When I was around 4 years of age the Maine DOT was in the process of rebuilding the Mapleton Road from just north of the old “dump” into the town of Mapleton, roughly four miles. I remember riding in the dump truck with my dad and watching the whole operation taking place.
Today, when gravel is needed for road work, there is a huge machine that can be set to whatever size gravel is needed such as three quarter in or one inch and so forth. This machine is fed with a front-end loader and when the trucks come for a load of gravel, the loader loads it and he is on his merry way.
When the Mapleton Road was rebuilt, there was a fleet of trucks hauling the gravel. The trucks would enter the gravel pit and back in alongside a huge shovel. The shovel operator would then hook onto a screen with the tooth on the bucket of the shovel and turn it and lift it onto the body of the dump truck. Then an empty truck would back in on the outboard side of the screen truck away from the shovel.
The operator would then put a bucketful of raw gravel on the screen and then a man standing by the truck would keep pulling a rope to operate a clap hammer on the screen to cause the gravel to screen into the screen truck. The rocks that were screened out would continue dropping off the outboard side of the screen into the other truck.
When loaded the screen would be lifted off the screen truck and swung around to the shovel to the opposite side where another dump truck waited to load. The truck catching the rocks would then go and dump the rocks and take his turn as a screen truck.
Each truck got his turn as a screen truck and as a rock truck. I know it was an awesome thing for me to watch.
As an aside, I have had a lot of people meet me in person and they all tell me they enjoy Remember When. Some people tell me of the memories the stories trigger for them. I truly hope that you all read and Remember When …
Guy Woodworth of Presque Isle is a 1973 graduate of Presque Isle High School and a four-year Navy veteran. He and his wife Theresa have two grown sons and five grandchildren. He may be contacted at lightning117_1999@yahoo.com.
