Levack Mine Sudbury Ont. August 9.

My dear Bennie,

Just got your letter and I am hastening to reply to it at once.

I got your letter which you wrote while I packed - you are sweet Bennie. You see, to get our mail we have to go to the post-office - a short walk but the one I am apt to forget - not from now on tho'! Well, here goes a short diary of what's happened since I start working. My job is in the "Rock-House". No danger getting any strenuous work there! It consists of sorting out high grade, low-grade ores from a continuous line of rock debris that are moving on a rubber-belt four feet wide past you at a speed of 6"-8" per second. The hard work consists of the fact that out of 8 hours we have a chance to sit down only during a twenty minutes interval at lunch time at 12. Work is from 7AM to 3PM. I felt tired the first two days but now it has no longer any effect on me.

So Monday and Tuesday were off easily. On Wednesday, I went for a nice refreshing plunge in the river after work. The same on Thursday. By the way, on Wednesday we went to the Finn Hall. There was dancing but only four couples participated at the the accompanyment of a harmonium and we soon went home disappointment. There was no Jazzy orchestra with a "coon" rythmn, no "Wedding of the (illegible) Hall and without there - if you don't know people - you can't dance much.

Excuse please the rotten writing but I must write fast to be able to concentrate! You know me, Bennie!
.........
Yesterday (Thursday) we were loading a truck with heavy wooden beams, 10" by 10" and with cast iron weights and jaws of steel rock crushers. I did some honest sweating then all right and welcomed a change from the monotonous work in the "rock house". I'll have to do it for a week or two weeks more tho'!

To-day I have worked one hour over-time, if you please, and of course get pained for it. They don't pay us much in the rock house - only 41c per hour! Down the mine we get 59c and that's a lot better.

When I remember it, I am careful - very careful about: (1) Moderation (2) Restraint (3) Direction
and I am damned if I remember the fourth!

By the way, Bennie, it will be perfectly O.K. if you leave Mr. A.F. Sharpe's core out of my address. That way, I shall not have as wander over to his house and bother him with my correspondence.

I told you, you could beat Owen if you get brutal and slam the d-d pill from the shoulder! I bet you placed them in a mean style too! All I hope is that you won't bust Owen's morale. Go easy Ben.

To our doctor's progress is a zig-zag on the graph! I wish I was over there to put some rough stuff over! Well I'll do it when I come back and after a year's work in the mine, I ought to be quite efficient at at! But anyway, in a years time, she will be all-right!

You talk about a "couple of letters". I got only one- the one you wrote while I was packing. It's a queer climate they got here. There may be no snow till December, yet the worst snow storms are in March. The winter is "shifted" about three months later than in Siberia. I am looking forward to ski-ing and snow-shoeing; that will be some experience!

My biggest trouble is eating together with miners; some of them come down with filthy hands and faces and positively sweat dirt as they eat. It turns my insides upside down. the French Canadians and Slavs are the worst offenders, while the Finns, of whom there are a great number, are scrupulously clean. During the lunch, which I get at twelve, which consists of sandwiches, cake, fruit and tea in a thermos - and of which I partake by myself - is my best meal!

Gee, Ben, there is no piano here that I can play! Isn't it awful! I haven't had any letters from my friends but uncle has written me a letter through which I thought I detected an atmosphere of cheerfulness which gives me a vague idea that all goes well with him! That's fine!

Well Bennie, dear pal, I better close now. I have written this letter almost solely to tell you what I was doing, how I am (I am feeling fine) and all about "meself-rah"! I shall write again soon again. I shall certainly "break this life-long silence" of mine - for you.

Please give my best love to your dear mother and equally dear Auntie Lyddie and just take a hefty hug from your loving friend.

Guigui

P.S. It took No Effort to write this letter - Hurrah!!! Remember me to Freda, Owen and all the rest.

Levack, Sudbury, Ont. August 4th, 1929

Dearest Bennie,

Well, how are you, dear fellow? Gee, I was sad to leave you that night, I felt so happy at your home - life, as I said before, was like one sweet delightful dream - the only thing I got annoyed at is when I stalled the car going up-hill! Now, now, now!......"I'm playing another ball"!

Well, here I am. I have just written a letter to Mrs. Stinchfiled and therein are all the news. Now, I shall try to find something that I might have missed out.

At Montreal, I went on a two-hour bus trip all around the town. The driver explained, after pointing out all the interesting buildings. It was very delightful. It was so very funny to see what a splendid job the French Canadians have done to separate themselves socially from the English. There is a special French part of the city and the architecture of the houses struck me as being rather peculiar: the front door is on the first floor so that the wooden stairs, often winding through an angle of 90 degrees, lead to a height of over fourteen feet high above the ground level. There is another part of the city for rich French-Canadians, yet another for rich English! The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a wonderful building both inside and outside, but it is going to be totally eclipsed by the wonderful Cathedral de St Joseph de Montreal they are building now. Have you seen the wonderful collection of crutches they have there, that were left by people that are said to have been healed at the shrine? It seems too good to be true.

well, Ben, your ten dollars won't be yours yet for about a fortnight - that's when you shall get my first cheque.

I have made silly mistakes at Montreal and Toronto: at Montreal, I asked id there was any difference in fares from Montreal to Sudbury direct or through Toronto. They said there was none. So I took a ticket to Toronto. When trying to get a ticket from Sudbury, I was short of money because there was a difference of no less than five dollars. But the company soon fixed that up and all was well. Amid all this excitment, I forgot to cheque my luggage to Sudbury and arrived there with two cheques marked "Toronto". I have to wire to have them sent over for the pleasure of which the Canadian National Railways Co. retained 70c from my scanty and fast dwindling capital. Now; however, all is well.

Mr. Sharp, my manager, has changed from Garson to Laveck about three months ago, so I got a job here.

Well, Ben, this is really all the news. I can't think of anything interesting to say, not that what I said so far is especially absorbing. How is everything at home? I hope the Doctor is better, is not, I shall send a stick of dynamite post-haste with directions how to use. How do you get on with Owen at tennis? I hope that, due to my exceptional coaching, the games are close - when you are playing punk!

Well, good-bye, Bennie, I shall write to you again.

Your loving very very much

Guigui

My address:
W.H. Peacock Esq.
c/o A.F. Sharp Esq.
Levack Mine* near Sudbury, Ont.

* This link is about as useful as an outbreak of syphilus. It is a mine-cam, as in underground, in the pitch black. "Check back to see the occasion light from blasting" it says. But then I might have to take a break from my paint-drying program.

Grantleigh Hotel, Inverness Terrace, Hyde Park W2 26/3/29

My dear M. Ben,

Your letter has given me a much pleasure and i am now all a-tingling with the prospect of coming to see you at your home. I certainly wish ever so much that will be able to "pull it off"! 

My last examination this year I take on June 15th. Giving myself a week for preparation and another eight or nine days on the boat, I shall not arrive in Montreal before the beginning of July. It is a pity that i cannot possibly come a month before, as I would love to see "Noo Yarrk" with it's buildings sky-high and bustling traffic. Well, barring accident, I shall see it all sometime!

Judging from the photographs, your home and the surroundings are beautiful. How your mother and you must love it! By George, if once I get there, you'll have a job to get rid of me, M. Ben, so now you better take your choice!

Now, there is a point to clean up: whilst Venette loves writing letters in general, I loath it - in general. Please understand that I do not write letters to anybody, unless to answer or "as the spirit moves me". However, I shall write to you again and again, dear Ben. [I have omitted the "Mr." part of it, not because of the lack of respect - Heavens above us - no, but because with "Mr.", it sounds cold!]

I have passes in all my exams, but unfortunately did not do particularly well, which annoys me immensely. I shall certainly do better in the upcoming exams!

Venette's holidays start in a fortnights time while mine are already on. I shall not go away from London, as I have a lot of work to do. She shall come to London and stay about three minutes walk from here.

My uncle has not yet made himself memorable by a letter since over nine weeks weeks ago. I am getting a little impatient. You know from Venette's letters I suppose that he has married. I have seen my aunt's photograph; she is very sweet. Next year, he is going to bring her over; she is now in Harbin, Manchuria; and we shall settle down, I hope. I am yearning to have a home again.

Well, I am closing for the present. I shall write again soon. Please let me hear from you. Give my best regards to your mother.

I remain; always your friend

Guigui


Note: I screwed up the chronology, this should clearly be the 3rd letter in these installments. Furthermore, I had always assumed the Ben was one of Guigui's brothers, but I am starting to doubt that as I read on. This is getting interesting. Here is also some more information about the Grantleigh Hotel.

Levack, December 18, 1929 (Levack Mine Fire)

My dear Bennie

Again I was slow to answer, but this time I had a cause. I do not know if you saw it in the papers, but we had a nasty accident here last Sunday. Fire destroyed our rock-house and head-frame and a ship falling into the shaft-collar, killed four miners going up in a bucket. All work has been closed down. They are putting up a temporary head frame and the mining itself will begin in a months time approximately*.  We samplers could have gotten on with the work straight away if it wasn't for the fact that the drifts and crossents on the seventh level; where we have to sample - are flooded to a depth of 3.5-4.5 ft. This happened because the power was cut off and the pumps ceased to function. Fifth level is flooded too. It will take them three or four days to pump the water out. The pumping started this morning, I think.

The details of the accident were as follows.

On the day before the accident, on Saturday, two new ships, capacity of 10 men, were placed in position for work and tested successfully. They were drawn up about 50 feet above the shaft collar (i.e. above the level of the ground).

At 2:30 A.M. fire broke out in the rock house which is directly over the shaft. Orders were issued to put beams on the collar shaft so that no rubbish would fall into the shaft. At the same time, the shift-boss underground was notified of the danger by telephone. The latter, knowing that the new ships hanging overhead were supported by the wooden frame on fire, phoned up to have them lowered (i.e. gently lowered  onto the beams across the shaft collar). The regular hoistman was absent, and the assistance hoistman, excited by the fire, let the ships go down as fast as the engine would allow. Realizing at once that the ships would break the beams across the shaft-collar if lowered too fast in nervousness, he slammed on the brakes. The cable snapped and the 6 ton ships crashed through the beams and fell to the bottom of the shaft.

Meanwhile, four miners on the eighth level charged towards the bucket to take them up to the third level so that they would walk only some 300ft to the surface. They were forbidden to do so by the Shaft-leader, but while the latter left them to give others orders, they jumped in and began to be hoised to the third level by a small hoist there. Just before they reached the third level, the falling ship crashed on top of them, jammed for a moment, snapped the cable and then let drop the bucket to the bottom of the shaft.

The next morning, one man was brought up in six pieces; in separate powder bags, and there is a half of one still stuck with the ship. They were two slavs and two Finns, none married.

This is pretty awful, and serves to show that "one never knows".

Well, Bennie, accidents will happen but it is better to die than to live a life of fear of death!
I shall write to you again soon.

Your loving

Guigui

*The Levack mine was not re-opened until 1937.

Levack Mine, Sudbury, Summer (sometime), 1929

My Mrs. Stinchfield,

Ben has written to me that you were ill. I am very sorry to hear that; I hope that it is nothing serious and that you shall be all well very soon. Dear old Ben keeps on worrying whether he is not writing too much - as it his letters could bring anything to me but pleasure - except when they contain bad news about anyone I care for around Farmington - and there are many of those people! Everybody loves Ben and hence has taken to me, his friend, very well and I cannot possibly thing of Farmington as of a strange, unfamiliar sort of place.

This week I was working on the afternoon shift, from 3pm-11pm. Walking home in the midnight along a mile of desolate railway track has a fascination all of it's own! There are bears afoot, so I am told but why should I worry? At least there are no bandits to hold up and burglarize anyone!

About a week ago, I had a nasty cold and had expected to start coughing. But, the miracle of miracles, I went down the mine and after several hours of honest perspiration felt better and now it has all passed away without a simple cough. That's how the animals catch colds!

It's a long time since I had a bath, sad to say. The river is still quite warm but does not act well as a cleanser. There are not bathes in the house - the one in teh bathroom is put in use only during the winter. There is a Finnish bath-house where they steam themselves until they are of colours ranging from delicate pink to deep purple. I am told it is very efficient but a beginner ought to "go easy" as it is liable to go hard on the heart.

It is still nice and warm, and i go for long walks regularly. The river is my favourite place. I sit on a rock and watch the sparkling waves roll by, and carve out a stick with my knife, singing "Old Man River" and all the jazz pieces I know, trying to be as melodious as possible!

Well, I must wish now ore I'll be late for my work, which will mean an hour docked and my name on the "doubtful books".

I surely hope that by the time this letter reaches you, you will be feeling fine. Please give my best to Auntie Lydia, and a "condescending knod" to Ben.

Yours Lovingly

Guigui