Vancouver Ch. # XXII- part I

           Vancouver- City of Adventurers

                             Chapter # XXII

            Opening the Yard- Yukon gold rush

 

       It was mid-December and the temperatures were starting to cool. Jim Macadams had cabled the mill owner in Seattle and arranged with him to ship the pug mill and cruncher apparatus to the port of Vancouver next Saturday. He had the Bank of Vancouver wire payment to the mill owner. He and Ian would pick up the dray and horses from the Smithfield farm, near Coaltown, on Saturday morning.

 

          On Monday morning Ian and Jim left early for work. The walk down Georgia Street was invigorating. At the site they stopped by Mr. Conner’s office.

 

           “Good morning Mr. Conners.” said Jim.

           “Morning Jim. You lads are here early,” said Mr. Conners.

           “We are,” said Jim. “Ian and I will be giving our notice, Mr. Conners. We will be leaving after the first of the year.”

            “You are not doing anything goofy, like hunting for gold in the wilderness,” asked Mr. Conners.

                “No sir, our dad taught us better than that. We are getting ready to open up our brick yard, in early February. We will need a few weeks to get everything ready for that date.”

                 “Well, I hate to lose you two. You have worked hard and well for me. But, I certainly understand that you have to get your own business underway.” said Mr. Conners. “If you two lads have any down time or business slows, I would be happy to have you back as day laborers, at the same pay as you get now.”

                  “That is generous of you, Mr. Conners,” said Jim. “We might have to take you up on that offer some time.”

                     “Aye, you might. I wish you lads well, but this gold fever will suck the life  out of everyone and focus their attentions on day dreams,” said Mr. Conners.

                      “Aye, it is all that the lads talk about,” said Jim. “Well ,we better get to work before you think us slackers,” said Jim.

 

                        “Oh, Mr. Conners. One more thing,” said Jim

                        “What’s that, lad? “ asked Mr. Conners.

                         “You know a lot of contractors and businessmen in construction,” said Jim. “It would mean a lot to us if you could refer to us contractors looking for prime quality bricks.”

                           “Sure, I can do that, Jim. Anything you two lads set your hand to, will have to be a good product.” said Mr. Conners.

                       The Mac Adams brothers picked up their trowels, mortar hods and got to work.

 

            That day at lunch, the conversation turned as usual to gold.

             “I hear they have found it lying in the creeks,” said Spike McGee. “I hear that the  biggest problem they have is hauling it out to the seacoast.”

            “Go on with you, Spike,” said Red O’Neil. “Sure, every old gas bag, in every gin joint in Vancouver is repeating that yarn.”

             “Well, Mrs. Mac Adams didn’t raise a fool,” said Jim. ”We have enough work here in Vancouver, to get us by. My mother would call  the gold fever  “chasing after moonbeams.”  And besides, my brother Ian here will be getting married in a few months.”

                “Ah, congratulations, Lad,” said Spike. “Sure, you won’t be galloping off to the Yukon, with a new bride at home.”

                            
                “No, I won’t be, Spike,” said Ian. “Besides, Jim and I are opening up our new brick yard come February.”

 

                 All of the lads expressed their support and wished them good luck. The days of the rest of the week followed like an echo. The drum beat of “gold fever” was intensifying. Even a stop at Gassy Jack’s became a  repetition of the reveries of old geezers, who remembered the ’58 Fraser River Gold Rush. They told and retold the same stories, always with glittering eyes, remembering times long ago when they had been lighter of  step and filled with hope.

            Saturday morning came quick enough. The Maca Adams brothers got rolling early. They saddled up their mounts and road over to Coal Town. Farmer Smithfield had been up for hors tending to cows and doing his chores.

         “Good morning, Mr. Smithfield,” cried Jim, as they rode into the farm yard.

         “Hello Jim” said Smithfield. “You’ve come for your dray and horses, have you ?” asked Smithfield.

 

         “We have, Mr. Smithfield.” said Jim.” And I have cash to pay for them as well.”

 

       “That’s fine,” said Smithfield. “I have fixed up the dray. And, I threw in a few bags of oats for the horses. They eat like locusts.”

         “Thank you for all of that, Mr. Smithfield. I appreciate your kindness.” Jim handed the man the agreed-upon amount.

          Together, they hitched up the dray horses to the dray and tied their mounts to the rear of the wagon.

          “We are off, Mr. Smithfield. Thanks for your help.” said Jim.

           “You are welcome, Jim.” Said Smithfield. “ Good luck with your new brick mill.” He then went back to his chores.

            Ian and Jim urged the horses forward. It was a slow ride to the nearby port of Vancouver. After a few inquiries, they found the ware house where the machinery had been delivered. They showed the manger their receipt and he pointed out the two covered stacks where his machinery lay.

               Using a warehouse hand truck, they muscled the machinery aboard their dray, waved to the foreman and set off. The ride up from Coaltown was not long, but the machinery was heavy and the horses uncertain of their way. It took them an hour to arrive at their brick yard. Faithfull Selkirk was already there, waiting for them.

              “Good Mr. Mac Adams,” he cried.

              “Morning, lad, “ said Jim. “We need to muscle each of these machines into the factory ,” said Jim.

                With some grunting of efforts, the three men carried the cruncher machine in first and seated it next to the western window. Then they dragged in the pug mill and hooked up the linkage to the cruncher. Lastly, they hooked up the connection to the extruder machine. 

               “Whew, that took some effort,” Ian grunted.

                “It did,” said Jim. “What say we grab a beer and rest for a bit.”
 said Jim. The three lads opened a v=beer and sat along the river bank.

                “What’s next, Jim?” said Ian.

                 “Well, we have to hook up the water wheel and revolving axis, to the cruncher and pug mill machines,” said Jim. “After that, we would be ready to start, if we had all the material we need.”

                                                       Joseph Xavier Martin