Then there was the "impossible" Connoly's hill. It was a bane to every horse that had to haul a load over its steep incline. Many a sleigh or wagon was overturned while trying to navigate it; many a trace bro¬ ken ; many an angry word spoken to horse and government. There were lots of ideas of how it should be improved, but no one took any action until Father Tom, putting his engineering talents to g:iod use, devised a way to get around it. To this day one can see the old road that he suggested. It solved the problem. Connolly's Hill is the long one near Joe Smith 's. Don't confuse it with Pat Nail 's "Hips" on the other side of the ski slopes. Father Tom always kept lots of stock, pigs, sheep, cattle, i hickens, etc., but the people wondered where he got all the chicken because they never saw any hens around the place. Well he had constructed a properly heated incubator and brooder, and he kept this to himself for a time, but then he delighted in showing it to the children and explained how nature worked. We don't know if he ever answered the question, "Which came first — the hen or the egg?" For the most part if people wanted ice for the summer months, they would have to cut and haul it from French's pond, Westmoreland . But not Father Tom, he made and cut his own. He used to dam up the creek back of the church, and hire someone to cut and haul the ice to the ice house he had built. If the dam would silt up, he never used a culvert, but simply added another pipe until he had a series of canals. Within a short time after he came to the Parish he saw the need and convenience of having running water in the Rectory. He wasn't long in discovering that there was a spring on what is now Eddie McDonald's property. It would be located about a mile from the church. He tapped and spring and carried the water down to the Church and Rectory, and the barns. To this day the volume of water, both winter and summer, is sufficient for the parish house and church. There is also a line carrying the water to Ralph Smith 's farm across the road from the rectory. He was also looked upon as a "medicine Man" or what we call today a pharmacist because he could make "home remedy" medicines. He used to compound soothing medicines made up of herbs and cherry bark. He also ground up juniper bark and compounded it with a liquid and made cough medicine. While people with scratches, cuts or burns came to use the soothing balm he had made from the buds of popular trees. He also owned the first radio in the community. It was a crystal, head phones' set which worked well and could tune in C.F.C.Y ., Char- lottetown, and on certain nights some other neighboring stations. People used to make a special trip to the Rectory just to hear the radio. We often hear of embarrassing moments. Well Father Tom had one really bad one. On a Sunday he announced there would be a musical concert in the hall during the week. The music would be supplied by radio. He had wired the radio to the hall, and all was in readiness. The admission was 25c and, as was the custom in those days when anything —37—