JOURNAL OF AUBREY LYSLE GRISWOLD ( Gris)
JULY 1928 TO JULY 1930 - FORT SMITH, N.W.T.

 

Preface:  In 1925, Fort Smith received the first Royal Canadian Corps of Signals air radio station in the Northwest Territories, Aubrey Griswold helped build it. This is not a story with a beginning and an end but rather a glimpse into the day to day life of a Signalman. We suspect there were other Journals but figure that this one survived because of their daughter, Nadene. Even within the Journal a lot of 'stories' never have an end, it's just what happened each day.  ---   Granddaughter, Deborah Cousins

Page 1

Sunday, July 29, 1928
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            Nona and I planned a picnic for today down river. We both awakened at 8:30 and got up. After breakfast we made a lunch of corned beef sandwiches, coffee and cake. As the mail arrived late last night late there was no fruit over the Portage yet, so we had to do without for lunch. We got away from Ft. Smith at 10:30, passed Gravel Point, 10 miles, at 11:30, passed Salt River at 12:20 and arrived at Bert Edges cabin, 25 miles north of Smith at 13:00. Bert had Leonard Davidson (Len) camping with him and owing to a stiff north wind, had given up looking for us. We were due there about 11:00. They had a Partridge mulligan on cooking. There were three partridges, beans, barley, potatoes and rice in it. The country is full of forest fires and there is a bad one, one mile south of their place. I went out to the river bank and took a snap of the fire. Bert and Len had their supplies ready for a quick retreat if the wind should change. I took a couple of snaps of their cabin with Nona, Nadene, Bert and Len at the front. While waiting for dinner we went down to the bank and I went for a small ride in Bert's canoe, a one man rig. It was very cranky as I tipped out of it twice. Bert loaned me a pair of his pants. After a good dinner, we talked and explored around until 16:00, then started for home. The wind was very strong but to our back. A heavy sea was rolling but there were a few breakers in the deeper water. When we passed by the fire near Bert's place, the smoke came out over the water so thick that we couldn't see 100 feet from us. The smoke screen covered about three miles. This was the second time that I had my boat out in a heavy sea and found that it is very reliable and seaworthy. It is 15 feet long, 4 feet wide and 20 inches high at the bow and 16 inches at the stern. It is powered with a 4 h/p Super Elto, which is doing service for its second season. Up to now I have not had to spend a cent on it for repairs and have not yet overhauled it. We arrived at Salt River at 17:00, a distance of 7 miles. Seven miles per hour upstream is considered real good. Between Bert's and Gravel Point there were three big forest fires. The flames could be seen well from the boat and they were about 100 feet high in places. The third was right near Gravel Point. This was the worst for dense smoke. Owing to Nadene being with us, I decided not to go up the channel but take the west side of Sawmill Island channel. We got stuck on a sandbar there and we had to pole out. There was only six inches of water. It was in this channel where the boat shipped the only water on the entire trip. The swells were from 6 to 7 feet from crest to crest. We struck one wave with a bad break at the top and I saw we were going to ship water and attempted to shut down the engine a little but the instant I let go of the steering rope, I saw that we were liable to get into the trough so I had to let the engine go. The bow went clean under and the deck ,which goes back 3 feet, was completely submerged. We shipped about a barrel of water before we lifted. Nona was soaked from the waist down. Bert, who was coming to town with us, was wet too from the waist down and Nadene got her feet wet. I only got a bad drenching in the face from the flying spray. When we got back into the main river we found the wind changing and had to face it all the way home. It began to turn cold as the sun went down and we were quite raw by the time we reached home. As we passed Gravel Point I took a couple of pictures of the sun behind the clouds showing the water streaks. Arriving at Smith at 21:00 we found the Fokker Monoplane belonging to the Northern Exploration Co. here. This was the first time that it landed at Smith. It is painted yellow and is a cabin type. It has accommodations for eight people and 1000 pounds of freight. I took a snap of it but the light was poor. We arrived home about 21:30 and got a fire going. We had a supper of connie  (wild rabbit ), mashed potatoes, peas, bread, coffee and cheese. We finished supper at 22:30. Bert brought a half bottle of brandy with him and we all had a snort and Nona went to bed. Bert and I sat up and talked until 00:30 hours. I went to bed at 2:00.

Monday, July 30

            Awoke at 09:00. Bert came up for some stuff that he was taking back to the camp. Nona got up and we had breakfast of fried mashed potatoes, fish and cherries and toast. Jack La Flair came in about 10:00 and we talked until 10:30. La Flair just returned from Edmonton ( Edm and VED)  where he was for the week. La Flair walked as far as the hotel with me on my way to work and he introduced me to some people who came in with him and were going down ( farther North ) to his part of the country. I went on to the radio station to work, I arrived there at 11:00. Joe Dexter had started the Delco at 09:00 for me and everything was running smoothly. I entered up the daily records ( DR’s) for the day before and was thru at 13:00 then Bill Loverock ( Sgt. Francis William) came down. I read the Saturday Evening Post for most of the afternoon. The static was bad so Bill had to relay to Simpson. Billie McNeill came down at 17:00 to leave a message. He came in his new car, a Hudson super 6 sedan and as we were quitting he took Bill and I home. After a light supper, I developed seven rolls of film ( I am the local photographer here) Miss Catt and Jack Taylor (JT) came in at 20:00 and we had our Spanish lessons. Nona, JT and I are studying Spanish. Miss Catt, who was a teacher in Chile, S.A., is teaching us. At 22:00 Jack La Flair came in with some stuff he brought in from Edm. for us, 3 bottles of scotch whiskey, a syphon and a 1 gallon coffee percolator for parties. I went over to the hotel and got a change of ice for our new refrigerator which came from T-Eatons today. It's a real beauty, too. I tried the radio tonight but the static was too bad to listen to. We had coffee and sandwiches at 22:50 and the gang went home at midnight. I sat up until 00:30 fixing things and starting this diary, then went to bed.

Tuesday, July 31

            Couldn't sleep at all, and Nadene woke up at 03:00. She kept us awake until about 04:30, then I slept till 08:30. We both got up and had an early breakfast. I left for work at 10:30 and arrived there at 11:30. I stopped and sat with Bill on his new veranda talking. I started the Delco as soon as I got to the station, but it stopped at 12:00 and was flooded in tying to get it going. I had to take the cylinder head off finally and clean it out. After that I entered all yesterdays business and prepared for the monthly accounts. From about 15:00 I read a few coon stories in the Saturday Evening Post and Red Book. After work I walked home with Bill as far as his place. Nona had cleaned the house thoroughly today and it looked swell. After supper JT came in and about 20:00 Walter ( Walt) Johnston came in. He stayed here for an hour. Jack left at 21:00. I printed about 75 photos tonight. Tommie Hadden, checker for A.H.A. came in and B. Qulton. Later Billie McNeill came in and they'll stayed here till 01:00. We served coffee and cheese sandwiches made in the ordinary way then put into the oven and toasted. Nona went to bed at 01:15 and I followed at 02:00.

 

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