Some Notes on the Video
"Logging by Rail in Algonquin Park"The original film footage in this video was made as a promotional
tool by the Fassett Lumber Corporation in 1934. Soon after it was made
the mill was destroyed in a fire and the film became redundant. Some shots
were used in newspaper articles but the Manager of the company Sydney Staniforth
put the film in storage. In early 1996 Donald Staniforth, the son of Sydney
Staniforth, offered the film to Doug and Paul Mackey of Past Forward Heritage
Services who were doing a book on the Fassett
Lumber Company.
 In
January 1934 a local newspaper announced "An English moving picture corporation
is taking pictures of lumbering operations of the Fassett Lumber Corporation
at Fossmill". Donat Huneault a former employee remembered the film being
made and shown to employees. Two men came to Fossmill. One was the cameraman.
His name is not known, but Donat remembers he had a strong English accent.
The other man was a salesman/producer. He picked the best lumber for the
shots and so on. Donat recalled that the film was to be shown to the English
buyers so they "could see that it (Canadian lumbering) was something special"
and how "tough the guys were". He remembered that they hammed it up for
the camera and made the work look harder than it was. Some were quite self
conscious and a close look at the film shows them looking at the camera
and occasionally making mistakes.
Articles in the "Canada Lumberman" in the early 30’s reported
on the increased efforts by the Canadian Hardwood Bureau (Sydney Staniforth
was the President) to promote lumber in the British market during the depression,
and contained photos of displays at trade shows showing automobile frames and
other products that came from Canadian Hardwood. The movie was probably
made to be shown at trade shows such as these. In the 30’s the narrator
would stand just to the side or in front of the screen and narrate as it
ran.
 The
original film was silent so Past Forward decided to add music, narration
and sound effects to the video. Ian Bell a musician and museum curator
from Paris, Ontario suggested the use of music from a collection of old
Canadian 78’s. It was recorded from an old Hand -cranked gramophone in
the collection at the Norwich and District Museum near Woodstock, Ontario.
Past Forward also decided to use some of the many photographs they had
collected for the upcoming book at the beginning and end of the film to
fill out the history of the company.
Some individuals in the film who have been identified
so far are:
-
Donat Huneault: the young man cutting table legs on the twin
blade table saw.
-
Omer Sauve: The "dogger" on the carriage.
-
John Orr: the engineer oiling the flywheel
-
Joe Kunkle: the man on the left walking down the tramway.
-
Paddy Dwyer: the "Saw Filer"
-
Man (Emmanuel) Martin: the brakeman
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