The Mormor Stories are back after a long rest.
The stories yet to be shared concern my grandparents' lives as adults, but there is one last story about my grandfather Carl (whom we kids called Papa) from his teenage years in the Redwood Empire of California, Humboldt County. (If you would like to read my grandmother's previous stories, start here. The whole series begins at this link, in reverse order.)
This is what my grandfather Carl looked like at the time this story took place:
* * * * *
When your Papa was a senior in high school he spent the summer working with the piledriver crew at Camp 19, which was out in the woods a few miles from Korbel, and quite a distance from home base -- Arcata.
After work on a Saturday, Papa, his friends Cecil Ripley*, Buck Townsend, Charlie Harpst, and the boss, borrowed a handcar and went pumping down the track after waving goodbye to the rest of the crew, who had to wait a while for the woods train. Taking a handcar made it possible for the men to get to Arcata earlier than the train did and to stay there much longer, thereby having more time to spend with family and girl friends.
(Original photo stolen from these guys)
In order to make really good time the boss tied up the brake so it wouldn't hold them back, and this was helped by the fact that it was downhill most of the way.
As they went cruising along at a fast clip they came to a high trestle on an S curve. There they spotted a piece of 2x4 on the one rail right at the beginning of the trestle. It must have been forgotten by the crew that had been working there.
There was no chance to stop the handcar so they hit the obstruction. Two of the men jumped off the car, ran beside it, finally falling on the track, picking up splinters and tearing their clothes. Papa was thrown to the track and skidded along the ties, ripping up his clothes. It was lucky that he was able to stay on the track, for the left side was the high side of the trestle, and he would have landed amid the boulders fifty feet down.
(Original photo stolen from these guys)
Cecil was thrown off the trestle and fell by a big rock, just as the handcar headed for him. He did a very quick roll over the boulder to the other side of the rock, which was just in time for the handcar to hit where he had been. The boss tried to stop the car by the handles, but it had too much speed and no brake, so he was thrown up and over the handcar, where he landed in the gully just in front of where the car hit.
The whole group felt lucky that none of them received any serious injury, though they did have to walk the rest of the way to Korbel to catch the train after all. Needless to say they were a raggedy bunch, for their clothes were torn and they were covered with dirt. Of course the rest of the crew on the train razzed them all the way to town.
*Cecil Ripley was one of my grandfather's lifelong friends.
Yes, and from that gene pool of questionable origin sprang Mantel Man, foolery and others with even WORSE starter kits, ha ha.
Posted by: foolery | January 27, 2011 at 03:47 PM
I remember hearing this story from Mormor when we were little, but I sure don't remember the part about the boss tying off the handbrake for a downhill run on a curvy track!
I can just picture the next day's news headline:
"DARWIN THWARTED"
Posted by: Mantel Man | January 27, 2011 at 03:38 PM
Yay! Mormor's back!
Posted by: Cactus Petunia | January 26, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Thanks, Miss Debbie. : )
Posted by: foolery | January 26, 2011 at 01:26 PM
The Mormor stories are MY FAVORITE!
FAVE.ORITE.
And this one? Ranks up there. So much drama, history and good old-fashioned awesomeness.
LOVE. IT. I see that writing runs in the family.
Posted by: San Diego Momma | January 26, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Rick, I mostly agree! Of course, ALL of them, boss and Papa included, deserved dope slaps for speeding through a S curve over a trestle. Thats a bonehead move they lived to avoid another day. Thanks for reading, my friend!
Laurie
Posted by: foolery | January 26, 2011 at 10:50 AM
Such a great reminder (in a funny way) of the change in peoples attitudes from then to today.
I'm sure everyone can imagine what a different path this story would take if it was their current day boss running the hand cart with them helping out.
Personally, I think I kinda like the old attitudes a bit better.....people were responsible for their own actions.
Posted by: Rick's Cafe | January 26, 2011 at 06:50 AM
Youre it, Daryl -- start now. For your own posterity. : )
Posted by: foolery | January 25, 2011 at 12:31 PM
I love family histories .. I wish someone in my family had kept track ... no pun intended
Posted by: Daryl | January 25, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Thanks, Steph -- never thought of that possibility, but yeah, youre probably right. It must have been a miserable train ride home. : )
Posted by: foolery | January 25, 2011 at 10:40 AM
I, too, LOVE Mormor stories. I love them. And HOLY CRAP, I'm glad no one got hurt, but I bet there were some messy drawers that Mormor left out. Hee.
Posted by: Steph | January 25, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Thanks, Beej -- Ill bet the guys were glad it was their BOSS who tied up the brake, and not them!
Laurie
Posted by: foolery | January 25, 2011 at 10:07 AM
I LOVE Mormor stories!!! This one's a doozy!
Posted by: Bejewell | January 25, 2011 at 10:01 AM