During January and February and the first two weeks of March was getting out logs for to build a house. We had to well, we used slough water and melted snow but there was not very much snow that winter. We had to go every day to the river to water our oxen. It was from the river banks we got our logs.
Spring opened early. I was ploughing my few acres for my garden in the second week of March then I started digging hole of the well and how much sore I could not tell. That put a stop to my digging any deeper. I had got water at 30 feet but not enough. It came too slow but I had to put up with it for that year. My money was now getting low again so I must go out again and work for more.
I put two acres of garden truck in potatoes and other small seeds. This done then starts for Saskatoon again, this time taking my oldest boy with me leaving my wife and the small boy, now six years all alone, two miles from the nearest neighbors.
They was starting digging for sewerage in Saskatoon when we arrived. My boy got a job driving delivery rig for Jones Brothers, first Ave at $9.00 per week. I started work on the sewers at $2.00 per day and had to buy my own shovel. We started at the River near the traffic Bridge, came up third Avenue to 19th street up second Ave. We had some very rough digging, many cave ins, very much narrow escapes of being buried alive. I will tell you of two.
First was not far from the River, before we reached 19th street. I came across three great boulders, two on one side of the ditch and one of the other, the one meeting between the other two. They was about 7 feet from the surface. They should not be moved so I had to dig under them about 14 feet. We went until we started up second Avenue when the engineer took me and two more to start and lay the sewer pipes which we did, catching up with the diggers.
The sewer pipes were covered over by means of a team of horses and scraper within 8 feet from the top when the Engineer set me and other two to under mining the bank of the ditch for about a foot or so that the water pipe could be laid, there we laid the pipes as we made space for them. Well we came to the rocks again which I have spoke of above, only about 2-1/2 feet to work under, it was some job. We did it, got the pipe in position. I had to lie down on my stomach under the rock to take the ropes from off the pipe, this done comes from under the rocks, no sooner had I got clear from them when the three boulder caved in, each weighing over a ton. Had they caved in one minute sooner I should not be now writing the story.
The next exciting experience was at the corner of 19th street and second Ave. We had got ready for laying the pipe when it caved in. Well we had to dig all out again. Just got ready again, another cave. This happened three of four times. I had finished my end and had got up on my feet to straighten my back a bit when I saw the dirt sliding again. I called to my chums to jump. Once got clear but the other got caught, he was buried up to his neck, just his head above the dirt with danger of more coming. We dug him out, none the worse but he quit the job there and then I did not know his name only by his first name "Jack". I have never met him since.
Four days after this typhus fever started. It was on a Monday when one had to be taken to the hospital, Tuesday another and Wednesday afternoon I began to be sick. I went to my shack for the rest of the day. I slept that night all right again in the morning goes to work again in the afternoon, starts to be sick again. This time I asked for my check..I was going home, I wanted to work two weeks longer and then go home to put hay up and get my garden stuff in and then come back again to work. I had lots of garden stuff to sell.
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