A BEAR RIVER MECHANIC

Robert Gallant was born in Charlottetown in 1904, the son of Angus and Ellen Gallant, and one of six children. Two brothers died at an early age from Diphtheria, and were buried on the same day. When Robert was approximately eight years old, his father died and his mother took the children and moved to Bear River, where she was employed as a housekeeper for Denny Costello. She later married Denny’s son, Allisious.

In the early twenties, Robert went on an excursion to Ontario where he worked on the Welland Canal. Later, he returned to Prince Edward Island, and married Emma Peters, and they were blessed with five children.

He began his career as a mechanic working in Martin’s Garage in Charlottetown before returning to Bear River where he opened a forge in his back yard. He made his own tools. The wooden chimney in his forge was insulated so that it would not burn. The forge was fired by a blower.

With the arrival of more automobiles, his facility was now too small. So, in 1934, he erected a larger garage with two bays. Gas pumps were installed near the front entrance.

At first, he sold more Naphtha gas and oil than gasoline. Electricity had not yet arrived. Consequently, people used Naptha gas and oil for light and heat. Leo recalls the Naphtha gas and oil arriving by train in thirty-gallon drums. It was his chore to fill quarts of oil for sale in the garage. Single drUms of gas and oil would last all winter.

In the late fifties, and early sixties, Robert’s workload increased when car engines were installed in boats. This meant that he had more work to do on the engines during the winter season, which used to be

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