The Red Cutter
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Mabel Brook, beside the cutter full of flowers that marked the entrance to the Sinclair trash pit for several years in the 1950s (Wendy Kimmel, Barb Paterson Collection)
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Mabel and Edgar Brook were instrumental in creating a community trash pit on the Limberlost Road in the 1950s. “Our community trash pit is already being used,” wrote Mabel in the Huntsville Forester in June 1955, “and the very fine sign, which is emphasized by a one-horse sleigh full of beautiful flowers, cannot fail to catch the eye.” The trash pit was indeed appreciated and used, as Mabel hoped, but the sleigh unfortunately caught the eye of thieves.
In November 1958, as cars headed south sporting the spoils of a fine hunt, Mabel wrote:
One car went out adorned with quite a different decoration. The bright red cutter, which sat beside the sign for the Sinclair Township Trash Pit, has been stolen. One public-minded citizen had her husband bulldoze a pit for the community, in an effort to keep our roads clear of trash, which unthinking people were throwing from their cars and trucks. To mark the spot, one of Canada’s outstanding artists made a stencil for the sign, and the cutter was procured, mended, painted, planted with flowers and set beside the sign. It served to attract the attention of many folk and the Trash Pit has proven a real boon. This all took considerable work and expense and now the cutter is GONE. It was seen by many people going through Huntsville, on top of a station wagon.
The trash pit continued to be a boon to the community, but the cutter was never recovered.
From Steam to Electricity
Edgar Brook’s gas-powered, steam-driven mill caught fire suddenly in the middle of the day on May 10, 1952. A fire-fighting crew from Limberlost was first to arrive, followed by the Huntsville fire brigade and eventually even Forest Rangers from Dorset. “Neighbouring residents joined in a valiant attempt to restrict the blaze to the one building,” reported the Huntsville Forester, “and their efforts were almost entirely successful. Only a small portion of the hardwood cut, which had been almost completed, was damaged. Nearby buildings, the cookhouse and a cabin were saved.” The mill building, however, was destroyed.
Brookie rebuilt the mill, this time powered by electricity, which had reached Brook’s Mill the previous year. “That cheery sound you may hear is the mill running,” wrote Mabel Brook in June 1954. “Electricity is fine, but we do miss the whistle, which could be heard for several miles, and we didn’t have to call the men home to meals.”
Dangerous Work
The dangers of logging were not restricted to work in the bush or on the river. In November 1940, Edgar Brook lost two fingers in a sawmill accident, while cutting lumber into lengths for building. Brookie was treated at the Huntsville and Bracebridge hospitals for his badly lacerated hand, but it did not keep him sidelined for long. A month later it was reported, “Despite the handicap of a serious hand injury, Edgar Brook is still able to drive the tractor which keeps the Limberlost and Billie Bear road free of snow. The first trip was last week.”
It took Fred Hill, who had worked for Brookie and Mabel at Camp Billie Bear and later at Brook’s Mill, much longer to recover from the injuries he received in the mill’s log yard. “Mr. Hill was working with the logging gang when a log slipped and rolled over him,” reported the Forester. “How he escaped instant death is a marvel. When released by fellow workers, his injuries were confined to what is reported as a fractured pelvis, and other lower body injuries. His head was not struck, and even his glasses were not broken.” Fred spent a lengthy period in the Huntsville hospital.
Sources:
Huntsville Forester, “Brook’s Mill,” June 2, 1955, p. 2 and November 27, 1958, p. 2; “Mill Destroyed by Fire,” May 15, 1952, p. 1; “Brook’s Mill,” June 3, 1954, p. 4; “Edgar Brook Painfully Injured,” November 7, 1940, p. 1; “Around Town,” December 12, 1940, p. 1; “Logging Accident at Brook’s Mill,” January 27, 1955.