(1957)

"Ontario's Pipeline on Wheels"

PART FIVE, --- Chester and I were running together for about a day and a half now, and I was getting pretty tired. I would have to pull off and grab some sleep it was about midnight and we were just coming up to Klotz Lake. There was a fishing camp there and they had a clearing on the waters edge. Room enough for a couple tractor trailers and a few cars and pick-up trucks. We pulled off for a short break, and I told Chester that this was it for me; I'm parked for the night. He said that he was going to carry on as far as he could, then left.

It was about 5:00 am, when I woke up, to the smell of fish on a fire. One of the guys from the fishing camp had been out already and caught more than enough pickerel for two to have a good feed. I crawled out of the cab, half crippled and went down to the waters edge to get my eyes splashed open and to wake up. I commented to the fisherman about him being a masochist, cooking fresh fish in front of a starving man. He just laughed and invited me over to share in his breakfast. There was no way in this world that I was going to turn this invite down. He had a kettle of boiling water with loose coffee in it. The way the old trapper's made their coffee. When it was boiled enough, you just dropped a bit of cold water into the pot and all the grounds drop to the bottom. After having my fill and helping to clean up, I started out for Cochran.

Between Hearst and Kapuskasing there is a little kink in the road called Lowther. This place had a few houses that the railroaders lived in. Just next to it about a mile off the road was a new radar station on the Pine Tree, National Defence Line. It was a military outpost, and manned by a few Canadian and American personnel.

The road that past this place, had no roadbed. It was floating on muskeg. When a loaded truck past over it, it would start to sink a bit and bog down. You would sometimes have to drop a couple of gears to keep going through. The new road construction has not come this far yet. Other locations of this sort had to be dug up for about 10 to 15 feet deep, and then filled in with roadbed material, to give it a base.

It had been raining for the last couple days, when I came upon it, and it made the road even spongier. I could see a tanker stopped and leaning hard over to the right. It was Chester. I stopped and asked what happened? He was in the need to relieve himself, so pulled over to the edge of the roadway while it was still dark out. When he finished, the truck had sunk down to the right wheel hubs. All the trying to get out only made it worse. It just started to sink deeper and deeper in the muskeg. He had sent a message with another trucker going to Kapuskasing to send back a tow truck. A couple other guys tried to pull him back with their chains. They could not move him. The truck just kept sinking deeper.

A couple hours later the wrecker came along. We tried for another three hours, and with no success. The final solution would be to get the tank unloaded first, and get the weight off. After getting the dispatch involved, he called ahead to Cochran and had a message left to send the first truck to empty out, back as fast as possible.

John made it back. One of the construction companies came up with an asphalt pump. They had to use a steam jenny to heat up the valve. We started to pump the load off, when Chester yelled to shut down. We were all engrossed in getting the load off, and forgot about venting the tank. The loading hatch was at right angles to vertical, and could not be opened for the venting. The construction company then brought over a portable generator, for an electrical power supply, then hooked up a drill to bore an air hole in the wall of the trailer, while it laid on it's side. After the best part of a day, they finally got most of the load transferred, and on it's way to Cochran.

 By this time the truck had sunk completely over onto its right side with all of the left wheels up off the ground. It was in the process of sinking down and under the roadway. They say, that if left long enough, it could go completely under. The sinking slowed down dramatically, once the load was removed. It was dark now and nothing else could be done. They would have to bring in a backhoe and dig it out before any cables could be hooked on. That meant it would have to wait till the next day.

The tires and wheels just dangling there, off the ground, would seem to give them a reason to grow legs and run away. To compensate for this, John approached one of the American air force guys standing around, watching the goings on. He asked him if he had his own car, and would he mind sitting, and keep an eye on the truck all night, especially, the wheels that were off the ground? Just make sure that they are still there in the morning. We will throw in a few bucks, for your time, OK? Sure thing, was his answer, I'll be back in about an hour.

He came over in civvies, and with his girlfriend. We left him with $10, and a 40 oz. bottle of whisky. Then we all took off till the morning. I went on to Cochrane to deliver my load while  Chester was taken to a motel for the night. Flare pots were set out and the air force guy with his girlfriend, were now on guard.

The next morning, the backhoe was brought in about 6:00am. The operator found the couple in the car, both passed out drunk. At least all the wheels were still on the truck. They dragged them out, moved the car, and one of the crew drove them, in their car back to the radar station. It seems that a good time was had, and turned into cheap insurance.

Together, the backhoe, trenching around the truck, and with the wrecker working alongside, they finally got the truck up onto the road again. Other than the vent hole drilled in the side of the tank, there was no damage done to the truck. With all the ground being so soft and no rock about, the resurrection was successful. Chester was able to drive it home. One of the construction guys, came up with an old Gerry pot, put a ribbon on it, then sent it along to the terminal with instructions on it's use. They named it, ( "KEEP OUT OF THE DITCH KIT". )

END PART FIVE. ---

       ---------- William (Diesel Gypsy)  Weatherstone.                          RETURN TO STORY MENU