Pimbury; Mr. A. J.
Langley, who died in late years; Mr. Jones, who went into business in
Cariboo and died there, and Mr. Pimbury, who went to Nanaimo
and into business for himself. Between Langley's and the corner
of Langley Street, was Jay & Bales' seed store. Both these early
pioneers have gone to their rest, although the business is still
carried on on Broad Street by Mr. Savory.
On the corner is the Fardon building, which in 1859 was occupied by
Hibben & Carswell, the beginning of the firm of T. N. Hibben & Co.
Mr. Hibben, Mr. Carswell and Mr. Kammerer, the principals, have all
gone to their rest, but the firm still lives and nourishes. An
incident connected with the junior partner might here be recalled.
One summer day Mr. Carswell, if I remember right, was one of a picnic
party, who got lost in the woods near Muir's farm 30 miles from town,
and the balance of the party returning to town without him, a search
party was organized and a reward offered by Mr. Hibben for his
partner's return. They left next morning, and after a long and strict
search, as the party was returning to town to report their want of
success, whom should they see ahead of them but the lost James
Carswell, trudging along on the highroad to town. He was told that
they were a search party sent out to look for him, and that they were
glad they found him. "Found me!" said Mr. Carswell; "why, I am on my
way home!" and they then proceeded to town together. When the party
reached home Mr. Carswell was told that Mr. Hibben had sent the
searchers, and had offered a reward for his finding. This Mr.
Carswell objected to pay, protesting that they had not found him, but
that he had found himself, and was on his way home when they met him.
It caused a great deal of merriment, and was a standing joke for some
time. An incident like this would be the talk of the town in
those good old days, and many visits would be paid to Campbell's
corner, kept by John Molowanski, a Russian, to hear if any news had
been received of the lost Mr. Carswell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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