V ”52: worked for ten months in Charlottetown, part of the time with Thomas Robertson. That was the time the old Colonial Build~ ing was built. Pierce Lacey and I made the iron door and

the vault that went with it. "’While I was with Robertson, he had the job of build—

ing the Peint Prim Lighthouse. I was one of those sent out

there to put up the lantern. This would be about the first

lighthouse on the Island. There was none then in Helpeque;

New London, Rustieo, Georgetown, Souris, or Summerside. 0n

Governorgs Island there was a spar light on which they used

to hoist the lantern by hand. That same year we mounted the buoys, that is, hooped them and made them ready for placing. There were nine of us working in the blacksmith shop and we

had. five fires going.

" 'Shipbuilding was active; up every river, vessels were being built, in feet shipbuilding was the people’s whole living. You may say there was very little farming. Only little strips of fields along the river were cultivated. The innlgltents got their tee. sugar, moosssins, shirts and :w “;L heuli ngt imber to the shipyards. No one

a; core thaI; one horse and many had a yoke of oxen and no horse. I have shod oxen many a time.

“ aIn.Charlottetown, prominent among the shipbuilders were Peaks, Duncan, Walsh, Lord and Nelson. It was then a pretty small town» I moved a good bit through the Island and did almost every kind of blacksmith work. We went to work at 6 those days and worked two hours before breakfast. There wasn‘t so much fesh beef, but plenty of lobster, herring, and a bottle of rum could be had for a shillingo

” 9Soon after leaving Charlottetown, I was employed at Bell's shipyard, two miles above the present Stanley Bridge on the Stanley River. The four brothers, William, John, Andrew and Ben Bell worked together in the shipyard. Andrew was the Captain and sailed the vessels home to Eng- land; mostly they were sent lumber laden. Sometimes over 30 men were employed in Bell's yard. I was four years in their shipyard. Sometimes two vessels were on the stocks at one time. The men engaged about the shipyard had a cheer- ful life,on the whole. Sometimes there was a fiddler or two in the gang and dancing was indulged in at times, especially at a launching. When this event came off, there were often gallons and gallons of liquor on hand with plenty of meat and everything cooked up for the celebration. Men and women gathered to see the craft glide down into the water, and et night a big jollification would wind up the events of the