I knew a ship caulker who was a full blood Mikmack from prince Edward Island. He drove his family south and ran out of gas on the New London (CT) bridge and said "here we are." Basil caulked mine sweepers (wooden hulls) through ww2 and eventually retired to Mystic Seaport Museum. He told me to never make hammer handles out of hickory but ,instead, use ash/ Hickory will be cold in your hand and will cause problems when you're old but ash is kind in cold weather.
