Item
St. Croix Courier
Feb 6/1947
Acadia University has Maritimes First artificial ice rink.
St. Croix Courier
Feb 13/1947
Letter from Howard Pillow to Worrell with poem on dump. "That ever and anon of smells subdued, / There comes a token (probably the cheap / Cigar that he was smoking'), / Which brings us back Upon his nose the smell tha the would fling / Aside forever."
St. Croix Courier
Feb 20/1947
For several years several prominent summer residents have been agitating for a Town Manager.
St. Croix Courier
March 13/1947
Shiretown Items
Win Championship
The Senators of St. Andrews have won the New Brunswick Intermediate Hockey Championship for 1947.
Plans to install artificial ice in arena.
St. Andrews Town Council to present bill to Legislature for permission for $40,000 bond issue to extend sewerage system. Streets commission to spend $4,000.00 on paving streets and maintain sidewalks in summer. Incinerator for dump also. "A rumour which appears to be well substantiated has it that the New Brunswick Power Commission is taking over the Maritime Electric Company system in Charlotte County."
St. Croix Courier
March 20/1947
Incinerator idea seems to have been dropped. "It is a matter of considerable importance to the summer residents but up to date has been looked upon by most permanent residents with more or less indifference."
*See rest of article page 6.
St. Croix Courier
March 27/1947
Shiretown items
Plebiscite Being Called
The 15th day of April 1947, is a day that will go down in local history. On that day a plebiscite is being held to vote for or against a proposition to install a freezing plant for artificial ice at the St. Andrews Arena. . . .
Photo. Tait estate sold to Dr. G. G. Miller, Montreal surgeon. 25 acres. During last part of war used as RCAF convalescent home but unoccupied since.
St. Croix Courier
April 3/1947
A company headed by R. M. Redmond and Earl Thomas are installing a $40,000.00 plant in St. Andrews for the pasteurization of milk. To average 2,000 quarts daily for St. Andrews and Deer Island. A large order will be shipped each day to Deer Island and the Algonquin Hotel, using 600 quarts of milk and cream per day, which formerly has been purchased in Saint John , will now buy locally.
St. Croix Courier
April 10/1947
Shiretown Items—Indian Point (on need for development of other side of Katy's Cove for locals)
The land at Indian Point, now owned by the Town has been leased by the Kiwanis Club for a period of five years. It is planned to fix it up as a recreation center. Just how much will be done will, of course, depend on funds available, but the ground will be levelled off and a ball field made for a starter. I haven't heard where the ball players are coming from, whether an attempt is to be made to develop a team here or whether the ground is to be put and kept in shape to attract visiting teams on holidays and Sundays. Not having heard any of the discussions I am uninformed as to what the real plans of the Kiwanis Club may be and what hopes they may entertain for the success of the undertaking. I know that many hours have been spent in former town Councils in the discussion of all sorts of crazy schemes for developing this area. It has been learned that there is a very definite opposition, among both permanent and summer residents, to any attempt to commercialize the property or to erect buildings of any sort there. One proposal, which I am told has been given some thought by Kiwanis, is the erection of a bathing pool which would be filled at high tide and remain filled as the tide receded. This idea was gone into very carefully by the town Council and discarded for two reasons, 1. the cost was found to be prohibitive, 2. It would require a row of bathing houses to be erected which would destroy the natural beauties of the spot. One of the chief attractions of a sea-side town is saltwater bathing but most people find the tide water too cold. The Algonquin Hotel Company have a splendid private beach at Katy's Cove where the water is always warm, but this is reserved for the Hotel and Summer cottagers. Local people who like to swim use the opposite side of the cove near the railway bridge, which necessitates undressing at home and a long walk out and back. The ordinary visitor to St. Andrews has no place at all to enjoy saltwater bathing. Just before the war the Town Council got permission from the Hotel Company to fit up a beach on the Cove on this side and build a driveway over their land so it could be reached by car. A start was made on clearing the land and building a road which was an extension of King Street, but the War put a stop to the work. If the present town Council and Kiwanis Club would cooperate in completing this undertaking it seems to me that its practical value would be much greater than any work done at Indian Point.
Talking Pollock
This incident happened many years ago but I only heard it recently and as news seems scarce it will help and may be good for a laugh. In his youth Tracy Johnston was a professional acrobat, dancer, comedian and ventriloquist. He left the show he had been on the road with and settled on Deer island. As first step towards becoming a fisherman he purchased a dinghy. The pollock were running and as the boats were preparing one morning to visit the fishing grounds Tracy asked the first man he met for a tow off. To his surprise this small favour was refused, but another boatman was more accommodating, and on the way off Tracy learned that the first man he had approached was not very well liked by the other fishermen. After an hour's good fishing the pollock suddenly stopped biting. Most of the men took it as a matter of course, but the mean man did a lot of grouching and finally Tracy told him he could soon find out what the trouble was. He picked up a pollock from the bottom of the dinghy and asked it very seriously to explain why its relations down there had stopped biting. When the pollock began tot talk with a life-life wagging of the jaws the mean man looked startled but when it began to recite a list of his own sins and shortcomings, including his refusal to give Tracy a tow, he became really alarmed. The pollock closed his bitter and abusive harangue by stating that no more fish would be caught as long as the at blankety-blank mean man remained on the grounds. The latter, taking the hint conveyed by the talking pollock, pulled anchor and left for home. Sure enough the fish again started to bite and everybody got a good haul. That was Tracy's first real introduction to the people of Charlotte County and he has been a popular character ever since both on Deer Island and in St. Andrews, where for men years he has made his home.
St. Croix Courier
May 1/1947
Shiretown Items—Old Fire-Engine (When gin flowed as fast as water from the old hand pumpers in St. Andrews.)
One of the old hand pumper fire engines has been sitting on the square in front of the town hall for a week or two. One day I asked an old fellow who I am sure has attended hundreds of fires to tell me which engine it was, No. 1 or No. 2. "I don't know" said he, "there was always so much gin at the fires in those days that I never knew which engine I belonged to or which one I was pumping on. I generally picked the one where the bottles seemed to be circulating the fastest." Where that liquor came from at any hour of the night, and in such quantities, was always a mystery to the younger men of the company. There was always a race and a money prize between the two engines for first water but before the hose could be run out the gin would have circulated a couple of time and every man on the pumper would be feeling as if he, single-handed, could pump that water over the moon. The old engine is quite a curio now and will be greater in years to come. It is to be cleaned, sand-papered and varnished and kept under cover for future generations to marvel at. It is made from mahogany inlaid with walnut and is really a fine piece of work.
Warning
Truckmen are warned not to haul sand from Indian Point. A breakwater is being placed there at considerable cost to protect the shoreline and if the sand is removed the sea would soon undermine the breakwater and cause it to settle. Small amounts of sand may still be obtained at Joe's Point but most of what is now needed in St. Andrews comes from Bayside.
St. Croix Courier
May 8/1947
Shiretown Items—S. J. Anning
S. J. Anning, after a painful sickness of about four months, passed away last Sunday morning. Syd was a very active citizen and will be greatly missed. He came here from England about 1910 and immediately became absorbed in community affairs. He has been active in the Kiwanis Club, the Curling club, the Golf Club, the Masonic Lodge and the Church. But perhaps his outstanding achievement in community affairs was to reorganize the St. Andrews Band about 15 years ago and maintain it as a going concern until most of the boys were called away at the outbreak of the war.
Sydney Anning of St. Andrews, formerly of Herfordshire, England. Various offices, including St. Andrews Light and Power Company, listed.
Arena to have artificial ice Dec. 1.
St. Croix Courier
May 15/1947
Town to have incinerator this summer.
St. Croix Courier
May 29/1947
Huge fire in Eastport. Photos of waterfront.
St. Croix Courier
June 5/1947
History of Garcelon Stamp Company of St. Stephen.
St. Croix Courier
June 12/1947
Town streets given a coat of asphalt and sand to keep dust down.
St. Croix Courier
June 26/1947
Maine Shriners at Algonquin Hotel June 20. Following a parade led by the band, 217 Shriners and ladies sat down to a fine turkey dinner. Nesbitt's orchestra played for dancing in the pavilion after dinner.
St. Croix Courier
July 20/1947
Archie Skinner wins pro and open division in New Brunswick-PEI tourney.
St. Croix Courier
Aug 7/1947
Old Home Month celebrated in St. Andrews, with 2 songs by Dr. Worrell: "Going Home," set to music by Mrs. W. Woods formerly of St. Andrews now in Vancouver; and "There's a Welcome" to the tune of Beer Barrel Polka. "Piano selections were played by Albert McQuoid in his accomplished manner."
Maritime Electric Company transferred to New Brunswick Power Aug.1/1947
St. Croix Courier
Aug 14/1947
Bernard Halstead (photo) setting up appliance business since Maritime Electric was transferred and New Brunswick Power doesn't do appliances. Halstead worked for Maritime Electric since 1930.
Shiretown Items: "Although I never deliberately make a mis-statement in this column, there is a great temptation to do so, as every time a slip occurs I am sure to get at least one letter about it, and my correspondence is one of the most interesting features of the work."
St. Croix Courier
Aug 28/1947
Masquerade Ball at Andraeleo Hall. Rose MacKay as Nelson Eddy wins award for prettiest. Judges Mr. and Mrs. Howard Pillow, Miss Cairine Wilson, Mrs. Roger Merriman. 500 entries. Many categories.
St. Croix Courier
Oct 2/47
David Caughey delivers lecture "European Impressions" to St. Andrews Canadian Club, after trip to Oslo, Norway, where he was representative of International Y's at International Conference of Christian Youth. Proceeded to Toledo, Ohio, where elected President.
St. Croix Courier
Oct 2/1947
Shiretown items: More water needed. Present system no longer meets needs of town. "The Town Council has taken the matter up with the CPR and . . . we may look for some action early in the spring. During the past summer the pump at the lake and pumping station could not supply water as fast as we were using it, working 24 hours a day. The level of the water in the reservoir at length became so low that watering of plants and lawns had to be discontinued. We have many more people here now during the summer than when the water system was installed and it is in the interests of the hotel company as well as the town to keep the water supply well within the bounds of safety. The CPR brings the water to a point at the head of the town from which it is distributed to householders by the town. The Algonquin and hotel cottages are supplied directly from the CPR main.
Worrell: "Influential Friends": "Nothing is more valuable on occasion than the service which can be rendered by an influential friend. We are fortunate here in St. Andrews in having so many prominent people among our summer residents who are real folks and who are always ready to come tour rescue when we get in a pinch. Such incidents have happened many times during the past few years and we have had two such within the past month. 1. We had difficulty getting a certain material needed for the Arena through the regular channels. One of our summer friends was called on and we not only received it promptly but without cost! 2. Young wife gets passage back from Scotland, when notice of husband's losing weight on own cooking reached sympathetic ears.
Archie Skinner Algonquin pro wins St. Croix Open second year running.
St. Croix Courier
Oct 9/1947
Shiretown Items: Each year when the Algonquin and most of the cottages close, the bottom seems suddenly to fall out of everything, but this year it was more noticeable than ever. We had a very busy season and everybody was tired out and when the opportunity came to relax most of us went to bed for about three weeks. During the summer there would be hundreds of people and scores of cars on the street every morning but it is surprising how quickly they disappeared.
St. Croix Courier
Dec 11, 1947
Shiretown items
[after several months' absence from Shiretown Items]
Thanks Again
It's getting to be an old story now—this rendering of thanks, but the many favors, both small and good, that I've received each time I am laid low, are ever as fresh and welcome and so I trust that this work of thanks will be accepted in the same spirit. The specials in the food line were timed perfectly, ice-cream, partridge, and venison. The oysters alas! Are too rich for my worn-out digestive organs even at their best, but many thanks just the same. I appreciate the cards and letters, many from the old faithful and some from newfound friends. Most of all my thanks are due to the good old friend who comes to tend the furnace. Though three years older than myself I hope he will outlive me as I don't know what we should do without him. When we suffer a succession of attacks from a sever type of illness, we cannot help wondering if the struggle to recover and survive is worthwhile. But the fact that we continue to be spared makes us believe that perhaps we have still some useful purpose to serve in the world.