Vol. 1-Interviews-Ferko

D. Me[?]uor

Thomas Ferko (#142) 8/5/72

Woods Lore/Surrounding Area

Down the hill past Surgent's there is a clay road bearing off to the left. This was the original path to Hazle Brook, once a thriving patch town of about 100 homes, but now has only 5 or so. It is still a good place for a woodsman to explore, however, because along this road one will find many "swamper berries" and a freshwater spring.

All foods now are chemically treated or chemically induced. People spray the hell out of fruit on trees and vegetables in the ground. Meat is chemically treated to retard spoilage. Hens are given chemical injections to stimulate egg laying.

One thing, believe it or not, that would stop a lot of this would be more brush fires. Fires burn out bugs and their eggs so you don't have to spray your trees and plants. Groundhogs and rabbits that now plague the town would have many tender young plants to feed on in the woods if there were periodic fires. Without fires, the brush literally chokes out much of the wildlife and, by comparison, peoples' gardens are easy pickin's. Huckleberry bushes, always very low plants, are choked out by faster and taller-growing brush -- unless fires burn them out. In other words, over-control of fires is upsetting the balance of nature.

[??????] Ferko/142/8-5-72 Cont'd

Strippings, ironically enough, help the town by keeping the snakes out. There is plenty for them to eat (small animals, insects, etc.) and miles[?] better places to sun themselves.

Anyone can shoot, grab, or kick a snake with absolute accuracy if he knows one thing -- that snakes instintively follow motion and that their eyes do not move. They therefore can be easily "hypnotized" or frozen in concenttration. It is best to get a pole and hold one end near the snake's head in his field of vision and start moving it rhythmically. The snake will follow it and move accordingly. Stop the movement of the stick and take aim!

The stone bench on the Buck Mountain Road was built by the WPA.

Waln {?} K. Brown 7/27/72 Thomas "Fiker" Ferko

In 1935 George Hooper, Sr. was the coal policeman in Eckley for the coke mines. In 1938, Louis Stoltz was the coal policeman for the Coxe mines. When Jeddo Highland took over around 1945, Spade Dectective Agency patrolled Eckley. There was a squire in Jeddo Borough where offenders were taken. The offender usually just had to pay a fine. Very seldom did anybody have to go to court. If they did, the closest county court was in Wilkes-Batte. There was a jail house in Freeland, in the borough building, where an offender might be kept overnight, but never longer than one night unless the person was a murderer. There was nobody in Eckley who was convicted for heinous crimes, so there was nobody who was held in jail for long. The major law in Eckley was the parents, who were quite strict and kept the kids in line. In the mines the men were kept in line by the superintendent who would fire the men if they were troublesome or give them a warming if they were making mistakes. During the 1920 to 1940 period, there was very little trouble in Eckley. There was also next to no law. A man could go into someone else's property and take some of his belongings and very little could be done about it. The offender had to be caught "red handed" by a constable to be arrested. It was during this period that the children would steal lots of vegetables out of the neighbors' gardens, and if they got caught, the most they would get is a licking if the parents found out about it.

Denis Mercier 8/5/72 Thomas Ferko

Down the hill past Surgent's there is a clay road bearing off to the left. This was the original path to Hazlebrook, once a thriving patch town of about a hundred homes, now of only five or so. It is still a good place for a woodsman to explore, however, because along this road one will find many "swamper berries" and a fresh spring.

All foods now are chemically treated or chemically induced. People spray the hell out of fruit on trees and vegetables in the ground. Meat is chemically treated to retard spoilage. Hens are given chemical injections to stimulate egg laying. One thing, believe it or not, that would stop a lot of this would be more brush fires. Fires burn out bugs and their eggs so you don't have to spray your trees and plants. Groundhogs and rabbits that now plague the town would have many tender young plants to feed on in the woods if there were periodic fires. Without fires the brush literally chokes out much of the wildlife and, by comparison, people's gardens are easy picken's. Huckleberry bushes, always very low plants, are chocked out by faster- and taller- growing brush unless fires burn them out. In other words, over-control of fires is upsetting the balance of nature. Strippings, ironically enough, help the town by keeping the snakes out. There is plenty for them to eat such as small animals, insects, etc. and much better places to sun themselves. Anyone can shoot, trap, or kick a snake with absolute accuracy if he knows one thing, that snakes instinctively follow motion and that their eyes do not move. They therefore can be easily "hypnotized" or frozen in concentration. It is best to get a pole and hold one end near the snake's head in his field of vision and start moving it rhythmically. the snake will follow it and move accordingly. Stop the movement of the stick and take him!

The stone bench on the Buck Mountain Road was build by the WPA.

MCS {?} Mary{?} Ferco House {????} June 1972

Talked to her daughter-in-law Mrs. "Picker" Ferko, and she (and Bruno Lagonosky who overheard) said that Mrs. Mary Ferko was in such ill health that they "strongly recommeded" (i.e. forbade) me to talk with her. They further said that she is amost totally deaf and that I would either have to shout at the top of my lungs or communicate in sign language!

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