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-2- NI a ' STORY OF P. PIONEER-INTERESTING SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE JAMES MUIR -contir.oued from preVious page days. At the election of 1867, Mr. Muir left Paisley about midnight in the winter and walked to Port Elgin, carrying the necessary proclamation and documents. Up to the last his interest in politics never ceased and every candidate for parliamentary honors on the Liberal side found him an enthusiastic supporter. Other offices which he filled under both Federal and Provincial governments were those of fishery overseer and licence inspector. A few years after his arrival in the country he was appointed a magistrate and continued to perform the duties until the revision of 1905. In municipal affairs, Mr. Muir held various offices at different times, being tax collector at different times, being tax collector and assessor in Saugeen and upon the incorporation of the village ' was elected a member of the first council. One incident in the life of Mr. Muir is worth recalling here, his miraculous escape from death by drowning. In the 60's large quantities of logs were floated down the Saugeen River and during one of the drives a jam formed above what was then,as now, Stirton's bridge. The river _ drivers failed to move the jam and the villagers were afraid the bridge would be destroyed . and hastened to aid in loosening the jam. Mr. Muir among the number seized a pike pole and in an effort to move a timber his pole slipped and he went under the jam. He was carried under part of the jam and for a distance of % mile down the river, before he was overtaken by the boats which were at the upper side of the jam. He was rescued there in an unconscious condition. The most wonderful thing about it was that being unable to swim he could keep himself afloat by main strength for so long. The many buildings erected by Mr. Muir testified to his interest in the progress of the village, the old landmark "Muir Block" destroyed by fire 2 years ago, being one of the largest. In 1865 he provided for the village its first ice skating rink and purchased a quantity of wooden skates. He was an enthusiastic curler as well. He was early elected a school trustee and he designed, for a Public School, the main part of the present High School. August 28,1902- Port Elgin lines Mr. James Muir has moved his furniture factory to the lot south of Mr. hndrew Sutherland's new house and will fit it up for an evaporating factory. QEORGEQYSNINDETZS LE11JJ..B On December 10,1955 Mr. '.rlehlo celebrated his 100th * «fin'm'-. (ji'ir,!iiiiii4'iii"t, J. "c, r--'. ,1 birthday. The characteristic photosraph to the left 'ii'tira1j'tuCi.fr-u' _ 1'u's' fig-(.51. it;r: "i, was taken at the time by Lindsay Thornburn. ' Ill5Fii'i-'ir','ii.,,A,F", '%l 'iglllil8lEs;'T,j/.t 3:3; He received hundreds of congratulatory messages Ihrii'siicitii?i'a'i! ". f - 'i"Liitiirir,s1.r':il'iff:'.' from his many friends including a special crblegrrm 'IE':',,.',,;';'),:' b' '. l .' /a _ "lh"i'jci'jir'i.'1C:, from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. He played several 'Er'arl' 4.;me _ M i'cr'eir,1ii'C:iCi, tunes on his ooneertins for people who celled to offer IlthTIritghi"s.' . t'i"rr'irR, -'ir,'1:):)rrrr",,' their felicitations. q IlMiEtc'r-ry,T/ Cr' at, ' Ii'tr1i,,,r,k'j?, Mr. Webb was born in Frontenac County nerr Kingston Bt "it. g, j "rf',-"' "5.? and received his public school education at Sunbury, Magi-g "1" l _ L.., =1 .-.-'! Ontario. He settled on a farm in Saugeen Township, _ "its Tlimi 3" ce' l,',!,:.:':] later opening a cheese factory on 2nd concession in "tli-lit, ", > r 'c"tlCip, 1883 and he resided in Port Elgin from 1937. saw Pr, W Mr. Webb, who was exceptionally active for one . Bat, -, A , of his advanced ave. possessed a retentive memory and I i? it ' Was fond of recalling Canada's early days, delifhtina " ly ' to tell of the inventions and changes in modes of a; , y . living he had witnessed during his lengthy life. . , . Amore the events he clearly recalled were the sign- 2'- T ' - ' . t 7 ing of Confederation, Riel Rebellion, the Chicago Si " ' ' , _ fire and the coming of the telephone as well as the tEgg cg, , ' , time when steam enaines revolutionized farming by is . "" _ M replacing the treadmill in threshing operations. q 7 r I In 1948 he could show re-union visitors the finest MIM, = set of perfect criminal teeth in Bruce County. He tiEi "a - . - had yet to visit a dentist's chair and to him a . tit. .- TAe "d'" cavity was just a word in the dictionary, " My: {53' I 'tN - . Mr. Webb was married in 1887 to former Christina l T 5:1. tl I y' u, _ T , ' Guther1rnd. ft :'__ i Ct a ' i;rl 2.» . tCr, "ebb died Ppril 13,1956 about four months if -. k' ' '_ _ "t V, a: after' his 100th birthday as a result of injuries '" , , - '9} , "g ir, . a}; , r" suffered from an accident. 5 M, " mt _/r- " C', 'ls' " , or mlgln Time f-pril,199, . "u-e" ~- ' if Mt-. x '_. it "veorge Webb