Bras D'Or

Dennis Jessome
The Boy From Bras D'Or

Quick Thinking

The nights were very dark at the Bras d'Or Shacks. All we had was one light pole and it stood at the top of Harvey and Jenny (Penny) Clarke's hill.

It had to be the most important light pole at the shacks never mind the only one. There were as many as thirty-eight shacks at any one time. The light pole was like a beacon. It shone the way for all the shackers.

It could be seen throughout the area of the Bras d'Or shacks.

The shacks started slowly disappearing, one at a time, and all by fire.

I never heard of anyone getting burned to death in the shacks.

Most of the fires started in the kitchen from a kerosene oil lamp turning over or a hot cinder flying from the stove and smoldering all night on the floor while the families were in bed.

If the fire started in the kitchen then the families would run out the front door. But if the fire started in the living room from the warm morning stove you lifted up the back window and got out through the window and eased yourself down on the banking in winter.

The fires started mostly in the winter, as you had both stoves going and the stove pipes were red as a beet and most of the time the door on the warm morning was open to give the fire draft to burn brighter.

The flames from the wood burning in the stove lit up the whole room and you could feel the heat.

It was very cozy and I loved to sit by the fire before bedtime, we would tell few stories or sing a little ditty.

It also saved on the Kerosene oil, we didn't need to light the lamp, and the fire gave of enough light. Just to see all of us sitting around the fire gave you a close family feeling.

You had to watch for cinders flying from the fire; we had them pretty well under control using a broom and a pan of water kept nearby.

A lot of shacks burned to the ground from oil lamps and flying cinders and sometime the flue caught on fire with all the soot in it. Dirty chimneys were one of the worst things to start fires.

The shacks were pretty dry and if the fire started it went up in smoke before you could say "Jack Rabbit".

All the shacks had tar on the roofs and it the fire made it that high there wasn't a chance that the fire could be put out. By the time the firemen from Sydney Mines got there the shack would be a goner. It was burnt flat.

I remember one night when Ba-Ba Clarke came down to have a game of cards with me and we were sitting at the kitchen table under the oil lamp to give us light.

The kitchen table was always at the back window. There wasn't anywhere else to put the table in most of the shacks going down the hill.

The back window didn't hoist up. We could take it out in the summertime. When we put it back in for the fall and winter months, we had to stick two table knives or a butcher knife on the sides to hold it in place.

This night, it was pretty windy outside, and all of a sudden, the window blew in and tipped the kerosene oil lamp over. It broke the shade and the lamp rolled off the table and caught fire.

The oil was seeping out and the flames were getting bigger and bigger. Instead of doing the right thing as Mama taught us, by running out of the house, I ran to get the old army coat.

I remembered seeing Mama put out a chip pot fire with that old army coat, she threw it over the chip pot to smother the blaze. Mama always told me to get out and never mind the fire; she knew it would burn fast when started.

I scooted in the back room and got the coat and threw it on the lamp on the kitchen floor. The flames were getting pretty high but when the coat was over the fire it smothered the flames.

There were flames on the table and Ba-Ba grabbed the face and hand basin, that was on the commode, it was slimy, someone forgot to take the soap out of the pan again, and Ba-Ba let it fly. Sure enough it did the trick.

We had to open the windows and door to get rid of the smoke and air out the house.

I wasn't too worried about the fire because I knew it was out. I was more worried what Daddy was going to say when he came home that night.

We could see the 38 Chevy coming down the hill and turn in the yard. I said to Ba-Ba, "Oh, oh".

Daddy came in and said, "What in the geeses happened here". Once I told him the story he patted me on the head and gave me a big hug.

Daddy said, "You did the right thing Dinnie boy and I'm proud of you. But you could have got burnt. Next time, if it ever happens again, get the hell out. But by your quick thinking of the Army coat you saved the place".

I told Daddy, "Well I have Mama to thank for that. I watched her with the chip pot".

Daddy said, "Anyway you did alright".

Thanks Daddy and Ba-Ba, but special thanks to Mama for the quick thinking she taught me and the use of the old faithful Army coat.

Live life to the fullest.

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