14
Winter ConstructionThe building of mills went on throughout the winter of 1900 - 1901. Luckily, the weather remained mild until early in the New Year when a sudden change took place and it became colder and very frosty. Actually the temperature dropped to 30 degrees below zero and steadily remained there for nearly three weeks, during which time we had very little snow. Something like three hundred men apart from the millwrights and foremen were employed at construction work alone, while several hundred had gone up the lake to the camps where they were engaged at cutting and/or felling trees, converting them into logs and hauling then to the lake side, rolling them into the water in the spring and towing them to the mill.
15
Piers, built during the winter to anchor the holding booms.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
16
Holding BoomsSpring came in due course and both mills were completed in 1901 and ready to start operating around mid June. Meanwhile, several booms of logs had been towed down the lake and securely held inside the boom or holding-ground which had been prepared during late winter and spring. While the ice was firm, the lake having frozen over solidly, piers had been built out into the lake to which the booms were fastened. The area surrounded was large enough to hold several thousand logs.
17
The railway loading area at the back of the mill.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
18
Fine Mills - Poor TimberThe tragedy of this whole undertaking was now becoming apparent. Here, we had, set up in the heart of the country, two of the finest mills that could be seen anywhere in Canada, yet the forest proved had proved, after getting started, to be of inferior quality, or, the best that could be said for it - second class. There was some Number 1 of course, but fully 50% of the amount sawn proved to be Number 2 and Number 3. The Canadian mill, that is, the band mill, was not only of the latest design, but its equipment also was first class and modern in every detail. Furthermore, the operators of the machines were experienced, and well qualified in every respect, since they had been specially selected by Kendall himself who, as already stated, was Canada's foremost mill designer and architect.
19
The town as seen from the roof of the lumber mill.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
20
PhotographIn order to place the setting in its true perspective, it will be necessary to give a description of the new town from a scenic point of. All the homes were occupied by Swedish families. A few houses escaped the picture. Those were occupied by Newfoundlanders, including Uncle Sammy and myself. A school which served as a Church and Sunday School was built upon a promontory or hill, which still stands. Actually no nicer or more picturesque setting could be found anywhere.
21
The town on Mary March Point.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
22
Beatiful SurroundingsThe mills were situated at the foot of Red Indian Lake. A large jetty was built out into the lake a few yards above the mill itself, where the water was some twenty feet deep. This jetty or pier served the purpose of providing harbour for the tow-boats, as well as shelter for the log boom and jack ladders. The town site itself was laid out on a spit of land which extended around the foot of the lake almost to the other shore or north side where the river "Mary March" emptied itself into the lake or the junction of the river and the lake, which formed a wide basin on the river side of the point.
23
The Lewis Miller family residence.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
24
The TownsiteThe site itself, and the whole area was unforgettably beautiful. It was completely covered with a beautiful stand of healthy pine. These were immediately cut down and converted into logs; all except one or two large trees about 3' - 4' in diameter and upwards of one hundred feet tall which were growing on the extreme tip of the point. On the point and nearby was said to have been the Indian (Mary March's) camp site.
Here was built also, right beside this tree, the new manager's house. Once cleared of trees, which was not difficult, the soil was of a gravel nature. It had been built up or washed up by the waves from the lake on one side and the river current on the other. This left a sandy shore line on either side of the point and made the point an ideal location for the town. The beach was promptly taken advantage of by the Swedish children as a bathing beach.
25
The town and the lumber mill.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
26
The CottagesThe town was planned and laid out with three streets, all running at right angles to the main road and the railway and parallel with the lake shore. Some eighty cottages were built along these streets, each with adequate space and in its own grounds; each building had a frontage of one hundred feet. The reason for the wide frontage was chiefly for fire protection. Each house had a woodshed, of course, which was large enough to be used for wood storage and work shop as well. Some houses also extended along the shoreline of the river, which at this point was about one-half mile wide and flowed so gently that it became almost a part of the lake itself. The cottages along the shoreline were built mainly for local workman.
27
The local workmen cottages.1900
Millertown, Newfoundland, Canada
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