectonic<\/div>\n
plates  that float on this molten sea.  We need that magma since it carries<\/div>\n
and replaces  the minerals  upon which our civilization is  more and  more<\/div>\n
dependent.  Like copper.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Why are these tectonic  plates  so thin.  Why  is there not a solid envelope <\/div>\n
of rock surrounding the atmospheric envelope in which  we find the Oxygen<\/div>\n
that gives us  life.  Why is the Canadian Shield  so thin  that it has lots<\/div>\n
of  cracks?   Why  are these cracks important.? <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Let me return to Mr. Grabbin.    In ancient times\u2026billions of years ago, our<\/div>\n
earth collided with another planet.   It was  not a direct hit so most<\/div>\n
of the earth survived.  The collision was a glancing blow that sheared<\/div>\n
of a  great slice of our planet.  The part sheared of was  mostly the cold<\/div>\n
crust of lighter rock like our granite.  once sheared the  rock hurtled into space.  But that sheared portion<\/div>\n
did not escape.  The power of  mother earth\u2026i.e. the power of gravity\u2026<\/div>\n
prevented  the sheared bit of the planet from escaping.  The lump, held  by<\/div>\n
gravity, orbited our earth and rounded itself off to become our moon.<\/div>\n
The moon was an accident of  birth.  The moon exerts gravitation force<\/div>\n
that holds  our earth in a  stable position.  Without the moon we would<\/div>\n
be revolving.  No orderly seasons.  Rolling heater skelter.  Chaos.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
That collision carved away a great slab of the earth\u2019s crust.  What remained<\/div>\n
was \u2026is\u2026a much thinner crust of  moving plates  of rock of which the<\/div>\n
Canadian Shield is but one plate.  When the plates collide mountains  are<\/div>\n
formed and some of the hot magma  intrudes bringing up copper, gold,  iron,<\/div>\n
silver, molybdenum, and  other minerals without which we cannot live.<\/div>\n
Lucky us!  That thin crust is crucial.  Had  the crust of the earth remained<\/div>\n
solid and thick , we would not be here. We  certainly would  not be driving<\/div>\n
around in \u2018Planes, Trains and automobiles\u2019.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Something else happened  in that collision.  The heavy core  of the earth<\/div>\n
remained and  all the heavier parts of the pieces in the collision<\/div>\n
were drawn  together forming that nickel \/ iron core and the great <\/div>\n
massive molten surrounding envelope.   That core  provided  the magnetic<\/div>\n
force to hold the big  fragment piece in place\u2026the moon is held in place<\/div>\n
by the gravitational force of  our earth\u2019s core.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
This sounds simple.  Or maybe it sounds improbable.  Maybe I am wrong<\/div>\n
in some of what I have written.  Be that as it may.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Paradise Lodge is located at Mile 71 on the Algoma Central Railway.<\/div>\n
Geophyicists like my boss Dr. Norman Paterson were contracted by<\/div>\n
some mining company  that sent an  airborne magnetometer over<\/div>\n
Paradise Lodge and  surrounding Boreal Forest.  The magnetometer<\/div>\n
gave off some weird  blips in places.  What were these blips?  <\/div>\n
Something weird  was  going on .  \u201cSend in a ground crew to<\/div>\n
check out those anomalies.  We might find veins of Chalcopyrite<\/div>\n
intrusions  in the granite.   If we do, we could get very rich.<\/div>\n
The world needs more and more copper.  Without copper electric motors<\/div>\n
cannot be made.  Our civilization could collapse.  Bottom line?  We <\/div>\n
could make lots of money.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
No need to tell  the ground crew much about what seems to be happening<\/div>\n
with the readings.  Interpretation is a job for geophysicists.  Getting<\/div>\n
the numbers is a job for instrument men.   Can secrecy be maintained?<\/div>\n
Tell the survey crew to keep their mouths shut.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So, finally,afer 60 years I have opened my mouth.  Yes, my words<\/div>\n
are simplistic.  What do you expect from  an instrument man?<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
NEXT EPISODE\u2026 ALGOMA AND THE MAN WHO GOT THINGS ROLLING<\/div>\n

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

EPISODE  93   PARADISE LDOGE\u2026MILE 71 ON  THE ALGOMA  CENTRAL RAILWAY (How does Paradise Lodge fit into the universe as we know it?) alan skeoch August 2020 PARADISE LODGE\u2026MILE 71 ON THE ALGOMA CENTRAL RAILWAY My job was to get the numbers.  As har as thinking was concerned I was  not expected to do  much. […]<\/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-5477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5477","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=5477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5477\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}