men. To be able to do this was likely considered a prestige symbol for the farmer.

The social nuisances which were quite often encountered were the bed bug and body lice. The men had to wash themselves in creolin and boil their clothes. As one man told of his encounter with bed bugs on his return trip to the Island. “We decided to stay overnight in Montreal and found a very reasonable place to stay. Their rate was too reasonable as the next morning I couldn’t put a pin between my bug bites but my friend had none.”

The same man told about the unusual way of sending telephone messages. “I noted that each home appeared to have a telephone but there was no evidence of the telephone lines like we had on the Island. I was told that the telephone was connected to the barbed wire fences which enclosed each man’s property. This meant that it was a cheap way to keep in touch with his neighbour.”

Home Again

About the first of December, 1906, one of the local men returned home with an unusual story to tell. His name was Ray Clark. His story is as follows:

“I returned to the Island in December, 1906, on the Northumberland. I planned to stay at the Strathcona Hotel, in Summerside. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I couldn’t find it. I enquired about its location and learned that it had burned since I had gone away in

the early autumn.

I left Summerside the next morning, on the early train, but did not get to Breadalbane until 6:00 PM. There had been a terrible snowstorm and horses had not been on the road for three days. Because it was so late in the day I knew I would not get a drive to Stanley. 1 had thought that I might get a ride with the mailman, Jim Warren. But rather than stay in Breadalbane for the night I decided that I might as well walk the eleven miles to home.

The snow had blown hard so walking was not too bad. When I reached Morris’ bridge I thought it would be better walking on the ice. I did not follow my knowledge of early ice season freeze—up and continued towards the village. About one-half mile from the village I fell into a spring hole and I had a devil of a time getting out. I did not stop at near-by homes for help but kept going until I reached home after midnight. My mother heard me starting the fire in the kitchen stove and came to help me get clear of the wet clothes and get thawed out. What a

night!

I recall that on this night two steamers the Cilenta and the Laura Bell were swamped and wrecked ofl East Point. "

In summing up these adventures another man says that “The young people today have no idea of what was involved in leaving home as a young man to go on a harvest excursion. They are still in school at this age. I know that the pay was excellent but it was no picnic going on the

harvest excursion”.

Some men from Stanley Bridge who are known to have gone on the ‘harvest excursions’

include: Leander Reid, Wilbert Reid (stayed), Thomas Bolger, Ernest Bolger, Ray Clark, Frank Bell, James Hiscott, as well as men from the McCann and MacEwen families from the North Road.

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