At the mill we found that quite a large part of the timberland was
over limestone, while near our first dam there was some very white
marble. We fully intended to erect a kiln, using our refuse for fuel,
for the land is loaded with humic acid, and only plants like
blueberries, conifers, and a very limited flora flourish on it. Some
friends in England, however, hearing of marble in the bay, which it
was later discovered formed an entire mountain, commenced a marble
mine near the entrance. The material there is said to be excellent for
statuary. Even this small discovery of natural resources encouraged
us. For having neither road, telegraph, nor mail service to the mill,
we hoped that the development of these things might help in our own
enterprise.
For ten years the little mill has run, giving work to the locality,
better houses, a new church and school, and indeed created a new
village.
The only trouble with this North country's own peculiar winter work,
fur-hunting, is that its very nature limits its supply. In my early
days in the country, fur in Labrador was very cheap. Seldom did even a
silver fox fetch a hundred dollars. Beaver, lynx, wolverine, wolves,
bears, and other skins were priced proportionately. Still, some men
lived very well out of furring. We came to the conclusion that the
only way to improve conditions in this line was to breed some of the
animals in captivity. We did not then know of any enterprise of that
kind, but I remembered in the zoological gardens at Washington seeing
a healthy batch of young fox pups born in captivity.
Life is short. Things have to be crowded into it. So we started that
year an experimental fox farm at St. Anthony. A few uprights from the
woods and some rolls of wire are a fox farm. We put it close by the
hospital, thinking that it would be less trouble. The idea, we rejoice
to know, was perfectly right; but we had neither time, study, nor
experience to teach us how to manage the animals. Very soon we had a
dozen couples, red, white, patch, and one silver pair. Some of the
young fox pups were very tame, for I find an old record written by a
professor of Harvard University, while he was on board the Strathcona
on one trip when we were bringing some of the little creatures to St.
Anthony. He describes the state of affairs as follows: "Dr. Grenfell
at one time had fifteen little foxes aboard which he was carrying to
St. Anthony to start a fox farm there. Some of these little animals
had been brought aboard in blubber casks, and their coats were very
sticky. After a few days they were very tame and played with the dogs;
were all over the deck, fell down the companionway, were always having
their tails and feet stepped on, and yelping for pain, when not
yelling for food. The long-suffering seaman who took care of them
said, 'I been cleaned out that fox box. It do be shockin'. I been in a
courageous turmoil my time, but dis be the head smell ever I
witnessed.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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