TRANSCRIPT

JG - James Gibson, interviewee, [with Wilma (WM) Morrison present] / LR - Lyn Royce, interviewer

LR: So how old were you when you blew up the tree?

JG: Oh, Kenny and I? Kenny was, shit, I... I says, 'Kenny, what is that?' And, nitr... Now I know it was nitro glycerine. Okay? So he had this little thing, it was only a little, in a little glass thing like this, about that, and he said, 'You gotta walk careful with it.'

WM: [laughs]

JG: I says, 'Okay.' So, he had 1, and he gave me 1, so we went out, into his backyard, there was a tree down at the end of his backyard. So he says, 'You know what we should do?' 'What?' 'We should... uh, see if, see if it'll... these things'll explode... blah, blah, blah' and all this stuff. I says, 'Okay.' So he said, 'But be careful with them; don't jiggle it or anything!' Said, 'Alright!' So then he got his father's shovel and this and that and he dug a little hole, like this, okay? And put... at the side of the tree. So he says, 'Okay, gimme 1' and I said 'Here!' 'No! No! NO!!' He says, 'Hand it to me, don't throw it!' I said 'Okay.' I handed it to him. I was thinking, 'Smartass, trying to make as if this is a big explosion... big, eh? Who does he think he's kiddin'?! He ain't fooling me.' So, I says, so... I had the other 1, he put the 1... He says, I said, 'Put the other 1 in...' He says, 'Maybe not...' I says, 'Put it in, man!' [under breath] 'Who does he think he's foolin'...' So he put this thing in; then he says 'Maybe I should separate it...' I said, 'Do what the hell you want; put it over there...' So he put it over there. All right? So now he come to this hole, I says, 'Now how we gonna set this off?' I said, 'Well let's just stomp on the ground.' So he says, 'That won't work: it'll blow up.' I said, 'What are you thinking of? What's it gonna blow up?' Alright? So he says, 'No, we'll stand back here and we'll throw rocks at it.' Said, 'Okay.' So there we are - PUGH! - throwing these... 'Maybe we need to get closer?' 'No... stay back here.' So we had this big wet... Our backyard, there was a field. Uh, comin' off of Dundas Street, up this lane then came the field, it was a field. And the back yard, the back yard, to 1 side of Napanee was, led onto this field? And the backyards on the other side from Augusta, led onto this field. So there was this field: we went out there, we picked up these rocks and we were throwing them at this tree. I don't know how far - quite a distance 'cause, we had to really throw it. I don't know - we must have hit the right spot... there was a tremendous explosion; it scared the **it right out of me. PPOWWWWW!!!! This tree went: bubp, ssshhhwack [smacking table; laughs].

WM: What did your mother say?

JG: I don't know how long it took us, man. I don't know how we got that tree, 'cause we were using all kinds of stuff we'd seen in movies, you know, like getting the clothesline and all this and, and putting it on a pulley, and trying to set this straight...

WM: But didn't your mother, didn't your mother come out, or see?

JG: Nobody! I don't know where they were!! NOBODY came out. Not even other older people around - NOTHING!! We didn't see any...

WM: Well, probably thought their lives were in danger...

JG: I don't know. It went - such a sound! - and the tree went...

WM: Where did this kid keep this stuff?

JG: ... ooh, uuh, kthunk. Kenny'd make it. Like I say, he was chemist. He had a chemistry set and all this stuff. I didn't know where he got how to make it...

WM: You were how old?

JG: I don't know, man... but we were young, we were young.