From Ruby's
column:
When Cliff and I saw Perce's khaki green 1928 Model A Ford pull into
the yard we knew Barney would be with him. Barney was a reddish colored
terrier, who went everywhere with Perce. He had special eating habits,
if Perce were haying and took an egg sandwich for lunch, he had to take
an extra one for Barney. This dog thought he was a human being and
insisted on eating the exact same food as his master.
As Perce and Dad did their usual thing of leaning against the car with
their arms folded, discussing the weather, crops and farming,
Cliff and I sat on the ground and listened. Barney spent the time
leaning out the window, giving an occasional bark at a cat who walked
too close to the car. We knew this dog didn't like kids so we did not
venture near him.
Adults certainly liked to talk in riddles so little kids couldn't
understand. One moment the conversation was about the new cars with
hydraulic brakes and eight cylinder engines and then the talk rolled
around to a pickle ford. It seemed that someone had bought a pickle
ford from a friend and Dad and Perce didn't think this was a good idea.
This sure was confusing! Mum made pickles and we had a bottle of
pickled eggs in the cellar but what was a pickle ford?
At supper time, I asked Mum if I could have a pickle ford instead of
mustard pickles. She told me to stop the silly talk or leave the table.
If I had hung around the family of William Alexander of Fredericton
Junction in about 1920, I would have understood the term, "Pickle Ford"
as he owned one.
It seems the "Pickle" Ford was manufactured in 1916 destined for Egypt,
but the ship sank in the Saint John Harbour. When the cargo was
salvaged, the damaged cars were sold at half the regular price. William
Alexander paid $485 for a four-door convertible, while the same car in
the United States would cost $875. The steering wheel was on the left
side - other cars of that year were still having the steering wheel
placed on the right-hand side. The tires were tubeless and bald, having
been designed for driving in heavy sands. The radiator was much larger
by today's standard and was made of copper cooling tubes and the
reservoir was made of brass to provide the required cooling in a hot
climate. The cars were not equipped with batteries and it was necessary
to crank them by hand to get them started.
This is just one of the stories that can be found in the publication, ‘Days of Old'- A History of Fredericton
Junction by Katherine Dewitt and Norma Alexander.
If you have roots in the area, you will find this to be an informative
publication. Some of the topics covered in this 368 page book are: Dr.
Ambrose Shearman; Hartt's Mills and its founder; Pride's Landing; the
Gore; murder on the Old St. Andrews Road; early grantees; Back Tracy
Road; Phoebe McKillop; highway bridges and the Great Road; the
railroad; lumbering; churches; cemeteries; education; doctors and
health care; the military; hotels; stores and shops; organizations;
account of the wedding in 1880 of Caroline Alexander and Moses Burpee
written by the bridesmaid; the year without a summer 1816; Dark Sunday
1819; Cold Friday 1861 and many more.
Although the passenger cars no longer rumble through the village, you
can ride the rails of reading to learn about the days of old in
Fredericton Junction and once again walk the paths of daily life.
From
Ruby's column
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