SHIFTING CAMP

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 167, 31 May 1940, Page 5

SHIFTING CAMP

SCHOOL HOUSE REMOVED CEREMONIAL AT TE TEKO All Tc Teko and his wife, to say nothing of the family dogs, turned' out in full force on Tuesday morning to witness the removal of the old school residence. For the past week a small army of men had been crawling under the building, packing here, removing there, and calling lustily for crowbars, jacks and hammers. Slov.ly the building was lifted bodily until it was high enough to permit of a huge sledge being hauled under it. The runners of this sledge were two long straight blue gum tree trunks which had been sacrificed in the good cause. On to this, the house was lowered, and everyone awaited the arrival of a twenty ton tractor which was to haul it about a mile across country to its new site. No Effort At All. Was it strong enough to pull a five-roomed, house on a heavy sledge? Would the sledge hold, or would something break? These were the questions and many and varied were the opinions expressed by the onlookers. All seemed to agree that nothing would happen but secretly they hoped it would, just to add a little excitement. The tractor driver however was very confident and suggested putting all the spare parts and the onlookers inside the house to steady the load and keep h»s tractor from bolting. Wire ropes an inch think were adjusted, the tractor backed into position and hitched on. Everyone stood back and held their breath when the driver roar--ed up his engine. One movement of his hand and the house glided slowly over the grass with no apparent effort whatever. Very Tame Affair. On all sides one heard "I told you so!' f "Just as I said it would!" etc. and everyone began to walk, after the house which was now headed across the paddock,, its new owner perched on the main ridge to help the electric and. telephone wires ovei. Things were now certainly moving. One onlooker trod' on a dog, both he and the dog being too absorbed in the moving building to notice where they were going. The dog promptly whirled about and bit the man immediately behind the offender. Naturally the man replied by kicking the dog in the ribs. As the house proceeded across field after field the crowd gradually melted away—after all, watching a house being towed across a paddock is a very tame affair—that is, if nothing happens, and nothing did. In about one hour the house was safely in its new position, and all that now remains is to place il on a new set of piles. Truly tins was house-moving up-to-date.