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Recalls Laying Of King Tracks By ALLAN BAILEY William Joha Johnston raised himself in his bed at. Hillsdale Manor and said with a wide grin, "Yessiree, son, I remem- ber when they put the tracks down on King strect." ' Mr. Johnston, now in his 77th year, was just a small boy, but he recalled vividly how. Cana- dian National Railway work- men, armed with tongs, laid the heavy steel track. A jigger dogg- ed their heels, loaded with more steel. "They kept us kids off of it," | he said with a chuckle, "but they weren't successful all the time." He remembered riding the old wobbly street cars, especially the "hog special', a nickname given to a passenger car and a shunter that would bring people from the Lake up town. Fa- vorite stopping-off places were | the Commercial, Central, Osh- | awa House and American, hotels. The LOTS OF HORSES "Here's a story you won't be) able to write in your paper,"| Mr. Johnston cGhortled. "Shoot," I said. "Well," he went on, "there! was this fallow by the name of Chaney who had the job of | cleaning up the streets after the horses. "One day, when he was about | the vicinity of the four corners | with his broom and two-wheel | cart, two girls drove up in a! most expensive-looking limous- | ine and stopped. | fare was a nickel. " * What place is this Mis-| ter?' one of them asked. " 'This is Oshawa,' was Cha-| ney's reply. | "You mean that little one- horse town,' the girl retorted, "And to this, Chaney said, 'Lady, if you had my _ job, you'd know there is more than one horse here.' ™" "Do you know any more stor- ies like that one?" I asked. "Well," said Mr. Johnston, "it may 'not sound funny now, but it sure was back then. There used to be a fellow. called Bos- bury who lived at the corner of King and Mary streets. "He had a parrot and he would put it out on the front verandah in its cage every morning. THE OSHAWA TIMES, Thursdoy, Mey 9, 1963 5 "There was only one thing dif- ferent about this parrot than any other -- it would swear like a trooper." Mr. Johnston recalled that this parrot was quite an attrac- tion for visitors to Oshawa. "Then," he said, "'there's the story about Joe Stapleton, who was a conductor on the old street car. "The street car was built something like our city buses, in that it had two doors, one at the front and the other at the back. "One day, a lady got on and when she had reached her des- tination, she asked Joe, 'which end shall I get off at?' : " Tt don't matter lady," said Joe, 'both ends stop'.". Reserve Your Tickets NOW!! -- for the -- Oshawa Kinsmen Club | CNE STEAM ENGINE EXCURSION To COBOURG on SATURDAY, MAY IT e Leaving OSHAWA at 12 NOON @ Returning To OSHAWA ai 3 P.M. ADULTS $2.50 © CHILDREN $1.25 (Return) Tickets On Sale af Uptown CNR Ticket Office (King St. W.) vour: UNITED STEELWORKERS OF AMERICA J United Steelworkers - of America Locals 2784 _ 1817 -- 1500 After nearly three-quarters of a century the King Street tracks are finally to be removed. There is no doubt that the citizens of Oshawa will feel a sense of pride in this achievement with the resulting im- provement to the downtown business section of the city. We of the United Steelworkers salute all those who played such an important part in this endea-