Welcome to The Club v4.1 Winter 2023/24

Welcome to...
THE “christmas” Club
Christmas Time Compared
Today (2010) vs. Yesterday (1943)
Location: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
There has been quite a change in
Christmas activities since I was a kid.
I will attempt to compare them here
for those of you who are 60 years old
or younger. Starting with 2010 and
comparing it with the past.
#1 BLUE BOX PICKUP (recycling
materials)
Today we have special, powerful,
multi-compartment diesel trucks with
hydraulic, load compressors who
tour the streets picking up your used
materials from the curbside.
1943: We had at that time what we
called a sheeny man (original version of
the blue box). He was an old guy with
a rickety, old wagon pulled by a single
emaciated horse, who cruised up and
down the alleys behind the houses
ringing a bell. He would gather up old
newspapers, and metal, as well as any
useful (to him) articles not wanted any
more. He was a one-horse scrap yard on
wheels.
#2 SIDEWALKS & ROAD SNOW
REMOVAL
Today we have diesel-powered, cabheated
machines that blow the snow
from the sidewalks and at the same
time spread sand from a trailer being
towed by the tractor. The roads have
giant, diesel trucks equipped with
snow blowers or plows (depending on
the severity of the storm) flying up and
down the roads plowing and spreading
sand or salt as they go. All taken for
granted while spewing out smelling
By William Weatherstone, Sarnia
pollution.
1943: Sidewalks were cleared with
a horse and walking driver guiding a
V-shaped plow with the handles from a
hand-guided, furrow summer plow. He
would guide the horse up and down the
streets as if he were planting crops but
plowing the snow from the sidewalks.
The only pollution problem at this
time would be if the horse farted at
the driver. In the winter, houses were
usually fueled with a coal-burning
furnace. It was my job to shovel the
ashes into buckets and take them out to
the curbside where a dump truck would
come by and pick them up the same as
a garbage truck. They would then take
and store them at the city garage yard
and stockpiled. When traction on the
streets was necessary they would send
a load out and while one man drove
slowly a second man would be up on
the load with a hand shovel throwing
the ashes on the road (no automatic
sanders or such). True recycling.
A PAINFUL INCIDENT INVOLVING
ASH TRACTION
I would take my sled (with steel
runners) and run down the street, then
throw myself onto the sled and glide
for half a block. This time the ash truck
had passed by and threw down some
ashes while I was running full steam
ahead, I dropped down to the sled
when it promptly stopped dead in its
track (ashes spread for traction). My
body went vertically upside down while
my face became my feet and slid (on
my face) for about 5 or 6 feet. Fully
scratched and bloody I, for the first
time in my life, truly saw stars just like
displayed in the comic books. Another
lesson learned.
#3 CHRISTMAS CHEER, (MILKMAN
& BREADMAN)
Today we usually go to the grocery
store to buy our bread and milk. It
was not all that long ago that these
necessities were delivered to our door by
delivery drivers whose vans were filled
with a load of product and delivered
individually to customers’ homes in a
regular delivery sequence. They would
park in front of one house and carry
trays with milk or bread to three or
four houses then move on to the next
location. Years ago at Christmas or even
New Year’s Eve, the driver would be
offered a little liquid cheer to get him
through this longest day of the year
(work-wise).
1943: The bread or milk man at that
time had an enclosed wagon pulled by
a single horse. They would guide the
horse to a location and park. In those
days the parking brake consisted of a
30-pound steel weight with a strap going
out to the horse’s bridal. The weight was
dropped on the ground while the driver
delivered to two or three houses in one
shot. If the horse decided to move on,
the slack was taken up and the weight
would pull the horses bridle into the
curb stopping him.
Parking brake…no batteries
required.
Christmas Eve was a late
delivery for the
milkman this year.
Almost every
customer offered
him a glass of cheer as part
of his Christmas bonus. At this time we
were the last call on his run. The horse
was in the parking brake mode as old
Tom staggered up to the house. He came
in and sat down, had one drink and was
heading home when he flaked out on
the veranda. My dad and a neighbour
who just happened to be at this same
drink fest picked Tom up and loaded
him into the wagon. Dad lifted up the
parking weight and set it inside the
wagon and closed the doors. He yelled
at the horse, “HOME BOY, BARN!”
Within 15 minutes the horse went
right to the barn on his own, while in
the meantime Dad called ahead and
they transported Tom home in one
soggy piece.
The horses all knew their routes by
heart, and have saved rookie drivers
from becoming embarrassingly lost
more than once. Some drivers that have
been on the same route with the same
animal never bothered with the anchor
weight. The horse would move ahead
to the next stop on its own a few doors
down the street, and wait for the driver.
Try that with your new
modern electronic GPS
devices and see how far it will
take you on its own. Ha-ha!
Someone will always
ask: “Would you do it
again?”
My response would be,
“That era would be the
best time for me.”
P A G E
36
The “12 Days of Christmas” refer to Dec. 26 to Jan. 6
WINTER 23/24