Saturday, March 1st
Well, today is the first of March at last and it sure came in like a lamb, warm, clear, and no wind. I guess we will have a storm at the end of the month. I finished up the entering of Februarys business today and made out the traffic check services to send to other stations. Things check up fine so far. I charged batteries all day and found everything in good shape. After supper I worked down in the office till 23:15 while Joe broadcast. It is now 23:15 and I am going to quit and go upstairs to read some of the Regina papers and finish a serial I am reading in the Cosmopolitan. Went to bed about 01:00.
Monday, Mar 3rd
This morning I balanced up Smith accounts and sent traffic services to other stations, and while awaiting their replies Joe and I went out and cleaned out both the warehouses. We could not give then a thorough cleaning as our cars are still in them and it will be a month anyways yet before they can be taken out. However we swept the floor and piled up the stuff around the outside walls neater. After supper I read the Cosmopolitan for a while then studied the AMORC for a couple of hours. I got my first degree certificate from them this last mail, but the letter was in the P.O. until today. When Jack was uptown he brought it to me. It is about 8 by 10 inches and I am going to have it put into a frame. We had a short broadcast tonight at 11:30 till 12:15. We put it on especially for Bert and Billy Lyall who went back to Salt River this morning. It was about 1:30 when I went to bed.
Tuesday, Mar 4th
I worked on books most of the day. Went up town this afternoon but could not stay very long. While there I was collecting accounts. I stopped at the hotel for a minute to listen on their radio to a short talk from Joe. He wanted to test the new “mike” on the transmitter. Bob Browne was up tonight and we had a game of cards. Went to bed about 01:00.
Wednesday, Mar 5th
I went up to the house this morning. I brought in the big packing case from the warehouse and packed the bedding, clock, pictures and the silverware in it, and packed the two tin bread tins with nick-nacks and lined them then developed a number of prints. One roll that I took on my moose hunt was completely spoiled. It appears that when I pulled the tag on number three, the tag tore away from the negative and left the negative exposed in the holder, and all the balance of the snaps were taken on that one negative. I was very much disappointed as there were a few real good shots taken that I was anxious to have them come out well. Those that I took of the moose however were on the other film and were fair. There was a light spot on them but the moose and myself are plain enough, although they were taken on a very cloudy day and right in the thick bush. They were better than I expected but not as good as I hoped for. I left there about 17:30 and started for the station but had to call at Calaghans. Bill Johnson was there and we talked for a while. I stayed for supper and in no time at all it was midnight so came home. At that I was home a while before Joe. He had been up at Yorks all evening. I listened to an organ recital on the radio till 01:00 then went to bed.
Thursday, March 6th
Finished most of the accounting today and started on the reports. I finished them this afternoon and have the statements to type out yet. After supper Browne and Bob Middleton came down Bob brought his violin and Browne brought a new mouth-organ. We broadcast tonight at 20:00 till 22:00 then from 22:30 till 00:15. We started off with phonograph music then we put on music by the “Fort Smith trio”. Violin, mouth-organ and ‘uke’. Browne also played the mandolin at times when there was one that he knew. I played the uke . Paul phoned up to say that it was jake. Haven't heard any other comments yet. We had lunch at 01:00 then after they had left, Joe went to bed and I listened to the organ recital from Frisco. I went to bed at 1:45.
Friday, March 7th
Mail day again. I worked until 15:00 getting all balance of mail ready and when I took it up at 15:30 we were UTD for the first time in over a year. We got the ledgers, all correspondence, statements and all reports etc. off on the way. It feels good to have everything cleaned up at last. I got two letters from Nona and a box of marshmallows and salted nuts, they were dandy. (Don't keep very long tho) It was about 17:00 when I returned to the station, and Joe and I wrote letters till 20:00 then he took them up to the PO. I studied the AMORC lessons for a couple hours tonight while I was alone, then listened to the radio until Joe returned then we had lunch and went to bed.
Saturday, March 8th
Took my Meteors ok then slept till 09:00. I went uptown and saw Lanouette about some of my furniture that he wants, and called Vic on the phone to get a team then went up to the house. I had most of the stuff packed when the team got there and we took one load to McPhersons, and Lanouettes. I got 100 dollars from McPherson and will get the balance in a month or two. Leggo told me that he was good. The stuff that I had not sold I left at Lanouettes and he sent word later to me that he has sold the refrigerator and the white table, and maybe the aluminium-ware. Paul and Gerry were looking at the rug and are going to see me about it. I finished up a bunch of prints today then packed what was left of the developing outfit and all the rest of the stuff in the house came down to the station. We put it into the warehouse and I will get some of the big SITD packing cases and pack them up. When I got home, about 22:00, Browne and Middleton were here practising some new music, so I got in and we played till about 01:00. Are going to put on a program tomorrow night from 19:30 until 22:00. Went to bed at 01:30.
Sunday, March 9th
My original plan when I went to bed last night was to get up at 09:00 and go to the Halfway this morning. It was 10:00 before I woke so I got up and had a couple fresh eggs, toast and coffee then started out. I saw Lanouette for a while and left his place at 11:00 and walked to the Halfway. It was 13:00 when I got there, so I had lunch and then went down to the garage to see Walt. He says that the boat can be fixed ok. He hasn't started on it yet as he has Vics Ford to finish. He thinks he will get it done before the end of April, however. He has painted all their cars over in the Ryan colours. The sedans are both red bodies and black top and trimmings. He sure did a wonderful job and the red is a prettier red than they used to have. There isn't a brush mark on one of the seven cars. They look exactly as if they came from the factory. We tuned in to Joe at 15:00 and got him OK. He comes in loud over here. We went up to the house at 16:00 and sat around talking until suppertime then right after supper Walt brought me over with the dogs. They have a new team of white dogs that Walt just broke in this winter. They are all pups from the team of last year and everyone is all white and the same size as the old team was. The father of then, Roy, who was their leader before, took sick a short time ago and died. They only have two left of the old team now. One of them has been in the harness 10 years, and is still raring to go, in fact he is worse than the pups. We got over here in one hour, and as we were supposed to go on the air at 19:30, I came right out to the station. I got here and found no one around, so waited a while, then practised on the uke and mandolin for a couple of hours. Walt came down about 2:00 and stayed here till midnight. Joe came in about 00:30 and we went to bed at 01:00.
Monday, March 10
I was on the set all morning. During the afternoon I worked around on books and brought them up to the 7. Nothing much doing this evening. I read for a while and Joe and I did a little work on the transmitter. He did practically all the work while I helped in testing. I wrote to Bert Hooper tonight asking him if he had a spare mike around the station that I could borrow. I started to read Forlorn River by Zane Gray and read till 02:00.
Tuesday, March 11
I was off today and slept most of the time to catch up on back slumbers. I read a couple series in Nat. Geographic. I did not go uptown today but read and slept most of the time. Nothing doing in the evening.
Wednesday-Saturday, March 15
So little happened between Wed. and today that I didn't bother putting down any record. I spent most of the time here at the station. I was uptown a couple of times shopping and spent a lot of time on the books and the key while here at the station. After supper tonight Joe and I were asked over to the Pearsons. We played bridge until about 01:00. They had stayed here for supper. The way it had happened was this.
Joe and I were upstairs getting supper ready and answering the mail that arrived yesterday, Mrs. Pearson had come over earlier in the afternoon and she and Jack were just ready to go home. He was finishing up with the traffic sheet and Mrs. Pearson and Joe and I were kidding each other. Finally I said that she could stay for supper if she would get it. They both called our bluff so they came up. I went ahead and got supper and she wrote a letter. It was just our luck too tonight to be practically out of spuds and everything else. We had plenty of caribou and a little spuds, a can of tomatoes and two pieces of bread each and some preserved rhubarb. Joe went uptown after supper and I finished a letter to Nona. I got one from her in the mail. I also got three books in this mail, The Might Atom, Barabas and The Master Christian all by Marie Corelli. Just before we were leaving Pearsons tonight Joe got the jug that we had given Mrs Pearson for winning the bridge game some time ago, and brought it home. We will have them over Monday and if they win will give it back to them as a prize. This, we had planned on before going over. We got home at 01:30.
Sunday, March 16
I was on duty today so didn't leave the station. Business was very slow. Only sent two to Edmonton and received nil. Nil business with other stations. We put on an afternoon concert and Champagne sang three selections for us, The Voice of the Violets, Always and the Gypsy Love song. He sang from Pearsons, over remote control over the telephone line. Mrs. Pearson accompanied him on the piano. It was our first attempt at a remote control and it worked fine. He promised to come and sing over it on our next programme Thursday night. The Pearsons came over tonight so we had our game of bridge and they won by 400 points, so before they went home we wrapped up the trophy and gave it to them. She thought there was a shinding in it somewhere and wanted to see what she was carrying home before she went but we wouldn't let her. Joe carried it downstairs and gave it to her just as she went out the door. She threatened to let us hear from her if there was any shenanigans going on. We fixed the fires then went to bed.
Monday, March 17?
I was “off” today so I put on my overalls and overhauled a bunch of batteries that are dead. I tore eight to pieces and put new plates and separators in them, and got them ready to change. I finished at 18:30. About 19:30 Champagne and Middleton came in. Champagne was looking over our music but didn't take any away with him. Joe was going uptown, so Champagne went up with him. Bob wanted to do some practising so I got the mandolin and we practised some duets. I played the obligate. Bob left at 23:30 and Joe returned at midnight. When Joe returned we got to discussing Champagne and talked till 02:00. There is something in the wind and it started in when we were talking about the Thursdays broadcast, it looks to us as if there is going to be some hard feelings if not an open war, over the outcome of this and we discussed it till 02:00 with no compliments towards Mr.Champagne. He spoke of having been over to Gagnons with Mrs. Leggo practising up the songs he is going to sing, and causally mentioned that Mrs. Pearson might be coaxed into giving a piano solo, of course Mrs. Leggo will accompany him, so he said. Now ordinarily that would have been OK but last Sunday Mrs. Pearson accompanied him and when Champagne left it was understood that she would accompany him Thursday also. Joe and I know that she and Jack are momentarily expecting him out to practice over the pieces. If he thinks he can leave them with that understanding and on his own change his plans and get a new accompanist without making some arrangements with her, and then bring the new accompanist down there uninvited to take her place, in her own home, he is going to find that Joe and I are running this broadcasting and not him. We do not know how Mrs. Pearson will feel about it and we do know how she might, or how we ourselves would likely feel under the same circumstances about it. Not that Pearson capable or that Mrs Lyall is better, but he and Mrs Lyall are so obviously in love with each other, that the afternoons alone in Gagnons house to practice is what appeals to them. We don't give either of them of them credit for having gumption enough to be naughty (but I have heard there might be a synthetic kick to it at that). However, that is not the point. There is the other side of it to be considered and that is the only side that Joe and I will see. If there is hard feelings over it those feelings are going to end between Mrs Pearson and Mrs Lyall. We cant see how it will be different. If something busts, then Mrs. Lyall and Champagne will say that Mrs. Pearson was sore because she wants in the limelight, and that is not the case. She would not give a damn as far as that part is concerned. The way Bill said it, made us both very certain that the Pearsons do not know of the change, so we looked at all angles and there are many, and it is impossible to take the wrong step or there will be a war. Our best plan, we decided was for Joe to go uptown tomorrow, and drop in at Pearsons and ask her if there was anything she wanted from the store, and casually ask if Champagne had decided what he was going to sing. If she knew of the change, OK it would drop, but if she mentioned that she did not know as Bill had not been out to practice, then he was to go straight to Bill, and ask him if he had arrangements made with Mrs Pearson for the change of accompanist. He would likely say no, then Joe was to tell him how that looked to he and I and that we had decided that in view of the matter since we were here to entertain the people, and not to make ill feelings, that Bill would have to be indisposed with a cold Thursday night and that we would go on without him. Then any ill feelings between he and Mrs Lyall would be between them and Joe and I. Joe is going out in the spring and doesn't give a hoot, and neither of them are bosom friends of mine and I don't give a hoot. I can stand another log in that fire ok.
Tuesday, March 18
Well, another development that was unexpected happened this morning. I was on the set when Jack came in. When I was thru he asked me if Champagne had been out. I told him yes, that he came out to look over some music but only stayed a minute and went back. He said that he saw him and Bob coming, and they walked thru the yard and didn't stop and in a little while they saw him returning and he went right past the door. They had expected him to come in. When Joe woke up I told him of this and we decided that maybe Jack had got wind of it, so we decided the best way to do was to tell him straight what we knew, and how it looked to us and where we stood in the matter. He might also see a way out. We called him upstairs and told him. He hadn't heard anything about it but said that he thought there was something on our minds this morning as we looked as if there was something worrying us. He decided that whatever we did it would later reflect back on them, that they were sore because since it was their piano they should play it. He told us not to do anything until he has seen what stand Evelyn would take. When he came back from dinner, he said that the best way out was to overlook it and they would carry on as if they knew and wanted the change. He didn't want Joe and I to openly push Bill out as it would look as if Mrs Pearson was sore, and of course anything that happened to Bill, Mrs Lyall considers it to her as well. After a consultation we decided that the best plan was to carry on, but invite Syd down too. This will put a monkey wrench in the works for them, as the lone walk out and back together is what appeals to them. It is a dirty trick, maybe but it will be Bill who gets sore, and wont offer to sing again. That is the ultimate result we were trying to drive at without causing ill feelings and as Mrs Lyall and Middleton will be out we can certainly ask Syd out in all innocence as it would be a breach of etiquette to have all of the household but him there. Mrs Pearson came over to the station about 16:00 and brought her sewing along. Joe was kidding Jack that they were booked for a duet. Jack wanted to know what kind. Mandolin and banjo, says Joe. Jack took it seriously, decided that they would certainly have to practice something. Joe never had a mandolin in his hands before so he got the mandolin and my Uke and that started in. Joe had to pick out the piece that he knew the cords of by ear. They picked one two three four and my song of the nile. When Jack thought that Joe was serious, Joe went ahead to learn the pieces. He practiced all afternoon, and we both went over to the house this evening and they practised there about two hours. We had lunch then came home and he went at it again till 02:00.
Wednesday, March 19
Very little doing today. I was on the set from 09:00 until 01:00. Then when Joe relieved me I went upstairs and read nearly all afternoon. I read the Mighty Atom, by Marie Corelli. It was very good but very sad. It was so bad in placed places that I had to stop reading for a while to get back to normal. After supper I went uptown and stopped for a while at the Old Ladies (A.M.C). I talked to her and Mrs Conibear until about 21:00 then went back to the station. Joe and I tested out the transmitter for a while then made a lunch and went to bed.
Thursday, March 20
I stayed in bed till 12:00 today as there wasn't anything better to do. During the afternoon I soldered all the wires on the speech amplifier that we made and got it ready for the broadcast tonight from Pearsons. At 7:30 Middleton and Browne came down to the station for a practice, but something was apparently wrong with our transmitter, and we couldn’t seem to find the cause. It seemed to be coming in on the Marconi set downstairs, but the xmitter itself acted rather queer. We went over to Pearsons at 21:00 and the real programme started. Leggo was the guest announcer. He had prepared a darn good humorous announcement for the programme and certainly carried it thru in great style. We came on first with the orchestra but we hadn’t time to get properly ready. As soon as we got tuned up, Joe who was still at the station there to the control over to Pearsons and they started in and before we were thru the first selections our instruments began to get out on tune. This was caused by the cold in going over. Champagne sang his three songs during the evening, but why in the name of ---- couldn't he pick pieces that he knew. He had to bend down to the piano to read them and it was almost impossible to hear him in the microphone. I tuned in Jacks set with the phones and didn't like the way it was coming in. It seemed far to critical. Gerry gave a humorous lesson on bridge and as usual it was a scream. Joe Lanouette read one of Drummonds poems. The concert lasted an hour and a half. Everybody left there about 01:00 and Joe and I stayed and talked till 02:00. We were all in a sweat all evening as none of us believed it was going out as it should so decided to wait till morning to hear from the listeners. It was nearly 03:00 when we got to bed.
Friday, March 21
Syd phoned up this morning to say that he had called Fitz, and had seen Cummings and they both said that when we are on in the first part of the programme with the phonograph records it came thru OK but not as well as it used to and then when we turned over to Pearsons it went dead and we blocked out everything else on the air for the rest of the night. Later Gerry phoned and said he talked with Walters and Conibears and they said the same thing. We had in the meantime been going over the set and discovered that for some unknown reason the grids on the modulator tubes got overloaded from the amplifier and they went wild. The wave had no tuning all. We worked at it all afternoon between calls and intended working after supper but Fred Morie came in just before supper and stayed till after midnight. It was the second time Fred had been over since late fall. After he went we fixed the fires then went to bed.
Saturday, March 22
Yesterday was the day that mail was supposed to arrive but it did not come. Last week the planes went north to Aklavik, and at Resolution one of the planes in taking off hit a piece of jagged ice and broke a ski, throwing the plane to one side and wrecking it completely. No one was hurt, but the boys at Resolution say it is likely a total loss. The other plane went back to McMurray and brought in another. They have also been delayed somewhere between Simpson and Aklavik, by the high winds that we have had for the last two or three days. I wrote a letter anyway but did not post it. I will keep adding to it before the mail plane returns. Joe and I put on a test tonight to see if the line between Pearsons and here was going to be OK for Thursdays broadcast. I went over to their house and when we got thru OK Joe turned on the set and put us on the line. It was going thru fine and Leggo heard us so decided to phone us and let us know it. But when he started to talk it was on the air too. Later on Champagne phoned to tell us how we were coming in at the government house and of course he was on the air too. We kept up a running conversation all the time. Champagne speaking from the government house, Leggo from the HBC house, Jack and I from his place and Joe answering us over the air. We could all hear him on the set, in fact we could hear all of them over the speaker. Everyone around with a receiver heard it and they all said that they got more kick out of it than they did out of a regular program. Especially since Leggo and Champagne were unaware that we were broadcasting and were more witty than they might have been had they known. Browne came down to the station later and said he got a whale of a kick out of it but was afraid that we had got things twisted and didn't know that we were on the air. He said that he was afraid they someone would make a break. We had a game of cards then to pass the rest of the evening and finally went to bed at 01:30.
Sunday, March 23
This afternoon I got started on the N.E set of the police and just got started when Browne and Middleton came down for some practice. We ran over the pieces we will play Thursday then after supper Joe and Browne went uptown to do some S.W work. I went ahead and finished the N.E set and got it working OK. It was about 23:00 when I finished then put it away and straightened up the place and started to read when Joe came in. We went to bed about 01:00.
Monday, March 24
I did the books up to Saturday this afternoon. All morning I was on the set. There was a bridge party at Pearsons tonight and Joe and I both went over. There was Mr C.B. Dawson, Chief engineer of the Northern Lead Zinc Co of Resolution Mr. McDougal, Gerry Murphy, Champagne, Paul Trudel, Mrs and Mr Leggo, Bob Middleton, John Pearson and Joe and I there. Pearson played with Champagne against Mrs Pearson and Paul and they won the second rubber. We got home at 01:00.
Tuesday, March 25
Very little doing today. Bert came down to the station for a while this afternoon. After supper Joe went uptown to do a test with Hastings. S.W. and I took the second part of the Third Initiation into AMORC. Joe got home at 11:30 while I was just getting a cup of tea.
Wednesday, March 26
I was off today so went up to the house and finished packing all the same things left around into a box. I stopped at the HBC On my way home and Syd asked me to have a look at the charging plant. His No volt release has been out of order and burned out the Breaker contact. The copper has been so hot the temper is all gone out from it. He asked me up to his house tonight to the weekly bridge party. He said that they wanted Joe and I to come every week. I wasn't going at first as I thought Joe and I would be busy testing out the line and amplifier for tomorrow night. We managed to get thru early and Joe wanted to go up so we went. We got there at 20:30 and found the same bunch as was at Pearsons. At the first table Joe and Emerson played against Mrs Pearson and I and we won the rubbers. At the second table Mrs. Pearson and Gagnon played against Champagne and I. We won too by 800 points. We all left early, it was only 00:30 when we got back home. We went to bed soon afterwards.
Thursday, March 27
There wasn't very much doing today. Jack went home early to test out the microphone for tonights broadcast. We are putting on the concert again tonight. Everything seemed OK so we left it for the final test after supper. It is impossible to get the true test without the transmitter into action, as the load on the amplifier changes. Before the gang came out we had Syd Leggo listen from his house and when he pronounced it ok they all came out to the Pearsons. The concert started at 21:00. Joe stayed at the station and played a few records, then switched over to the other studio. Syd, acted as announcer and he had a dandy program fixed up. Gerry took off Curtis Benson at KNX, the fellow who gives us the Friday night fight. Gerry’s fight was given fast and furious and was so funny that I got a laughing fit and trying not to laugh out loud I went into such spasms that both my sides hurt and tears run down my face. Mrs Pearson and Mrs Lyall and Champagne and Browne were sitting on the sofa and got laughing at me and that made it all the worse. Honestly it was the funniest thing I ever listened to and Gerry gave it without a smile. I missed much of it from laughing and after it was over I couldn't for the life of me remember how it went or who the fighters were. When the gong went once he said that Mr Rottenfeller was coming down the aisle dressed in one of those two suits for the price of one and described it. Then in another place I remember where one fellows chin tripped over the others glove. We signed off about 23:30 and had a lunch over there then came home and went to bed.
Friday, March 28
This morning I heard that the program from Pearsons was not as good as we wanted it. It was much better than last weeks but still too faint. It appears that we had it cut down to much. Jack was listening in at the house with the ear phones on and was controlling the volume but uptown where they wanted to listen in with the loud speaker it was too low. Mail did not arrive today as the planes are still north and said that another Commercial Plane was wrecked at Norman owing to a heavy wind storm. The plane was just landing when the wind upset it. No one was hurt. I wrote a letter to Nona anyway incase they got back in good time. Nothing much doing tonight.