The pig squeals as it pushes through ....
Growing up in Chilliwack ...................JUNE 1957
We arrived home from New Zealand on a bright sunny day in June ...........We had a good crossing (about 16 days) and were glad to see the Vancouver harbor....It is a beautiful port...... all the incoming people and new friends we had met were quite ga ga at the mountain and city scenery ,......We were happy to answer their questions and proud of the fact we were from this area. This was the destination point of most of the travelers, one could feel the excitement in the air.....Vi was working in the city and Mervin stayed in Vancouver, so I rode a bus to Chilliwack....I felt like I had been away for years not six months......The first person I met at the Chilliwack bus stop was Mervin's dad.....flooky.....naw his name wasn't flooky....it was flooky to meet his dad, he was picking up a parcel.....and did a double take when I went over to talk to him....he was surprised....he did not know we were home....no one did.... Mr. Vance gave me a ride to my home....I just walked in the door....hey, that was fun......my mum's little boy was back from the other side of the world......that was a bigger deal then than now..... air flight was unaffordable and a 16 day boat trip was not something the average bear did.......... The vision of Peter standing on the dock, waving us off ......was fresh in my mind.......Pete would come home later, much later, 27 years later....Peter made a good life for himself in New Zealand, he married and had a fine family of seven kids...........Merv and I had enough money for our fare kept in a bank in Canada. Interesting how twists here and there shape one's destiny (deep).
Mum and dad were living on Young Road then.....Bill Maxwell came over to see me the next day..... he was driving a red 54 Ford Fairlane with a continental kit...... it was a convertible.......I told him if he had that in New Zealand they would think he was the King.... Man that was a big car....it was beautiful......I'm going to Merritt...Merritt....yeah....I'll stay at Ron Smith's place......I'm going to try to get on with the Forestry...hey ...I should go too....I hear there is still some pipeline work there....testing the pipe.....Okay let's go.....so we did....bye mum...see ya later........we drove, top down and "Teddy Bear" blaring on the radio, through the Hope Princeton Hiway and on to Merritt.......Good ol Ron.....and his great folks.......He was a young baker, working in his dad's bakery.....The business would eventually be his.... I remember his dad talking to us in his room...Ron wanted to work on the pipeline and construction.....Pop convinced him that a the bakery was the way to go , so he did.....and he was very successful, living in Merritt. Bill went to work right away for the forestry and lived on site.....I wandered into the pipeline yard and found I had worked with most of the guys before....the foreman hired me and I was off to Chilliwack again to get my stuff.......Bill, I need to borrow your car......just down and back....Okay Gus, no problem.......the whole deal clicked together, incident free......I drove down and back all in one shot...all the midnight and morning hours...not much traffic...that big powerful car, top down......a warm evening.............the only thing on the road were a few buses, and they go plenty fast......I partnered up with one all the way home...... Hi mum ....hugs....bye mum......back to Merritt. Smithy's mother was great...I had to plead with her to take room and board money.....The work was 7 days a week,with long hours.....Welder's helpers were now making 2.00 an hour......big dough......we tested pipe, that is ....put high air pressure in at intervals driving a cleaning device through the pipe called a "pig" .......it is shaped like a cork and has brushes all over it. The pig squeals as it pushes through the pipe ......at intervals the pig lets loose and goes like stink, then it jams up again......The 30'' pipe was all in the ground except about a 50' area where it is fitted with a cap and big valves ..... put in the pig.......test a section ...... weld the pipe up again.....filler in.......... One day I was with the foreman, we were sitting on the running board of his pick up truck.....not much doing, we were waiting for the pig.........we could hear it coming........squealing loudly at times....but something was wrong...the blowoff pipe broke and went hurtling over the trees....ice was forming where blue air was screaming out of the valve......the ground started shaking like an earthquake....we ran......away........up the rightaway..........BANG........a big 5 foot, 1/4 ton valve broke off the pig catching end of the pipe, and shot upwards.....we turned around to see the truck up on 2 wheels teetering, trying to flip over....nope, it came back down on its wheels......the new truck had a smashed in cab where the valve hit it........The boss and I had quit running just after the bang....that released the air and things settled down........That was a flook, but apparently strange things happen sometimes, when testing pipe........it somehow can build up tremendous pressure ....only a scientist could understand why.....I had a story related to me by a co worker where he seen the pipe snake out of the ground.....that was in Texas somewhere......anyway, that was a exciting experience........I was there a couple of months and just had a few days to go to finish........ when we were in Quesnel ....I got *flashed and was out of commission for the rest of the job.....to bad......in those days ...no workeee no payee, so I came home. I had enough money to buy a car................Kids.
flash...............a persons eyes get arc burned..or sun burned from the glow of the welders arc....it is very uncomfortable to close them and feels lousy to open them...for a day or two
We arrived home from New Zealand on a bright sunny day in June ...........We had a good crossing (about 16 days) and were glad to see the Vancouver harbor....It is a beautiful port...... all the incoming people and new friends we had met were quite ga ga at the mountain and city scenery ,......We were happy to answer their questions and proud of the fact we were from this area. This was the destination point of most of the travelers, one could feel the excitement in the air.....Vi was working in the city and Mervin stayed in Vancouver, so I rode a bus to Chilliwack....I felt like I had been away for years not six months......The first person I met at the Chilliwack bus stop was Mervin's dad.....flooky.....naw his name wasn't flooky....it was flooky to meet his dad, he was picking up a parcel.....and did a double take when I went over to talk to him....he was surprised....he did not know we were home....no one did.... Mr. Vance gave me a ride to my home....I just walked in the door....hey, that was fun......my mum's little boy was back from the other side of the world......that was a bigger deal then than now..... air flight was unaffordable and a 16 day boat trip was not something the average bear did.......... The vision of Peter standing on the dock, waving us off ......was fresh in my mind.......Pete would come home later, much later, 27 years later....Peter made a good life for himself in New Zealand, he married and had a fine family of seven kids...........Merv and I had enough money for our fare kept in a bank in Canada. Interesting how twists here and there shape one's destiny (deep).
Mum and dad were living on Young Road then.....Bill Maxwell came over to see me the next day..... he was driving a red 54 Ford Fairlane with a continental kit...... it was a convertible.......I told him if he had that in New Zealand they would think he was the King.... Man that was a big car....it was beautiful......I'm going to Merritt...Merritt....yeah....I'll stay at Ron Smith's place......I'm going to try to get on with the Forestry...hey ...I should go too....I hear there is still some pipeline work there....testing the pipe.....Okay let's go.....so we did....bye mum...see ya later........we drove, top down and "Teddy Bear" blaring on the radio, through the Hope Princeton Hiway and on to Merritt.......Good ol Ron.....and his great folks.......He was a young baker, working in his dad's bakery.....The business would eventually be his.... I remember his dad talking to us in his room...Ron wanted to work on the pipeline and construction.....Pop convinced him that a the bakery was the way to go , so he did.....and he was very successful, living in Merritt. Bill went to work right away for the forestry and lived on site.....I wandered into the pipeline yard and found I had worked with most of the guys before....the foreman hired me and I was off to Chilliwack again to get my stuff.......Bill, I need to borrow your car......just down and back....Okay Gus, no problem.......the whole deal clicked together, incident free......I drove down and back all in one shot...all the midnight and morning hours...not much traffic...that big powerful car, top down......a warm evening.............the only thing on the road were a few buses, and they go plenty fast......I partnered up with one all the way home...... Hi mum ....hugs....bye mum......back to Merritt. Smithy's mother was great...I had to plead with her to take room and board money.....The work was 7 days a week,with long hours.....Welder's helpers were now making 2.00 an hour......big dough......we tested pipe, that is ....put high air pressure in at intervals driving a cleaning device through the pipe called a "pig" .......it is shaped like a cork and has brushes all over it. The pig squeals as it pushes through the pipe ......at intervals the pig lets loose and goes like stink, then it jams up again......The 30'' pipe was all in the ground except about a 50' area where it is fitted with a cap and big valves ..... put in the pig.......test a section ...... weld the pipe up again.....filler in.......... One day I was with the foreman, we were sitting on the running board of his pick up truck.....not much doing, we were waiting for the pig.........we could hear it coming........squealing loudly at times....but something was wrong...the blowoff pipe broke and went hurtling over the trees....ice was forming where blue air was screaming out of the valve......the ground started shaking like an earthquake....we ran......away........up the rightaway..........BANG........a big 5 foot, 1/4 ton valve broke off the pig catching end of the pipe, and shot upwards.....we turned around to see the truck up on 2 wheels teetering, trying to flip over....nope, it came back down on its wheels......the new truck had a smashed in cab where the valve hit it........The boss and I had quit running just after the bang....that released the air and things settled down........That was a flook, but apparently strange things happen sometimes, when testing pipe........it somehow can build up tremendous pressure ....only a scientist could understand why.....I had a story related to me by a co worker where he seen the pipe snake out of the ground.....that was in Texas somewhere......anyway, that was a exciting experience........I was there a couple of months and just had a few days to go to finish........ when we were in Quesnel ....I got *flashed and was out of commission for the rest of the job.....to bad......in those days ...no workeee no payee, so I came home. I had enough money to buy a car................Kids.
flash...............a persons eyes get arc burned..or sun burned from the glow of the welders arc....it is very uncomfortable to close them and feels lousy to open them...for a day or two
Labels: growing up in chilliwack
posted by gus at
10:28 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home