Horatio Barber and his Cobalt Co-Stars Browne and Moore

Life is ticking along, more or less normally for this introvert. Who is doing what she normally does in remote Northern Ontario where time is spent at a social distance from just about everyone. It’s status quo. Except for the Sword of Damocles pointed at each and every one of us around the globe. So, with a healthy dose of denial, I hereby present to you, today’s blog post from my other site, Horatio Claude Barber.

Horatio Claude Barber

While researching Horatio Claude Barber, we uncovered several interesting stories related to his associates. This is the first in a series that features the people who played a supporting role in his Canadian career as a stockbroker in Cobalt and Larder Lake.

Cobalt Co-Stars Browne and Moore

Barber’s company, the Cobalt Open Call Mining Exchange opened in April, 1906. He was a director along with R.H.C. Browne; C. H. Moore of Cobalt and J.H.  Hunter of Cincinnati were charter members of the exchange.

Magistrate and publisher R H C Browne on the left with Imperial Bank manager F H Marsh, ca 1907

We don’t know too much about Robert H.C. Browne. He was the first editor and owner of the Cobalt Nugget as well as a life insurance agent. Perhaps most significantly, considering the “shady” nature of Barber’s projects, Browne was the police magistrate. He was also a mining.^[1] man…

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Silas Beebe 1849 – 1938

Who was Silas Beebe?  That is a very good question. It’s one I asked myself over and over as I poured through Caroline Pugh Maben Flower’s letters and diary entries. Sprinkled throughout were references to a man, someone with whom she had a romantic relationship before she left for Berlin in 1895. For example: “I’m staying in tonight to write to Silas”, “Mr. B left for Portland”, “…wrote to B […]

The Legend of Caroline Maben Flower

The historical accounts of Cobalt, Temiskaming, and points beyond predominantly feature the exploits of the men. Women very rarely merit a mention despite their equally important contribution. If and when, however, a gal managed to get her name in the headlines, it was because her story was sensational. Take for example, the Lady Prospector Caroline Maben Flower. The picture above was captured over 100 years ago when she came to […]

Eating My Words

Have you tried speech-to-text or voice-typing software? Of course, you have. Me? As usual, I’m late to join the trend. But I’ve found a great use for the app. Last summer, I overheard someone dictating an email into her phone. She spoke out loud the commands for punctuation and paragraph formatting and all that, and I thought – huh. So that’s a thing, is it? A few weeks later, while […]

No more Distractions

You may notice something different. I made drastic cuts to the About Me page. The Zombie is gone. Not forgotten, but he has been banished. He was distracting. You’ll note as well the new title of the blog. It was time, as several people have mentioned, to present a persona that is in keeping with my raison d’être. Or in the case of social media, raison d’blog. And my “raison” […]

Horatio Barber is back in Headline News!

It’s happening! Airy Somethings, the Extraordinary Life of the Aviation Pioneer Horatio Barber is officially launched!

Horatio Claude Barber

“Ask Mr. Barber – He Knows.” From the back cover of Airy Somethings, originally published in Barber’s promotional pamphlet The Gold Fields of Larder Lake.

Horatio Barber was an excellent self-promoter. Due to the nature of the man and the nature of his businesses, his name was often in the news. While he worked as a stockbroker in Canada, he submitted media releases and large, wordy advertisements to the newspapers around the world.

Later, while involved in aviation in the UK, he was the subject of numerous articles in the aviation magazines of the day. Barber is also the author of several “how to” books related to flight.

Today, Barber’s name is back in the news! We are excited to announce that Airy Somethings, the Extraordinary Life of Aviation Pioneer Horatio Barber is now available online!

Below is a sample of some of the headlines that Mr. Barber…

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Waiting for Proof

My husband asked me this morning if I ever saw myself as a published author, and if so, what kind of book was it? A good question. I suppose at one time, like so many other wannabe writers, I was going to pen the Great Canadian Novel. As it happens, the correct answer is, “a biography.” You see, I am waiting for the proof copy of a book titled Airy […]