After spending several weeks in the
research of the boat building
activities of Captain Large, I have come to the conclusion that, while
the boat built in Coulter, with the help of Andy and William McKague,
was not a masterpiece, it was seaworthy. Large, having little money but
plenty of courage, wrecked an old C.P.E. box car. The heavy plank
flooring was used in the boat, and some lumber taken from the inside of
an old house, along with some new lumber, gave him sufficient material
to build the hull and the superstructure. The boat was propelled
by a large one-cylinder gasoline threshing engine attached to the belt
driven drive-shaft of the two large sidewheel paddles. The paddle
wheels were about nine feet in diameter and were made of steel. It must
be remember¬ed that electric arc and acetylene welding had not been
invented in 1908, when Large made his first boat, and all metal parts
were made in the forge in his little workshop. The workmanship in
the paddle wheels and other parts used in giving the boat structural
strength, was the work of a man who was a master tradesman. While the
superstructure lacked the professional touch of the boats built in boat
building establishments, it was, nevertheless, a good looking craft. It
was painted white and green and her name was an indication that Captain
Large, being an Irishman, was not ashamed of his "Empress of Ireland".
The boat was built not too far from the old church in Coulter, and the
story goes that on the lovely Sunday mornings in spring, when the
minister was giving his sermon, Captain Large would start up his noisy
machines and disrupt the church service. The elders of the church
finally suggested to the minister that he have a little chat with
Captain Large, and ask him to either come to church or not
operate his noisemakers during the service. The minister did call on
Captain Large, and when asked by some of the elders next day as to how
the meeting had turned out, the minster replied, "It was the biggest
mistake I have ever made. He knows more about the bible than I do".
Large however, did not operate his machines during the service
thereafter.
Then there is the story of how Captain Large kept one of his children
warm in the old house in which they lived. They had an old fashioned
cook stove with a high back. He fashioned a cradle out of wire, and
hooked it over the back above the stove, to keep the baby warm on cold
winter days.
The Large family lived in the village for some time, and they also
lived on the high plateau overlooking the Souris and South Antler
rivers. Rolston had a team of mules, and used to tether them out at
night. He drove two iron pipes into the ground beside the house for the
purpose of tying up the mules. The two pipes are still there beside the
basement of his old home.
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