The strong women of life....2

Myself... I think I already mention some

where down the road, that I use to smash

cars with my husband.  We had a truck

with a free wheeling cable wheel on the

back. With a card table size piece of iron.

We would raise it up and let it fall

down on the cars.. taking about 6 times

to flatten a car.  After we got 10 to 15

cars done.. depending on size.... we

would load them up on the semi. My

husband would use the same truck with

the cable to raise the car up into the air.

We would put a chain on each corner

of the car, then have them join in the

middle, which the hook from the cable

on the truck, would hook it and up it would

go.

My job was to make sure the car was

lined up from side to side.  Which meant

by the time we got to the top, I would

be standing on top of the cab of the semi.

And if things weren't going smoothly,

well, we would be doing this into the

night. Using my pick up truck headlights

for light on the semi.  And I would stand

up on of the cab of the semi, holding these

cars bumpers, making sure it was level

and straight and then nod my head, and

he would lower it down.  After we got

all the cars in place, we then took

cables and threw them over the load.

3 of them.. hook on one side, and

wrenching them on the other side so

that they would scrunch down more

and be tight. At 4am he would head

to Seattle (we lived in Roslyn, Wa.)

and sell the load. For $7 a ton..

When I was reading about a year or

so ago.. That scrap iron was going for

$700 to 900 dollars a TON.. I couldn't

believe it.. Marv must have been rolling

in his grave.  So much work for so little.

One of my jobs was to burn the car after

he dropped it off at our site. He would

go get cars from people who were junking

them or the Chief of Police asked us to

remove old cars from town and out in the

woods on the border of the town, where

people had dumped them.

We burnt them, because it was easier to

pull the copper wiring out of the dash

after they were burnt.

One day, I was doing that, as his partner

Mac and he were bring in the cars. I had

removed the tires off the cars and had

quite a stack for the week.  Some times

we would sell them for a buck a piece

wheel and tire. But a lot of times we

would throw them in the car before we

burnt it.  But we were really hustling

as we had to get rid of about 20 cars for

the town.  So there was the pile of tires.

I had asked them what did they want to

do with all those tires? (about 80 of them)

and they said they didn't care, put them

in the cars. 

After they left, I thought well, that is a

lot of tires to have to pick up and throw

in the couple cars we had to burn yet.

So while I poured some gas on one of

the cars near by, I ...... well... accidentally

spilt some on the tires.. (that is my story

and I am sticking with it) ...and the whole

pile went up in flames... 

About 5 minutes later the guys came back

with another car.  Their faces were something

to behold.  Marv asked me WHAT THE HELL?

 I told him, it was easier that way.. Well, I never

saw him dump a car so fast and flew down the

road out of there. See the black smoke was about

30 feet high.  

About 5 minutes after they left, in comes a green

truck... and a green fire truck.  DNR... Dept. of

Natural Resources...  Lucky for me, they knew

me..  I told them what happen,  about the accidental

gas spillage...   As they started to head back to the

trucks, they shook their heads and said.. well, don't

let it happen again..

Obviously this is before EPA existed or at least in

our area.   They sure ruin a fun time.. as we couldn't

burn cars anymore at the end.  

Found out later that I was the first car smasher.

I actually did two loads by myself.

Marv decided when the price dropped to $6 a ton,

he would go to work with the semi somewhere

else until the price came back up.  But it didn't work

out, so he called home and said he was heading home.

I told him I smashed a small load for Mac (his truck

was smaller and only could take 4)... he couldn't

believe it.. So he told me, well, then start smashing

a load for me, I will be home in 2 days.  and I did.

In spite of the hard work, it was a fun time.  I didn't

think anything of it, when I was doing it.. it had to

be done.. and I knew I could.. so I did it.

After Marv died... I became a nurses aide for 17+

years.. not as much fun.   And the funny looks

when my employer asked what did I do for work

before.. and I said... smashed cars..  She said one

at a time... or for a living..  I told her both. as you

can only smash one at a time. lol...