Ok, the best laid plans…. I’ve got a great new APP on my smartphone to snap a scan of the page directly out of the diary without having to put it on the flatbed scanner and risk hurting the spine. It converts the image into a PDF of JPG so I can file it and then upload it here for everyone to see. Well, my smartphone got “dumb” today, so I can only do the transcription unless I can get “Genius Scan” reinstalled and make it work. OK, here it is!
“Lest We Forget” Wednesday, February 12, 1913
Wednesday, February 12, 1913
“Lest We Forget”
Still in town. Cullerne stayed in to see Sttarry about some work up the line and I told Art to hold the spreaders [?] up in Edson.
This afternoonI went to a moving junctur shop and I in the evening I went to a play after the lies.
The last sentence sounds a little disoriented but that’s how it reads. I really can’t wait to get this page scanned and up to the blog. First, I can’t believe I figured out what he’s talking about here. He mentions “Cullerne” frequently and it sounds like he’s one of the crew chiefs or supervisors. We’ve got the first mention of “Starry” or “Storry” and another mention of “Art”. Art is the one who didn’t send the spreader on Tuesday. I guess it doesn’t matter, at least for now. And the word “lies” at the end certainly doesn’t mean anyone was lying, I don’t think. I just have a sense that it refers to laying the railroad ties and rails. It sounds to me that after that work was done, he went to to see a play. Lots of entertainment up there 100 years ago! Who knows how far he had to walk to get there. But when you think about it, you’ve got crews of construction men working their collective tails off. What a great opportunity for anyone to open a place for these guys to get a meal that wasn’t cooked over a campfire and a little entertainment.
I do not envy you your transcription work! When I finally get my father’s diaries…that will be a headache to transcribe.