Staunton's VIII. Getting the ball rolling:

                            Staunton VIII

 

                                   Getting the ball rolling

 

         The ride up along the Fraser River had been invigorating. The power of the mighty Fraser, cascading down from the north, was a visual pleasure to watch. Since the 1850’s, there had been findings of  placer gold, washed up on islands in the River. The tracer amounts had fueled dozens of conversations of what lay up there in the Yukon, waiting to be discovered.

 

Jim and Ian had walked the banks of the muddy river inspecting the fire brick clay that lined its shore in that area. It would make good fodder for the brickyard. The heavily wooded, first growth conifers would fire the kiln fire pits for years. They just had to figure out a way to harness the river’s rushing torrent to propel their crusher machines.

 

The brothers saddled up their mounts and rode back to Jim’s place on the waterfront. It had been a long day and the lads were tired. They unsaddled their mounts, wiped them down vigorously and then checked their tack for rips or wear.

Then they trudged up to Jim’s place, settled into their bunks and slept the sleep of the just.

 

The next morning, they were up with the gulls. They had a lot to do today. They saddled and reined up the horses after feeding them oats and water. Then they rode over to Lowry’s for a morning feed. Laura Sadler met them at the door and had a brief conversation with Ian, before seating them and taking their order.

 

The lads ate heartily. It would be a long day and it might be their last meal till night fall. Jim waved to John Lowry, who was busy doing a dozen other things, all at once,

 

When they finished, they settled up their tab, waved to John and Laura and rode downtown to Jim’s work site on West Georgia. They tethered their horses nearby and Jim set off in search of his boss, Michael Conners. He found him on a second story level assigning tasks to the lads.

 

“Mr. Conners,” Jim said “I’ve come to explain my absence. I fell from my horse and sprained a wrist. I think it will be okay by tomorrow. I will come back to work if you are willing?”

“We have missed you, Jim.” Said Conners. “ I hope you are healed enough  to come back tomorrow. We have need of another good man."

 

“I will, Mr. Conners,” said Jim. “And I have my brother Ian with me, newly arrived from Bristol. He is in search of a position. I adjudge him to be as good a Mason as I am.”

 

Conners, thought for a minute, picked up a trowel, handed it to Ian and said “Show me.”

 

Ian scooped up some mortar, grabbed a brick and knelt down by an open row. He layered the mortar on the existing brick level, set the brick in, They he slavered the excess mortar form the seams of the bricks, tapped it into place and moved on to the next brick and the next after that.

 

After watching Ian for thirty minutes, Conners said.” Okay Lad, you are hired. Come in tomorrow at 7 A.M with Jim to start work.

That task taken care of, Jim and Ian rode over to a nearby iron monger’s shop. Jim showed the man a rough sketch of what he had in mind for an extruder mechanism and then asked. “Can you make this for us?”

 

The iron monger looked at the sketch and then said , ”Yes, I think we can do that. We are a bit busy now, but if you can wait a few months, I will guarantee delivery.”

“Aye, that will do,” said Jim. A hand shake sealed the bargain.

 

“Next, Ian, we have to rent a small dray cart, to haul supplies up to the River site. I think I know a stable where we can find one.”

A few blocks over they found a cart that would do and paid the owner in cash for its use. Hitching the cart to his horse, Jim rode over to a suppliers of construction materials.

 

“I’d like ten bags of cement, please, in fifty-pound bags.” Said Jim to the store clerk. “I also need four shovels, two pick axes and a dozen wooden stakes with four hundred yards of twine. Can you help us?”

 

“ I think so, “ said the clerk. “Pull your cart up to the barn door and we will load the supplies on.” Ian paid the man in cash from his stock.

“What have we got now, Jim? Said ian.

 

“Well, I would like to stop by the Bank of Vancouver and set up an account for the Mac Adams Brothers Brick yard,” said Jim. “I don’t fancy carrying around all of that cash with us. Ther are indeed rascals around who might try and lift it from us or at least from our dead bodies,” said Jm.

 

The Vancouver bank was nearby the Hotel construction site. The two lads walked into the fancy lobby and asked to open an account. The clerk, viewing their work clothes and boots, was a little skeptical. He was that is until Jim Mentioned they had 400 English pounds to deposit. That was a sizeable amount of money and got them attention quickly. They ordered drafts to be printed to pay their suppliers.

 

“We are almost ready to ride, Ian,” said Jim. “The post office is just down the street. You can send a report off to Dad in Bristol. And I can notify the mill owners in Seattle that we are interested in the pug mill and crusher assemblies.” Said Jim.

 

All of that taken care of, the brothers rose east towards the River. A brief stop at Gassy jack’s ,for a beer and sandwiches was refreshing.

 

Jim’s horse complained some about dragging the cart behind her. But, she was a good mare and did what she was asked. They rode slowly north and east, to the Fraser River. They followed a slim path that had probably been worn down by the first nation’s peoples for hundreds of years. Soon enough, they came to their site.

 

They unloaded the cement ad tools in a pile and covered them with a tarp.

 

“Are you not afraid of vandals carrying off our goods?” asked Ian.

 

“No one carried off anything not their own in this area,” said Jim. “The few newcomers who have tried have danced their last at the end of a rope.” Only trappers of hunters venture up this way,” said Jim. “And if they do need to borrow something, they leave payment for it. it is just our way here abouts.”

 

Jim and Ian, from memories of their Bristol yard, paced off the needed space to contain the mill, they drying racks and the kiln. Then they marked out that outline with the wooden stakes, and as a last measure, tied twine around the lengths of wood. Visually, the yard was starting to appear.

 

“ I think we are done for the day, Ian,” said Jim. “it is time to head on back. Sure, we have an early call for work tomorrow. Mr. Conners doesn’t tolerate late comers.”

 

The brothers mounted their horses and made the slow ride back to Vancouver. Jim had to drop off the dray before they headed home. Beers at any of the fine establishments would have to wait for another night. Thes two lads were beat.

 

They rode down to jim’s, where they unsaddled the horses in the stable. They gave them a vigorous rub down and then fed them oats and water. These two fine steeds had done their work today. And the two fine lads had done their job as well. They stumbled up to Jim’s place and without undressing crashed down on their beds and slept the sleep of the dead.

 

                                                -30-

                                         (1,310 words)

                                       Joseph Xavier Martin