Paw Paw Didn't Have T.V.,
By
Michael Poole
Copyright (c) 1991
All Rights Reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
(Back Cover)
It was called “Hard Times”, but it was a time for learning.
About The Title:
Paw Paw is the affectionate
name used by the grandchildren
of Olin Poole.
* * *
He was undisciplined
during a time of
change. He saw hard
times and experienced
life. He learned
life has its own
disciplines.
Introduction
I recall many things during my youth, but the best of times was when my farther told me of his adventures as a boy.
The author wishes to convey both humor and tragedy. As in life, if one dwells on tragedy they may not experience humor.
On these few pages are stories occurring for the most part within a thirty mile radius.
It was called "Hard Times", but it was a time for learning...
CONTENTS
Indian Mountain
The Epidemic
The Family Cow
The First Toy
Old Red
The First Henry Ford Model T
Papa's Encounter
The First Airplane
Poke Berries
The Liquor Stills
Moving To Rock Run
The Railroad Workers
The Big Bang
Flips
The Water Spout
Uncle Bill Poole
The Accident
Rumors
The Old Frost's Place
Piedmont, Alabama
A Sad Time
The Lumpkin Farm
Papa's Gone
Adam's Shop
Prospect, Alabama
The Jim Ellis Farm
Young Valley, Georgia
The Traveling Salesman
Gosion Valley, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
Indian Mountain
Olin (no middle initial) Poole was born at the base of Indian Mountain in Cherokee County, Alabama, on April 15, 1915. Ten months earlier, Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife had been assassinated. On December 7, 1914 the United States declared war on Austria and Hungary, marking the beginning of World War I. The entire nation was singing, "Over there, over there we won't be coming home until the war is over, over there."
Olin, the son of Brice Bartow Poole and Charity Estelle Trotter came from a large family. In all, there were nine brothers and sisters: Olice, Opal, Otis, Olin, Ovia, Orman, Oree, Oliver, and O'Reece. I have never understood the fascination with the letter "O". Many different ideas came to mind. Once I even speculated that Charity waited until the moment of childbirth to name the children.
Olin remembers the end of World War I; he has said it was a tiny wrinkle in his memory, the elaborate noisy celebration of joy. People fired their single barrel shotguns, threw kitchen pans in the air, and rang the large dinner bells. The bells were mounted on tall poles and were high enough so that only the grown ups could reach the ropes. They were normally used to communicate with other families when danger was present or help was needed. These were miners, normally a very quiet, reserved group of people. They knew the solitude of the mountain. Their actions alone during this celebration were enough to make one take notice. Looking around, Olin knew right away that something very unusual was happening in the little town.
The little valley was home for some four hundred families who rented mining shacks from the Rock Run Mining Company. The mining of low grade iron ore and bauxite from the mines was the primary means of support. The average miner's wage was two dollars a day, paid in Rock Run Mining Company script. This script could only be used to pay rent on the company owned shacks and to buy goods at the Rock Run Mining Company Store. Farm hands and other similar types of workers were receiving fifty cents a day. While this was only one fourth the amount miners were paid, they were free to spend it wherever they chose.
Rock Run, Alabama, is located due west at the base of Indian Mountain. The unusual name describes the path the railroad took to pick up the ore carved out of the mountain. When visiting the mountain today, one can see the large holes left after the mines shut down. Many of the pits have filled with ground water and underground springs, forming a picturesque view of assorted colors. There are pine trees now, and white oaks mixed with mountain oaks where once was only a stripped mountain. It's difficult to imagine so many families living and working in the area. The overgrown roads and occasional pile of iron ore are the only remnants of mining days.
The Epidemic
Immediately following World War I, an epidemic of influenza killed many people, leaving others too weak or sick to bury the dead. It seemed as if a plague had descended on the mountain and its people. Then diphtheria took its toll and the outbreak of the dreaded disease known as cholera. Throughout the Southeast, children died by the thousands.
Olin recalls, "Our little sister Oree, whom we called Angel, was stricken with the unpredictable malady." His mother prayed all night and far into the following day for her children. Holding her weak trembling hands high above her head, she prayed, "Oh God, not for my sake but for all these little children's sake."
While none of Olin's family died during this dark time, Angel was never again strong. She lived only a year.
In time, the survivors of the plagues recovered and began putting their lives back together. Many of the small graves have now been long forgotten.
The Family Cow Jersey
Jersey the family cow was indeed an asset. "She provided so much for us", Olin recalls.
One hot summer day when Olin was three years old, Old Charlie Langston stopped by the house. Now, Old Charlie Langston wasn't really old, but everyone called him that behind his back because no one trusted him. He had a reputation for doing practically anything to benefit himself. Old Charlie, on this particular day, offered some money to Olin's mama for Jersey. She told Old Charlie that she would have to talk to her husband when he got home from work. Papa wasn't interested in selling the cow, just didn't want to talk about it.
A couple of days went by and Old Charlie came by again and Mama explained to him that he would have to talk to Brice. When Papa returned from the mines Mama explained to Papa that Old Charlie had come by again. Another day went by, but this time Old Charlie waited until Papa returned from work. Papa simply said he wasn't interested in selling the cow, turned around and walked back into the house. Everyone thought that would be the end of that.
Olin was playing on the floor of the house when Papa returned the next day. He had noticed that Mama was nervous all afternoon, but didn't know what was wrong. Charity jumped up and ran over to Papa and said, "That Old Charlie Langston cut our fence and stole our cow." Papa didn't say a word. He reached up over the door and lifted the gun which always hung there and went outside. Papa never did say a lot, you might say he was a man with few words. He just didn't like to talk. A few minutes later he was walking back to the house with Jersey. We never did know what happened that day or what Papa did to get the cow back. No one talked about it and Old Charlie Langston never came around again.
The First Toy
When he was four, Olin received his first toy. The Christmas present was a long handled cart with a red body and two blue wheels and a bell that chimed. It was the prettiest thing he had ever seen and he marveled that it was his. He could not take his eyes off the cart and imagined himself pulling it laden with rocks as if he were a horse and wagon. His mother and father took great pride in his joy.
That year was a memorable one, a White Christmas. To the south, the mountains stood like giant snowmen. The trees had a thick crust of ice and snow; everything was white. Memorable too, because Olin had the measles. Even at the age of four Olin was feeling the need for adventure. Covered with measles, he lifted the wooden latch on the front door. He released the rope slowly, keeping the latch from making any noise as he shut the door. With his cart Olin started up the icy mountain. Near the house the grade wasn't very steep but before he climbed very far, his first adventure was cut short. His mother missed him and ran outside calling, "Olin!", "Olin!". He answered, "I'm not very far away." When she heard him she quickly ran to get him. She asked, "What in the world are you doing up here in the deep snow?" Olin felt sure that his mother was going to spank him for getting the new toy wet and dirty. He started to explain that his cart was not broken. "My Lord's sakes, it's not the toy I am worried about!" she cried. "It's your bare feet and you with the measles, too!"
At that time Olin had never owned a pair of shoes. His feet were toughened and not having shoes didn't seem to be a problem to him. His mother hurried him into the cabin and bundled him up to get him warm. Olin recalls that he survived that Christmas with no complications.
Old Red
Olin's hound dog Old Red was loved by everyone in the family. His friendly ways made him a real joy to have around.
One fine summer day Olin and his hound dog were walking through a field near dense woods. Old Red picked up the scent of a cotton tail rabbit. Olin yelled, "You can catch him Red. You can run faster than any old rabbit in the world!" So the chase was on. Olin could tell from the barking that the race was just about over. He felt sure Old Red would be bringing his reward home in his mouth as usual. When the barking stopped, he thought to himself, "Boy! He got him."
Olin stood at the edge of the corn field waiting for Old Red to return. He wanted to tell him that he was the best rabbit hound in the world. Sundown approached and Old Red hadn't returned. The shadows soon turned into darkness and in a short time Olin was fast asleep on the ground.
Using kerosene lamps Mama and Papa found Olin. He was sleeping and crying at the same time. His parents awakened him and wiped the dirt and muddy tears from his face. They were glad to see him but curious as to why he was out so long after dark, crying as though his heart was broken. Through his tears Olin told Mama and Papa about Old Red. He wept as he described the rabbit chase, "I know he caught him, but he didn't bring the rabbit to me," he sobbed, "I called and I called, but Old Red never answered."
Every family member old enough to carry a lantern set out to search for Old Red each taking a slightly different direction. They all searched well into the night, but Old Red could not be found.
Eventually, everyone returned home and retired for the night. Olin dreamed that Old Red was in trouble somewhere, but he didn't know where. Next morning, he set out before breakfast, determined to find the dog. Old Red had never let Olin down, and Olin didn't intend to let him down either.
Olin walked and stumbled around nearly all day, looking in every test hole he could remember. The test holes were deep pits approximately eight feet square and fifteen or twenty feet deep. They were used to locate the bauxite ore from which aluminum is made. Olin had given up all hope when he suddenly remembered a test hole that he had not checked. He ran straight to the hole. It was a cloudy day, but when he reached the hole a shaft of sunlight was shining into it. As he leaned over to look, he saw Old Red. "Hi Old Red!", he cried. Old Red started whining for help. Olin ran straight for home and started yelling, "I've found Old Red!" "I've found Old Red!" He yelled so loud the neighbors could hear him. When he started jumping up and down, his mama said, "Quieten down now, we'll rescue Old Red."
They had an old homemade ladder that was used to climb up on the roof to put out small fires that started from the rock and mud packed fireplace. Everyone grabbed a hold of the ladder and headed for the hole.
When they reached the hole and put the ladder in place, everyone asked "Who's going down in that snake pit?" Olin replied, "I'm not afraid of snakes. I'll go down." Just as he said that, Old Red began climbing the ladder. The dog and Olin were so glad to see each other. Several minutes passed before everyone could calm themselves. The kids were getting ready to pull the ladder from the hole when Olin noticed something in the dark wet pit and climbed down the ladder. The cotton tail rabbit had fallen into the hole with Old Red and didn't have a mark on him. Olin picked the rabbit up and climbed the ladder. When he reached the top he turned the rabbit loose. As the rabbit hopped off into the brush, Old Red watched and didn't seem to mind a bit.
The First Henry Ford Model T
One hot summer day Otis and Olin were playing chase through the house. They ran inside, then out, and finally onto the front porch. Occasionally a breeze stirred on the mountain and whistled through the trees. They played every game they could think of that morning including a bit of wrestling. Clouds of dust kicked up as they scuffled.
Through the woods they heard a faint grinding noise mixed with a ticking sound. Neither of the boys had any idea what was causing the sound and their shenanigans abruptly halted. The grinding, ticking noises were gradually getting closer, approaching the house. The boys looked at each other in surprise, wondering what could be making all that racket. Looking through the trees where the road turned, they could just faintly make out a black shape. The first thing they saw as it came around the turn was two large burning eyes. The thing also had a nose and a very large mouth. Sure fear struck the boys for they had never seen anything like this. Otis stumbled as he turned, falling to the ground. The thing with burning eyes was coming toward the house! In mere seconds, Otis hit the steps, stumbled again, and crashed into the porch. Running and crawling, Otis made it to the door, jumped inside, and ran past Mama. She watched, amazed, as he crawled into the fireplace and shot all the way to the back. Black soot clouds were forming around the front of the fireplace. Mama had been inside and did not hear the thing coming toward the house. She had no idea what was causing Otis to act this way and attempted to coax him from the fireplace. He refused to come out and remained there, trembling for some time, terrified of the thing outside.
Olin remained outside, more curious than scared, to watch the automobile roll up to the house. The driver was Mama's brother Jim Trotter. Mama rushed outside to see what was causing her son to hide in the fireplace.
When Mama saw Uncle Jim Trotter (as all the kids called him) she waved and asked, "What did you go off and buy now?" Then she turned and went into the house to get Otis. It took a while, but they finally convinced Otis that it was only Uncle Jim Trotter, and he could safely come outside.
They spent several hours looking at the Henry Ford Model T (Touring) automobile. It was truly a marvel to behold. Uncle Jim Trotter explained to Mama that he was going to use it in his business. You see, he was a bootlegger during prohibition days. Uncle Jim made liquor during the week and then preached in the local church on Sunday.
He was very proud of his Model T, and was often seen driving it over the mountain roads. Unfortunately the Model T was not engineered to last forever. The crank shaft did not have bearings, so a substance called babber was melted, poured around the crank shaft, and allowed to harden. This in turn formed the bearing. A major flaw in the design was that the engine failed after a short period of time.
Few people owned a Model T, and even fewer knew how to repair them when the machines broke. Uncle Jim Trotter could not bear to part with his Model T even when it no longer ran. He hitched a pair of mules to the front and knocked out the windshield to reach the reins.
For several years Uncle Jim Trotter drove the Henry Ford Model T, pulled by a pair of mules. One hand held the reins while the other steered the vehicle.
Papa's Encounter
Papa worked at the mines from sunup to sundown. As soon as the sun touched the top of the mountain, the working day ended. This allowed the miners time to get home while partial light existed since many of the men did not carry kerosene lamps. If they stayed out too long past sundown, they could be injured stumbling down the road to get home.
Many of the men who worked the mines were related in some way. After work they took a few minutes to discuss local happenings, the company and other similar topics. On this particular evening Papa struck up a conversation with one of his friends, which kept him longer than usual. This was a rare thing for Papa, for he seldom had much to say.
Shortly thereafter Papa found himself walking alone down a dark and rocky road. Every step he took might cause him to stumble so the trip home was taking much longer than normal. Finally he reached the main road and headed home. While this road was not as rough, it did have an occasional large rock which Papa seemed to find. Down the road he stumbled until he came to some low overhanging limbs. He gratefully realized that he was halfway home.
Without warning an animal leaped from the branches onto Papa's left shoulder. The shadows had long since passed into darkness and Papa could not see the animal. Having no idea what it was, he stood motionless in the road. He didn't dare move for it might attack.
Papa suddenly recalled a conversation he had overheard that day. Some of the men had seen a raccoon which appeared to have rabies. In a split second the details of that conversation ran through his mind.
Could this be the same raccoon? Fear coursed through his body as if hope no longer existed for him. There was no doctor within a day's travel, and even if he could get to a doctor he didn't know if he would survive. Being bitten by a rabid animal was almost certain death. Papa had no idea what to do. The animal had landed on his left shoulder. One nibble on the ear would allow the infection to enter his bloodstream. Papa leaned his head as far to the right as possible, increasing the distance between his ear and the animal as much as he could without provoking it to bite. As he did this, the animal dug in deeper with its claws, getting a better hold. Papa felt the claws pierce his coat. He knew the animal had a good hold and wasn't about to let go. Any attempt to swat the thing would be futile. Even if he tried, violent movement might provoke the animal to attack. Papa didn't know what to do. The fear had multiplied ten times by now. Then the idea came to him that maybe he could use a large stick to strike the animal. He knew that to do this, he would have to move and that was something he didn't want to do. Very carefully, with his head tilted far to the right, Papa took his first step. He just knew the thing was going to attack, but it didn't. Then he took another step, and another until he was away from the over hanging limbs. Ahead of him, the woods cleared and there were large fields on both sides of the road.
Any chance of finding a large limb or stick was now hopeless. So Papa, with his head tilted to the right, continued to walk down the road, each step as cautious as the one before. He could feel the animal breathing on his neck. Over and over he planned what was he going to do when he got home. As soon as he opened the front door, he would reach up and get the gun and shoot this rabid raccoon.
At last, Papa made it to the front porch and slowly opened the door. His head was still tilted to the far right. He was ghostly pale.
All the children were sitting around on the floor when Papa got home that night. Just as he reached the gun, they looked up and shouted, "Papa! Papa! Where did you get the cat?" The kids rushed over and the brindled tom cat jumped down. They petted the cat, and fed him some milk and bread while Papa tried, with much difficulty, to straighten his neck.
The kids called the cat Old Tom and he stayed with the family for nearly ten years.
The First Airplane
By the time Olin was four he was well established with the mountain. Each day brought him a new adventure. He was well accustomed to leaving the house in the early morning hours and not returning until the late afternoon.
During the fall of that year, the leaves were just beginning to change for the season. The wind was blowing, not brisk but just an occasional gust, which hinted that cooler weather was around the corner.
Olin's morning ritual would take him down the road to the mines. The journey took several minutes to complete. He was amazed with the men working with the machinery. After he found the entrance to the mines, he slipped around to the sides to watch. Olin didn't like to be chased off for he always enjoyed seeing the steam engine. The pit was over half a mile long and a cable stretched all the way across it. An ore car was connected at the end of the cable. After the men filled the car with iron ore, the steam engine pulled the cable with a large steel spool. The ore car started rolling down the railroad style rails up to the walls of the pit. The steam engine would then pull the car to the top of the pit.
What happened next always amazed Olin. As the car reached the top of the pit, it dumped into a mule driven mining car. Then it started its journey back into the pit, and the mule, without being coaxed, started his journey pulling the mining car. The mule had a well beaten path that it took while pulling the car down the rails. As soon as it was time to dump the load, he would turn to the right which disconnected his harness from the car. The mining car started rolling downhill until it was triggered to release its load. The mule waited to be reconnected to the car to make its journey back to the top of the pit, and the cycle started again.
After a few hours of watching the men at work, Olin decided to walk back toward the house. He walked down the road and ended up at a large field. The tall grass was waving and tossing as the wind touched the tips. Without warning, his normal ritual took a different direction that day, and he proceeded to cross the large field. By now the sun had warmed the day which made it very pleasant. An occasional grasshopper hopped away as he walked by; the cool weather had not forced some of them to hide.
As he found himself in the middle of the field he realized no one could be seen. It was as though he was the only person on earth and he was exploring it for the first time.
He noticed a section of the woods that he had not explored before and started in that direction. As he walked he could hear a buzzing sound and at first he thought it might be coming from the mines. However, the sound was beginning to get louder. At the time it didn't seem to be important and he proceeded toward the woods, but the buzzing sound was getting louder with each step he took. The sound now was something to think about for it totally distracted him and he began to look around. He first looked up, then down the road. Nothing could be seen; there was nothing on the roads. This was indeed a puzzle for now the sound was even louder. Olin looked up and his first impression was one of amazement for he had never seen a flying toy before. He just knew that this marvelous toy had gotten away from its owner and was caught in the wind. At first he watched, then he looked around to see if the person that owned this flying toy was nearby. As he looked and searched, to his surprise no one could be found. He knew that when this little toy came down it would be his.
He knew he must follow this toy, so he started running across the field, taking a different direction than he had first planned. He ran as hard as he could. With each step he knew he was getting closer and closer to his new toy. It looked as though he could almost reach up and touch it. Harder and harder he ran for he knew that when he got the toy, he would be the only one on the mountain with one. Closer and closer he was getting; he was running as fast as he could, looking up as he ran. Then suddenly it felt as if someone had hit him in his chest with a baseball bat. He had stopped abruptly and was on the ground. He had run head on into a barbed wire fence. His cuts and bruises took weeks to heal, but at the time didn't seem to be important. Each breath was getting a little easier now, for the impact surely knocked the wind out of him.
Olin was sitting on the ground and looking up as the airplane flew over the mountain. To this day, he has never really liked planes.
Poke Berries
During the late summer of 1919 there was high humidity and very little wind. Aunt Amandy was the newest member of the family, she was our cousin Roy Trotter's stepmother. Roy's mother had died a year ago with tuberculosis. Amandy was sitting out on the front porch in her rocking chair. She had an old paper hand held fan that she was waving trying to keep cool. Roy was playing around in the back yard when Mama, Olin, and his older brother Olice came by for a visit.
As they walked up to the porch, Aunt Amandy invited Mama to sit with her on the porch and told Olin and Olice that Roy was in the back. Off they ran in the direction that Amandy was pointing. Mama and Aunt Amandy were getting ready for some serious story telling as the boys met up in the back of the house. "Hey Olin, Hey Olice", Roy said as they walked up to him. Then Olin asked Roy what he wanted to do. Neither of the boys could decide, so they started walking down into the woods. They thought of chase and all the other games that required running, but it was too hot. So they continued walking down the trail resting in the shade whenever possible.
In a few minutes they came upon a patch of leafy green plants known as poke salad or poke weeds. The boys decided to pick some for their mothers.
Poke salad is edible if precautions are taken when preparing the plant. The seeds and roots are extremely poisonous and all red colored portions should be avoided when picking. Cooking is a tedious process requiring several changes of water after boiling for a few minutes. The poison is released in the form of an oil that floats to the top after boiling.
In a few minutes the boys realized that it was going to be a lot of work and ended up playing with the plants. The boys enjoyed squeezing the berries and watching the red juice run between their fingers. After a while they walked down to the spring to wash their hands. Each of them commented on how much the poke berry juice looked like blood. Then Olice and Roy almost simultaneously smiled with an idea, while Olin had no idea what was going on. Olice said, "Come on, let's go back and pick some more berries; I got an idea." Roy said, "Me, too."
The boys picked as many berries as they could carry in their hands and started walking back to the house. Both of them were laughing, agreeing that this was going to be great. Up the trail they walked. When they reached the house, Olice waited outside holding all the berries he could hold while Roy placed his on the back porch and ran inside to the kitchen. Mama and Aunt Amandy were still out front on the porch rocking and fanning themselves. Roy peeked around the corner to see if they were still there, for this was going to be his best prank yet. All of a sudden both boys started yelling. "I'm going to kill you!" Then Roy shouted. "No, you ain't. I'm going to kill you first!"
Both boys had squeezed poke berries on their heads and it looked as though both of them were bleeding to death. Around the corner they came; Olice was back stepping, swinging a large butcher knife. Roy was following swinging his butcher knife. Out of the corner of their eyes they could see their mothers turning very pale. Then Olin's mother said, "Oh, Lord, Amandy, they have gone and killed each other!"
Both mothers went into a dead faint and slumped back into their rockers. When they came to, Olice and Roy were just laughing and both mothers together took one step forward grabbed their kids and started dusting their pants really good. Olin recalls his mom did a good job because there were large dust clouds coming from both of them.
The Liquor Stills
During the Fall of 1919 Olin remembers standing on his front porch looking around the mountain. Up on the ridge he could see smoke rising above the trees. He had heard that the smoke was coming from Old Charlie Langston's stills and he was curious about them. Old Charlie Langston made moonshine all during the prohibition days (1919 1933).
Olin finally decided to investigate the stills for himself and started up the mountain in the direction of the smoke. He climbed very cautiously, staying off of the trails for he surely didn't want to be spotted. Up the ridge he climbed, pulling himself by tree roots and grass whenever he could. As he approached the still he was very quiet. All of his energy was spent getting to the still and by now his breathing was very heavy. Olin just knew that if anyone was around, they could hear him breathing and he decided to stop and look around. No one was there, or at least he couldn't see anyone.
After a moment or two he decided to go cautiously up to the still. No one was around, and the fire had burned down to coals. Inside the still he could hear the brew boiling. The top of the still was cone shaped and a copper pipe coil led down into a large bucket. The bucket didn't have anything in it yet, so Olin decided to pull the thumper (which was the top of the still) up and see what was inside. As he lifted the top he could smell the sweet smell of the corn beer or brew which was about to be distilled into corn liquor. He thought to himself "Anything smelling this sweet must be good!" Next to the still was a barrel which was used to ferment the corn brew and Olin reached down with his hands, forming a cup and dipped some brew off the top. To his surprise it was good and soon left him dizzy. At this time he knew he had enough and decided to go home, leaving everything as it was.
The next day Olin decided to see one of the other stills. This time he was headed for the second still and he knew all he had to do was go in the direction of the smoke. Up the ridge he cautiously climbed, staying off the trails.
As he approached the second still, he looked to see if anyone was around and as before, no one could be seen. This time the bucket at the end of the copper coil had some moonshine in it. To his surprise it not only burned his throat, but took his breath away and at the same time opened his sinuses and made his eyes water. He could not understand why anyone liked drinking moonshine.
He knew he liked the taste of the corn beer better. Then he proceeded to lift the top of the barrel and drink from the brew that was fermenting. This time it didn't take so long to make him dizzy. The moonshine had already kicked in and he knew he had enough as he stumbled home.
The next day he was standing on his porch again looking at the smoke from the third still, and he knew what he had to do. No one could be seen as he approached the still. He proceeded to lift the top of the barrel reaching down to drink the beer. The corn beer surely did taste good to him. Then he heard something behind him. It was Old Charlie Langston! "Hey boy! What are you doing around here?", he said. Olin didn't say a word, just headed back down the mountain. Old Charlie Langston was shouting, "I'll have you arrested if you come around here again!"
It would be a few years before Olin would realize that making moonshine during the prohibition time was against the law and that Old Charlie Langston was just bluffing.
Moving To Rock Run
In 1919 the Rock Run Mining Company cut back on the number of people working the mines and many communities were affected. The company could not compete with the Birmingham company at Red Mountain. At Rock Run all the raw materials iron ore, limestone, and coal had to be shipped by rail. The Birmingham company could mine all the raw materials from Red Mountain. The cost of producing the ore was substantially cut.
All during that year Papa and the boys cut cord wood off of Indian Mountain. Every piece of wood was cut with an axe. The process to produce two cords of wood would take at least a day. Each cord would bring fifty cents and the money was used to buy groceries for the next week. On Saturday with the horse drawn wagon the family would head for Piedmont, Alabama, to buy groceries and supplies for the next week. The trip home was a long one; normally it would be after nine o'clock at night when everyone rolled up to the house.
Cutting wood would take them all over the mountain and one place Olin always enjoyed was Pump Log Hollow. The town of Rock Run pumped their water from the spring up on the mountain. The water pump ran only from the force of the water. As the water rushed into a large chamber, the downward force of gravity would in turn push connecting rods that forced the water down hollow logs. Gravity of the water in the different chambers did the work and with a loud surge, the water would start its journey to Rock Run. The hollow logs were buried just under the ground and served as water pipes for many years.
Papa came in the house late one evening and was very excited for he had a new job working at the Rock Run Iron Company. The company produced pig iron and steel. He told everyone that the whole family would be moving the next day to Rock Run, Alabama. Everyone was excited and no one could sleep well that night. The next morning two company owned horse drawn wagons came rolling up to the house, and everyone knew then that they were about to move. After a few hours the wagons were packed and Uncle Jim Trotter came by to drive everyone in his Henry Ford Model T. It took a few hours to get to Rock Run and finally the wagons stopped at a white house on a hill. Across the street was the church. The little white house had a living room and two bedrooms, and the kitchen was at the back of the house. There was a small porch in the front and back of the house. Everyone was excited about the new house and started unpacking everything. Out in front of the house was a water faucet which was the only source of water. This was really special for with just a little turn of a handle you had all the water you could possibly use and then some.
Everyone knew this move was a good one and times were going to be better.
In a few hours everything was settled and Olin and Otis walked outside. To their surprise, it was starting to get dark, and they decided to sit on the front porch. All of a sudden bright lights were coming from the sky and with a closer observation they discovered the lights were coming from the street poles. The boys had never seen electric lights before and were amazed at how bright they burned. Both boys were interested in seeing more and started following the lights. Otis would call out, "There's another one!" Both boys ended up following all the street lights until they reached the end of Rock Run, which was two miles long. At the very last one Otis said, "I didn't know there was so many lights in the world."
The Railroad Workers
Rock Run was a small town and friends were made easily. Most of the boys' time was spent with Albert Rinehart, James Pope, and Harold Johnson and by now Olin had a nickname of Cotton Top. Everyone called him that and as he recalls he didn't care for the name much.
Three summers passed and by September 1922, Olin was seven years old. His brother Otis was standing on the front steps as Olin walked out the front door. Olin spoke to Otis saying, "You going to stand around all day?" Otis replied, "Lets go to town." After a few moments both boys decided to go down to the company store. The Rock Run Mining Company store was grand in its day and had two floors. It was a large square wooden building with the only gas pump in town. It was the type that had to be hand pumped and the gasoline would fill a large glass container at the top. The glass container identified how many gallons were pumped.
The front door was located in the middle of the store front. On either side were small rectangular shaped windows. The first floor was the actual store and the second floor was used for storage and office space. All around the inner walls was a counter that surrounded the customers as they walked in, looking like a giant horseshoe. The ceiling was at least eighteen feet high. To the right were the groceries and dry goods, and to the left was the hardware. There was an assortment of horseshoes and harness accessories, nails and hammers. Just about anything a person would need was in the store. There were two rooms on the first floor. At the rear of the front room was a partitioned wall and in the middle was a door. After passing through the door in the back one could see all kinds of furniture. There were chairs, beds, wood burning stoves, and dressers. There were even automobile tires for purchase. The boys enjoyed walking through the store and looking at all the new items. As they walked around the store Otis would tell Olin what he liked best and Olin would tell Otis what he liked best. The tour would eventually take them outside.
When they walked outside they saw their friends Albert Rinehart, James Pope, and Harold Johnson. They were just standing around the gasoline pump talking and occasionally Albert Rinehart would kick the dirt and create dust clouds. The dust would settle on his shoes making them the same yellowish red color of the soil. Albert said, "Hey there's Cotton Top and Otis."
Olin and Otis walked up to the boys. James Pope suggested that they walk up to the train trestle where the Rock Run Mining Company dumped coal used to smelt iron ore. The boys, lacking anything better to do, thought that was a good idea.
On the way up the trestle Harold Johnson informed everyone that he had seen some railroad men working on the track on the other side of town. He also mentioned that the men were using a two man utility car. It was the manual type that required pushing and pulling of the T handles located opposite of each other in the center of the car. Then all the boys started telling each other just how fast one of those utility cars could go well, that was that. The trip to the top of the coal dump was postponed and now the boys were headed down the tracks back to town.
Olin asked Harold just where were the men working when he saw them. Harold raised his arm and pointed down the track and said it was only a mile, and off the boys ran.
In a few minutes the boys had found some of the railroad worker's tools laying on the side of the track. They just knew they were close. The boys dashed into the bushes next to the track in a single file line. They carefully walked parallel to the tracks until they could hear the men talking. With a few more steps they were able to see the utility car. It was parked on a side track. As the boys watched, they were very quiet; they didn't want the men to know they were there. In a few minutes the boys decided to go back in the direction of town.
When they had walked far enough away so that the men could not hear them, they stopped. Harold told everyone that they had been working there for at least two days and always parked the utility car on the side track when they finished work at five o'clock. The boys decided to come back the next day around the time the men would be finished working for the day to see if they could find the utility car.
The next day the boys met up with each other on the tracks outside town. Back into the bushes they walked just as they had done the day before. They were just in time, for the men were walking back to town and the utility car was on the side track. The boys waited until they could not see the men anymore, then rushed out of the bushes to the side track. As they approached the utility car, they could see that it wasn't locked, and all five boys jumped on top of the car. It was difficult to get the car started, but with all the boys pushing the T handle, the utility car started rolling in the direction of the coal dump. It was down hill back to town, and it didn't take long to get that utility car up to speed. The boys could feel the wind in their faces; and they knew they were traveling as fast as they could.
Up ahead was another side track which as the boys had passed it earlier that day, was set for the main track. Closer and closer they were getting to the side track when Albert Rinehart noticed the switch was now set for the side track. "The switch is turned! The switch is turned!", he yelled. The utility car, traveling as fast as it could possibly travel, veered sharply onto the side track and in a moment would crash into a box car. Simultaneously, the boys yelled, "Jump!" and in a split second all the boys were rolling away from the utility car. With a loud crash the utility car crushed as it hit the box car, causing the wood frame to separate from the chassis. The sides separated and the entire utility car fell to the side of the track in pieces.
None of the boys had a lot to talk about that night at supper nor did they ever discuss that day with anyone.
Olin could not ever recall getting back on a utility car again.
The Big Bang
On a sunny day in September of 1923 Olin was standing on the front porch. He was in one of those moods where a person wants to do something and yet they want to be alone. Down the road he walked, not having anything else to do. He passed the church across the street and headed to the Rock Run Company store. No one was outside and all the men were working at the blast furnace. Olin stood around outside for almost an hour before deciding to move on.
His direction would take him southeast of the company store. On this side of town were mostly woods and no houses. He managed to find a trail and proceeded to follow it. As he passed the oak trees, he could see that the trail led in an upward direction to the top of a large hill. It was peaceful there; the large oak and chestnut trees created a canopy that shielded the woods from the sunlight. The chestnut trees were loaded with chestnuts that would be ready to eat in another month.
He stopped at a large rock to rest. He could see squirrels chasing each other through the trees. After a few minutes of rest he headed up the trail. Finally at the top, he could see a small ten foot square metal building. The building was made entirely of roofing tin with no windows and only one door. He was curious about the building. Feeling adventurous he walked up to the door. It was locked with a heavy lock and above the door was a sign marked "Explosives". What he had found was the old dynamite shack that the miners used to store their explosives. There were all kinds of explosives, from black powder to dynamite. There were at least several hundred pounds of explosives in that shack, left over when the mines shut down.
After trying to open the door, Olin walked around the building in an attempt to find another opening. There was no other way in except the one door, and the lock was impossible to open. He was angry for not being able to get inside; he just wanted to hear a small explosion. He sat down on the ground and as he did, he noticed that the leaves on the ground were very dry and could easily be burned. He pulled some matches from his pocket. Then he thought to himself that if he set fire to the leaves the fire would ignite the shack, causing an explosion. He decided to set fire to the ground about twenty feet from the building which would give him ample time to run about fifty yards away and be able to safely hear the big bang.
The town of Rock Run had a voluntary fire department and the men would be paid regular wages when they had to fight fires. Luckily someone did spot the smoke and rang the fire bell. In just moments almost every man in Rock Run had rushed up the hill to put the fire out. As each man arrived he began digging and beating the fire with shovels as hard as he could. There were enough explosives in the shack to completely destroy the hill as well as the entire town. In minutes the fire was out, and Olin was just fifty yards away with his fingers stuck in his ears. He waited and waited, but nothing happened. Finally, he looked over the hill just in time to see the men heading for town.
The next day the company unloaded the shack and transported the dynamite to another town.
Flips
It seemed that every boy in the town of Rock Run, Alabama had a flip. Most people know of them as sling shots. The summer of 1923 was an exciting one for Olin. He became proficient in the use of a flip. He started with a single stick flip, but unfortunately the design would cause its user to smash his thumb when using it. So next in the creation was the Y shaped flip. This was indeed a better design for the handle was well below the upper opening and sighting was indeed improved.
Old pieces of inner tubes worked well for the elastic portion of the flip. In a short period of time Olin was hitting targets ten, then fifteen feet away. The day came when he could hit targets at twenty feet. The moving target became somewhat of a challenge for him and there were lots of misses. On occasion he would hit his mark and that night his family would eat fresh rabbit.
Olin's brother, Otis, left the house early one morning and he took his flip. Olin was playing with his flip in the back yard. He had no idea that Otis had left when he realized he was nowhere to be found. He looked inside then outside. Finally, he started looking down the road in the direction of the church. In the distance he could see two boys playing in the front yard of the church. Olin began walking to them and in a moment recognized his friend Albert Rinehart playing with his brother Otis. Both of the boys had flips and were shooting stones across the yard. Olin walked up and said, "I bet I can out shoot any of you!" "All right, what do you want to shoot at?", was Albert's reply. After a moment or two they had chosen some limbs on an old pine tree. All three boys took their turn and each hit their mark. They all decided to try it again, and again each boy hit the limb of the pine tree. Again they took their turn and again all three boys hit their mark. Then Olin said, "Lets find something harder to shoot at." All the boys agreed and started looking around the yard. All they saw were more limbs and a few large rocks, which didn't seem to be a challenge to them at all.
Olin looked up and saw the roof of the church and got an idea. "I know the one who can shoot closest to the top of the church wins." All the boys agreed and Albert Rinehart shot first. His shot cleared the top of the church by a foot. Next was Otis's turn, but his shot was more like two feet. Then came Olin's turn and he took careful aim. He knew he would have to cut Albert's shot by at least half. As he was pulling back on the flip he was really concentrating on the shot, but in the process his fingers started sweating which caused a premature release. The rock flew right into the beautiful stained glass window. It was the leaded type and the rock shattering the glass in the center created a chain reaction. Piece after piece started falling; it seemed the glass would never stop falling. Albert and Otis ran home. As Olin was walking home he could hear glass falling. He really felt bad for he knew he would never be able to pay for the window and a window like that would cost more than his father earned in a year's wages.
None of the boys told anyone of the event that day, hoping everyone would think it was something natural that caused the large stained glass window to break. Two days went by and no one had come around to ask Olin if he knew anything. By now he felt safe to go to the company store. He just had to get out of the house. He passed the church and noticed that someone had placed boards over the broken glass to keep the weather out. For a moment he recalled the events earlier and began to feel really bad again. Looking straight ahead he continued walking to the store in hopes that looking at the new items would cheer him up. In the few minutes it took to walk to the store he felt his conscience easing a bit and walked inside the store. He walked around the store looking at the merchandise when in walked Old One Eyed Sheriff Blair. With one look, he stared at Olin and said, "Have you seen that Poole boy lately?" "Uh, uh, no sir, Sheriff.", said Olin in a trembling voice. "Well if you do, tell him I want to talk to him.", and Olin turned around and walked outside. As soon as he cleared the windows of the store, he ran all the way home. From that day on he stayed as far from Sheriff Blair as possible and no one asked him about the church window.
The Water Spout
One hot and humid day in August, 1922, Olin was standing on his back porch. As he looked around he could see two clouds, one in the far north and the other in the far south. The wind was blowing and the trees and bushes were beginning to toss about. He looked around and saw the sky was very clear over the mountains, and at the time it seemed as though it was going to be a pleasant day.
The mountain peaks surrounded his house and the little valley he was in seemed peaceful. Again he looked to the sky, but now the cloud to the north was getting closer. He looked to the south and he could see that cloud, too, was getting closer. The two clouds were the type which appeared very black and were tumbling as they approached the mountain. In minutes the two clouds were face to face. Neither cloud was going to give way. They proceeded to circle each other. The mountain tops seemed to hold the clouds in place as they circled the peaks. Just as rapid as the clouds came, a giant water spout from the center of the clouds formed. It was twenty feet wide and was falling in the direction of the Pump Log Hollow spring. It hit the side of the mountain. Trees, bushes, and large rocks were tumbling down the side of the mountain. A large boulder weighing over five tons started its journey down the mountain until it came to rest on the road below.
Two days later Olin asked Otis if he wanted to go with him to investigate the damage, and as always, he said that he would. The trip up to the Pump Log Hollow spring took well over an hour. As they approached the spring they passed the trail the water took as it washed down the mountain. Most of the trees were uprooted or pushed over to one side. Up the mountain they climbed until they reached the very spot where the water spout hit. The crater was twenty feet wide and at least twenty feet deep. Olin had no idea the day before just how much power was in the water spout. Otis said, "I can't believe that just water did this!" Olin again described as he had done the day before what he had seen and Otis was listening to every word.
After several hours the boys walked down the mountain by way of the water runoff from the water spout. Climbing over the trees and large rocks was more work than they had thought. Finally, the boys were back on the road at the bottom of the mountain. Many of the men from town were there with mules clearing the road of rubble from the mountain. The boys, walking back to town, looked over their shoulder and still did not believe what had happened.
Uncle Bill Poole
Indian Mountain is located almost dead center of the old Cherokee Indian reservation that existed prior to the land cessions of 1835. The reservation was oblong and ran from the bottom southwest portion of North Carolina and bottom southeast portion of Tennessee through the northern and northwest portions of Georgia into northeast Alabama.
The half breeds and full blooded Cherokees who stayed behind hid for years up in the mountains. Most of the breeds learned in a very short time that the more they looked liked white men the better off they became, and they never spoke of their Indian heritage. Even their children were told never to speak of the old ways. Jobs were easier for whites or those who looked white. Most people of the mountain either were part Indian or were close friends to the breeds and never knew it. An exception, however, occurred with Uncle Bill Poole. While everyone else of the family obtained the dominant Swiss gene and was fair skinned, his skin was the dark olive type and his eyes looked like black obsidian.
A few years earlier his son Collie Poole, and his daughter Bessie Poole, were denied access to the local school. The teachers told them that their father was a Negro and Negroes were not allowed in the white schools. When Uncle Bill found out what was said, he dropped everything and headed for the school. To say he gave them a piece of his mind would be an understatement. He talked and never let the teacher say a word. Finally, it came out that he was part Indian, and the conversation came to a halt. The teacher was very apologetic, and the next day his children attended school.
When Collie was older, his interest in the farm turned to bootlegging and Uncle Bill ended up with most of the work. The winter of 1922 was hard for Uncle Bill. The next spring he was desperate for help and came to the house to talk to Mama and Papa, to see if one of the older kids would be willing to work. Uncle Bill wanted a worker for five years in exchange for a mule and buggy at the end of the five year period. Olin thought that was the best offer he had ever heard of and jumped up and down with excitement. He begged Mama and Papa to let him go. At first they hesitated, but they finally decided that working on the farm might be good experience. Uncle Bill promised to feed and clothe him, and of course ensure that he stayed in school.
The trip to the farm didn't seem to take long and Olin was excited about his new job. Uncle Bill always smoked a corncob pipe, and the smoke would bellow from his mouth as he puffed. Later that night his uncle placed the pipe on the kitchen table and Olin picked it up. Uncle Bill saw him and shouted, "Hey boy, put that pipe down!" For the moment he did but waited for his uncle to leave the room. When he finally left and went outside, Olin reached for the pipe and put it in his mouth. He sucked in then blew through the pipe, as if he was smoking it. A large piece of tar and nicotine flew out of the bowl and lodged in his eye. His eye burned so badly from the tar that he was blinded temporarily. He did manage to run over to the water pail and it seemed that no amount of water would help the burning. Olin's eye was quite red for several days.
Collie had some old books and magazines with pictures of cowboys and Indians and every chance Olin had he would look through them and read the stories.
For months Uncle Bill would tell Olin to do different kinds of work, but the imagination of a ten year old boy would always intervene and the job would end up being finished by his uncle. Olin loved to take the mule out into the fields and play cowboy. One day he was working in the field with the mule and cultivator when the urge to be a cowboy was too great. He unhooked the mule and started riding it bareback across the field. Uncle Bill was very hopeful that Olin would outgrow some of his childish behavior that year, but it would not be so. Then seeing him riding across the field was too much. Being fearful he might get hurt, Uncle Bill motioned him over and said, "I'm afraid you are going to get hurt, and you will just be better off going home." Olin was going to miss the farm, but he had been away from home a year and was ready to go.
