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The Brussels Post, 1960-07-14, Page 5Saltiest Railroad In All Canada NAME'S THE SAMI — Just so traveler's won't get confused over where they are, r of Cuba, Mo„ erected this sign along. Rt. 66. idents tugged it open he 094, fronted by my #teedeetand Jones, who entered the. Immo. with more. speed then I ted .1* IWO him capable,, ,"se was passing,' geld -07, eiogir, "so we grabbed him an,. made him Jpeo. ne,e As P.C. Jones and his priserie0 passed us and disappeared, Ben- son took hold of my saute. "You didn't see him do he said, "Hoye did you kriosyf* oI didn't," T replied, "He knew, I would be Outside. that night. l'ie'd been Watching me foe weeks, and he knew about my" concert at his wife's place. had everythingeimed: he slfppe round and waited for me to go, Hut he made one mistake. "'You see, I do know -mushy,. He may be a. brilliant violinist, but. he's ee patch on 11'0? ler, and it was Keeipeer who gave me MY second concert that. night," I nodded towards the door o the lounge. "There's a hi-fi Set in there," I said. "And I'M will- ing to bet you'll find several); greieler records, too." —From "Tit-Bite," Sweet-Sounding Murder Melody FOR BULK MAIL — The Palace of the Governors In Santo Fe, N.M., is pictured on this 11/4 - cent U.S. stamp. It is considered America's oldest public building, constructed in 1610 and used as seat of government In the state until 1901, The stomp will be used for non-profit organiza- tional bulk mail, Nylon Discs To Speed Building A tremendous increase in the speed of house-building can soon be expected. Instead of using mortar, 'builders in Sweden are putting up houses in whiclh the blocks are keyed' together by means of nylon discs only one- eighth of an inch thick. Grooves three-quarters of ars inch deep are made in the con- crete blocks along those sides Which have to make contact. Then, into the groove of each yard-long block are inserted, three of the locking discs at equai distances. The disks are an inch and a half in diameter, so this leaves three-quarters of an inch pro- truding to fit in the grooves of the block that is put on top, Only the lowest layer of blocks has to be fixed with mortar. It is claimed this method en- sures that houses are sixty per cent. stronger than those built with mortar. left over from lunch, and called it "fricasseed chicken," For, far More than most rail- ways, the DAR has a person- ality that win: friends, It has inspired books, poems and songs. In the last decade the popular- ity of its employees has carried art least two of them into public office, Gladys Porter was manager of the DAR station restaurant at Kentville when she was elected mayor of that town — a post to which she has been repeatedly re-elected. She was Nova Scotia's first woman mayor. And when Raymond Bourque was conductor, steward, porter, dishwasher a complete one- man staff — of the "flossy old club car" mentioned nostalgical- ly in the Chronicle-Herald edi- torial, the voters of Yarmouth County elected him to represent them in the Nova Scotia legisla- ture. He discovered that taking care of passengers is no chore for a politician. Not just his own constituents, but people from all constituencies, bent his ears with their political views and pressed him to support their causes. Meanwhile, he had a wife and seven hungry children to pro- vide for, and the tips he counted on to balance his family budget dropped alarmingly because tra- velers were unwilling to risk of- fending the dignity of an MLA. Roue ate unpleasant snigger. but how do I know? I've never seen you before and 1 certainly have no wislk to ate yoe again. You could have done it, My wife was a wealthy woman and from what you flay you had been watching the. 'house for long enough." • 'lint you left the house," I told I paused to let my wok" sink in, watching him stiffen, • °What do yoU mean?" Be triad to look indigent, but failed,. °What I said, my friend, You left your homei went O. her house and murdered her in cold 'blood. I saW you," waited to. see what effect any colossal piece of bluff would have. Hut 1 was unprepared for what followed. lie marched forward a grabbed me by my muffler. "You lousy tramp! Wrio will believe you? No pose You can, bleat as rnuoh .as you like and no one will listen, You've no proof e- have you? Well, have you? .ht's your word egainet. -mine. You've been seen lurking around the house:" Half throttled -by my scarf Tasped: ""Ail right, You win, here's no hope of • me even `,making myself heard. But I would like to know how you did. in end why, No one will listen to me, as you say." "Why I did it?" He sniggered again and I could see .he was half-crazy, "She cheated me out of every- thing I had, that's why. Set her- self up well, lived in luxury while I existed in this pigsty, She came here nine months ago. Found out where I was after I skipped out of the last place. She was bleckenalling me, bled me of every penny. So I went round there after her last demand and choked the life out of her, 'There — tell that to the police and hear them laugh." He released .his hold of my scarf and made a - strangling ac- tion. I shuddered at the thougtt of those artistic hands capable of making that 'wonderful musie committing such a crime. But he • was talking again, muttering over and over to himself. "I made a mistake „once -- just once —.and she's been cash- ing in on It ever since, Finished me on the concert platform, She deserved what she got." He swung round on me. "Now, get out. Get out-" I got. I ran to the door and WA erase fond moreoriee „ the. flossy old club car on the. dignified passenger train: the. sight of steward, brakemen, conductor, fireman and engineer ,shoveling the overnight apeede sier out Of a snowbank while the sleeping ear passengers. shit/ erect uncomplainingly in their berths;, the chorus of greetings: exchanged at every station along the way by .passengere, crew end the inevitable Rita of station bystanders,'" The Chronicle-ilereld. added with a sort of .half-chuckle, half, sigh, that the - DAR bad been a traditional "symbol of unhurried and unruffled Nova Scotia," No- body could dispute this. In the DAR'S enregenerated., Unimproved era, both passengers and crew seemed perversely pleased by its utter contempt for timetables, which prompted wild, imaginary tales like the one about the frantic mother Who protested to the conductor that- her 'baby would be born on lewd if they didn't reach Halifax soon. "You shouldn't have come on this train • if you were expect- ing," the conductor dhided her, "I wasn't," she snapped, "when I got aboard." DAR veterans like Harry Hay- stead can top the fictional stories with true ones. Once, a small girl who. boarded the train at Annapolis asked Conductor Joe :Edwards to tell her when they arrived at a flag station called Auburn. Her request slipped Ed- ward's mind until they were a mile beyond Auburn; then he pulled the cord and backed the train up. "This is where you get off," he told the child, "We're at Auburh." "oh, I don't get off here," she said.• "I'm going right through to Halifax, but my mo- ther said that when we got to Auburn it would be time to take one of my pills." Travel on the DAR in bygone days may have been slow but it wasn't dull. When' an infant cried incessantly, and the mother explained apologetically 'to her fellow passengers that she'd left its milk at home, a young man climbed off at the first step, jumped a fence and pursued a cow in a pasture, While every- body cheered and the crew held the train, he caught the animal and filled a empty bottle with milk for the baby, At Winsor Junction he might have filled the bottle without leaving the train at all. Clarke's History of the Earliest Railways in Nova Scotia, written by a DAR conductor in the 1920's, re- ports that trains stopping alt Windsor Junction used to be "boarded by goats which pro- vided milk for a number of Junc- tion homes. Walking through the cars, the goats would visit the passengers in quest of something to eat." Almost anything could and did delay DAR trains snowdrifts, streams overflowing their banks, a collision with a moose, par- ades or a firehose from a pond. on one side of the track to a bluetit* farnehouse on the other. was typical of the atmosphere 'that prevailed on the old, errs- tic, unimproved DAR — and still 'prevails, for that matter on the new, modernized and on- schedule DAR -e- that nobody ever seemed to mind, Nobody either; when the club ear • steward occasionally . re- seevedi for dintier,.the veal stew Budgets are not merely affairs; of arithmetic, but in a thousand, ways go to the root of prosperity of individuals, the relation of classes and the strength of king.. dome. Gladstont. In Harry Haysteacee ,hoyhood he yearned, as. did ao reeny Nova Scotians of his. generation, to be, the master of a schooner, Hafer, elettately, heights bottened hitn (Since he couldn't swing througit ;lasing like a monkey theettgh. jungle, he realized he'd never be 4.. mariner. Instead, be a(Yt a job with the Dominion Atlantic Rail- way, He thought that working tor the DAR would be a little like going to sea. He still .thinks so. Now a retired ,conductor who lives at the Annapolis Valley town of Kentville, Haystead claims with a twinkle in his eyes that the DAR is as much like a ship as anything that doesn't actually sail. This is only a slight exaggeration, The DAB is unqueStionably Canada's — and perhaps the world's saltiest railroad. Its bridges cross briny tidal rivers, not ordinary freah water rivers, and when the fog rolls in, its locomotive whistles have to com- pete with the din of foghorns. A sot of its passengers wear the blue uniform of the navy or the casual but recognizable garb of the fisherman. Its refrigerator oars have a redolence of lobsters, scallops, clams, haddock. ' herring, 'tuna, cod, halibut and flounder. And, for much Of its run from, Yarmouth to Truro and Halifax, the DAR winds along the Bay of Fundy and Mines Basin, pass- ing through small picturesque ports like a string through beads, Even in the fruit-growing An- napolis Valley, the railway is seldom more than a few miles from the roar of the steel, and When it finally turns inland, it Makes the shortest route from the Fundy shore to Halifax, the proud naval base and harbor on. he Atlantic. Although the 101 year - old DAR, with its 287.5 miles of . track, has been a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway since 1912, Nova Scotians con- tinue to look on it as their own —an integral part of their his- tory, like tall ships, Bluenose skippers, Joe Howe and Thomas 'Chandler Haliburton. Indeed, they haven't forgotten that Howe, the fiery editor and champion of freedom, and Halt- burton, the great hutrourist who was Howe's friend and wrote for his newspaper, were the first to advocate that the DAR be built, So sentimental are they about their railroad that last April when J, C. IVIeCuaig, the DAR's big affable manager, announced a $2 million 'program to replace the steam locomotives with die- sels and bring DAR standards up to those of the CPR main line, Nova Scotians didn't know whe- ther to xejoice or mourn. They liked the idea of faster service. But they were sadly aware that ouch improvements made the DAR, — which once had snorting. scarlet and gold locomotives, each. emblazoned with the name of its personal engineer — lees and less like its old rakish .flame • boyalit self. The Halifax Chronicle-Herald interpreted the feelings of the Overage Nova Scotian in an. edi- • tonal that "This move toweedeetfieleney, and modernization, Whiali.oeras. teflected as far back an 1966,, eThen the Heliftut to Yarrateuthe Paylinere (diesel -passenger date elerS) went into Operation,. does When the stubby competent diesel Dayliners succeeded the elegant but shabby steam-drawn passenger trains and no club ear required his talents, the versa- tile and handsome r Bourque, an Acadian who speaks French and English with equal facility, was hired by one of his more cele- brated. passengers — Nova Sco- tia's richest native son, Cyrus Eaton, the Cleveland niultirnile Bonaire. His duties include look- ihg after the Pugwash estate at which Eaton bririgs together groups of internationally-known intelleottals to discuss world problems Even without the frills and ec- centricities Of the eteani trains; even with Canada's most unusu, al club car conductor gone, the DAR has .color, flavor and that,, atter, The Chronicle-Herald torial writer's fear that progress would eliminate "the chorus of greetings exchanged at every station," proved unwarranted. At each stop, conductors like Avard Moese, a spry amiable man who. has been with the, leAlt Since 1915] can call by name nine out of 10 men, women and children on the pled-eine, Today the grandchildren of couples he originally met when they Were hoirieyhmehirig Via DAR, travel with Morse., People Who live in tiny cosxiiiiuiiiiies don't hesitate to ask hint to do errands for thelit lit larger plaeee, , 'Hit eagerness to be obliging is one Meet of his genius for :Make ltig friends, In his Ptirtablia desk he proudly keeps a neatly tied bundle of fan Mali letters sent him by people frorii all over itteeth Aitieriek who traveled on the DAR and appreciated hie kindness'', fan Selerideri In Imperial oft Reek*. We met as arranged, outside 'the violinist's house. A queer trio we must have looked, but it was dark and there were no street lamps. We waited silently until light f 1 oo ded the front room. We watched the man take his place in front of his music-stand, Then I knocked on the door, noticing thankfully that the window was open. The man himself responded to any knock and I saw him clearly for the' first time. I must confess to a shaking feeling about the knees, "What can I do for you?" he asked politely enough, but be- hind the simple phrase I could detect a certain nervousness. "I am an admirer of yours," I began. "I have stood outside your home every night for (months enraptured by your ex- cellent playing. No less was I an admirer of your late wife's music. Between the two of you you have given me some very pleasant evenings." His expression changed at once. "Thank you," he said. "I'm grateful for your appreciation— now if you'll excuse me . ," and the door began to close. I put what was left of my shoe between door and step, wincing at the blow my foot received. "Here, what's the idea?" Hie expression b et ante menacing, "Do you want me to call the police?" "I don't think you will want to do that," I replied, with plenty of meaning. "I think you should hear what I have to say first." For a moment a flicker of fear crossed his face and. I felt con- fident that I was oe the right track. He led me into the lounge, was an ordinary room, plainly furnished. The four corners were occupied by a bookcase, a stan- dard lamp, a radiogram and a table, The music stand and a small card-table stood in the centre of the roam, The man stood with his back to the door, "What exactly do you want?" He kept his eyes on me, re- garding me with obvious dis- taste, and I began to explain. "You see," I said, "suspicion naturally falls on me. I was seen near your wife's house on the night of the murder, and of course my appearance doesn't help matters, Any day now they might arrest me and that would be most unfair, because you know and I know that. I'm in- nocent," 'His face blanched, then he SEARCHING THE RUINS — Groping for het possessions, e woman is surrounded by the ruins of thd city of Agadir, Mor- occo, leveled by an earthquake. A Complete Story fly Val Johnston She had been murdered. It took a while for the message of the bold, black type to sink in. Then, beneath the main story, I read that the police were anxi- ous to find me, in the hope that I would assist in their investi- gations. I was a suspect, Reading further, I had another shock. She had been married. When I sale to whom, the whole thing became painfully clear. They would not believe my story, of course, but that would be understandable as I had been seen near the scene of the crime, and a loitering tramp always arouses suspicion. Though this loitering of mine had been go- ing on for scene months, it was ironic that no one had noticed me before that fateful night. The murder had taken place in a large, ivy covered house, half-way along a narrow lane. Every night, outside this house, I had enjoyed the first half of a free concert. I had never seen the murdered woman, but she was certainly a brilliant pianist. When she stopped playing I would move on to the smaller house, This was where I heard the second half of the concert. It was the home of a superb violinist Who managed to bring tears to my eyes with his ren- dering of same of the loveliest pieces ever composed. I wonder- ed how such talent could. go un- discovered, It was fine and. calm — on that fateful evening — as I stood be- fore the pianist's hous e, The woman was alive, very much so, She was playing at her best. It was 'when I reached the man's house that I knew there eras something wrong, Yet if I said what was on my mind I would be lei real trouble. No one would believe me, Ac- cording to the police, it was While I was at the violinisei house that the murder was com- mitted. I was lucky in one respect. I had not stayed the night in my shack but had spent it at the home of an old friend — Joe Benson. It was in his parlour that I was reading the account of the crime, It would not be long before the police would be paying him a visit. Every min- ute was precious.. I had no definite proof that bhe man was the murderer, but I was pretty certain that he was out of the house that night. It was only a hunch, though, and the only way I could use it was 'to obtain a confession. I made up my mind. I would be doing myself out of free cone certs for all time, but as things stood at present I was not in a positiori to enjoy them, anyway. It was a slim chance, but one worth taking. My friend and' I talked. the whole thing over, I. Asked him to enlist the help' of the vicar, another close feiend Who believed in me despite my unkempt appearance, He telephoned the „Minister and asked him to coine over as. Soon as possible, The vicar was not very im- pteesed with my plan. "But, Vicar,", I argued,, "if the murderer isn't totted 9 o nil they'll arrest nee. After all, t WAS seen there, and if tell them niy theory eestimes fee a clumsy attempt at framing, The only way is for trie to force a eonfessiOti out, of hint 1 pro- niise not to Use violence, I must have witnesses, and who better titan you and Joe *Beriseolil" "Very Well, you bait 'Count en Me to be there." theit,° said Joe and; I in nelson. tie vicar nodded ,ettelerOse• to hie feet. We• shook hands all heiind and X went Up to the boxroom where Joe had suggested I should hide lest the ,Police should deekle to 'rayvisit. THE EYES HAVE It President EisehlioWee wipes his eyes after 'Ma- car" "rail through a eked of fear gas 'which Wai used litugutiyari police to break ur ci student demonstration- our-' ng his filoicircode through the tender of Montevideo. 'Uruguay WaS the lett itoje 'for foUiefiallate tete' Of Setitle Anierlea:, ggi'' . ONCE A HOTEL — Rows of shattered evindoees test atnid the rubble. of What once whs. lin, Hotel Saacla Agedir, Metatte, after earthquakea d tidal Wove devastated the re, soli pert thy Iola P.A. 10'.