The l listm‘y ol‘:\rgyle Shore

province wide. In Argyle Shore, it was out for one full week! The storm hit the province with heavy wet snow which eventually froze on the power lines. This, along with the high winds which whipped the lines, caused the poles and wires to snap. They went down like dominoes in many areas. Water was hauled from Albert's Creek and heated over wood stoves. By the end of the week, houses were dirty and patience was running out! Yes, electricity certainly changed the lifestyle of the people in this and all rural communities of the province. Life was made easier and much more convenient.

Telephone

The Argyle Shore line ran from the home ofErnie Holmes in DeSable to Strathgartney in Bonshaw. According to Cecil MacPhail ofBonshaw, telephones were being installed in Argyle Shore on February 15, 1916. This information was obtained from a diary which was found in a house being renovated in Charlottetown. In it, the woman, who was living in Bonshaw at the time, wrote that her son was in Argyle Shore working on the telephone line. The line was established by volunteer work and each household had to pay a certain amount a year for the upkeep of it.

There have been many interesting stories told over the years in connection with this line. In those days, conversations were not private because anyone could and did tend to listen in. Sometimes the entertainment value was better than the most expensive television show of today. Trying to find ways to foil potential eavesdroppers required ingenuity. One mother and daughter worked out a system that succeeded for a time. They settled on a time to both go to the phone in the late evening, when they would be less likely to be discovered, and they would take down their receivers at that time. This worked well until a neighbour happened to be visiting one of them at the appointed time and the secret code was discovered. Another person related the following story about trying to keep something private. It seems that the gentleman was courting the teacher who was boarding in the district. One cold night in January when he went to leave, he discovered his car would not start so he had to walk home. They

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