1886
Interesting Presentation.—Mr William Smith Melville, fisherman, Cellardyke, sent lately to the reading room of Holy Island a copy of his book, entitled “Lights and Shadows of a Fisher’s Life,” in recognition of the kindness of the people to him and his fellow-townsmen, when they took refuge on the Island from that memorable gale of the 19th November, 1875, in which it will be remembered there was great loss of life among the Fife fishing fleet coming home from Yarmouth and Lowestoft. He has received the following reply from the Vicar of Holy Island: “The Vicarage, Holy Island, Beal, March 7th, 1886.—My dear Sir,—l received book safely, and with pleasure I have read it and enjoyed it. Our fishermen remember you well. This night, when our service was over, I mentioned your gift, and read your letter from my pulpit. Our men were much pleased at your thoughtfulness. I am sending a book of mine which will interest you in the history of the Island. Wishing yon every blessing and God speed in your labours, I remain, ever faithfully yours, F, Keeling.” The book referred to is “Lindisfarne or Holy Island; Its History and Association,”
Also on the literary note – being advertised in the papers
“People and Places in the East of Fife” by George Gourlay
No VIII the Old Fisher of Cellardyke – Electioneering a hundred years ago
1887
The East of Fife fishing boats encountered a severe thunderstorm yesterday afternoon at sea. The fishermen arriving at Anstruther harbour this morning report that the storm was the most severe they had experienced for some time. Large hailstones fell while the storm lasted, while lightning flashes were exceedingly vivid and thunder peels very terrific. Great damage has been done, while serious injuries have been afflicted on several fishermen.
The boat Alexander 111 ME ( David Coull Skipper) of Ferryden was proceeding up the Forth between one and two o’clock when she was struck by lightning, the bolt seems to have struck the ring on the top of the mast and running down, hit Charles Coull and William Mitchell. Coull’s injuries were most serious, his clothes on the right being entirely burnt off him. His whole side and face are much discoloured. His sea boot had to be cut off and his stocking was singed to a cinder. The whole crew were affected and in their confusion mistook the lights of Cellardyke houses for Anstruther Harbour lights, and as a result the boat ran ashore west of Cellardyke Harbour, where she will likely become a total wreck. The injured men were taken ashore in small boats and conveyed to the house of Councillor Morris, where they were attended to by Dr Mc Callum.
A Cellardyke Boat also ran to Montrose for shelter.
1888
The weather on Monday was far from inviting, nevertheless the harbour bar was as busy a beehive as the boats put to sea. At the Carr Rock, however, the north-east gale was encountered with such a fury that one and all were glad to tack again for the harbour. All next day it was a wild lookout as vessel after vessel drove through sleet and rain under double-reefed topsails, to St Margaret’s Hope, but on Wednesday the storm abated that the fleet left their moorings. A heavy surf continued to run on the banks, but crew after crew cast their nets to fish herring bait in an offing 50 to 100 miles to east of the May. Being thus belated, however, they did not return till the end of the week. Several of the Fife skippers fished last week with the silver hook, as the saying is, at the Tyne. In particular, one plucky young skipper of the J. R. Welch, of Cellardyke, realised not less than £36 for six score of cod, ling, &c. One the local crews has just launched the Four Brothers to fish the haddock, as of old, on the banks. “We’re baiting twelve ties tae a hand” heard one devoted matron say, but who, if the rumour is true, will not have the poorest “deal” in the town on Saturday night; indeed, it is not unlikely that others may be so afloat on an early day. A beginning is being made to east and west in the crab and lobster fishing. We visited the Castleyard in the middle of the week, but it was only to hear a general growl over the times. ” Daein!” said one veteran with tremendous squirt, “wha ever heard o’ onything daein’ in frost winds ; wrocht thirty creels for six partans.” Nevertheless this was better than Cellardyke bulwark, where the orator was bemoaning his hard fare with only a single crab. Some tidy hauls are being fished by the inshore fleet with Kelly ower the kirks- in fact, if you believe the greybeards, the codling and the flounder have not been so plentiful for years, which they rightly trace to the prohibition of the steam trawl this side the May. The well-known Fife skipper, Thomas Birrell, left Thursday en-route to a new enterprise—-viz., to develop the crab and lobster fishing on the shores of the Moray Firth. It is not the least interesting feature of the “spec” that the veteran is, with the agency of the railway and the telegraph, to send his own catch from day to day to market.
1889
A considerable quantity of billet wood, with the fragments of deckhouse, was washed ashore Saturday between Caiplie and Cellardyke. Most of it was so split amongst the rocks as to be useless, except, perhaps, for lobster pots. It was supposed by the pilots to have been swept from the deck of the galliot which was seen running the Firth the previous day with the loss of mainmast and jibboom.
Kilrenny Town Council.—At a meeting this Council on Friday night it was intimated that the Government grant in aid of diaturnpiked roads was £11 11s. The bond for the loan of from the Public Works Loan Commissioners for the water works was submitted and signed. The money has been granted at fraction under 5 per cent., and is to be repayable in 40 years by half-yearly instalments on the annuity principle. It was resolved to lay a drain from Caddie’s Burn to Ellice Street along West Forth Street.
A meeting of Cellardyke merchants was held last week to take into consideration the railway rate charges. Provost Martin presided, and upwards of twenty merchants were present. The Chairman explained the proposed maximum charges of the Railway Companies, and pointed out how it would seriously affect and hamper the fish traffic. If the rates were raised any higher they would simply be prohibitory. He had not got all the full statistics yet, but so far as he could see it was proposed to increase the rates for fish from Dundee to Glasgow from 21s 8d to 25s 3d per ton, to the English towns from Anstruther, where the most of their winter herrings were sent, the rates were proportionately higher, and this, he need not tell them, would be a great hardship to the fishing community. After several other members had spoken, a Committee was appointed—Mr A. Marr, convener —to frame a protest against the proposed increase of the rates to the Board of Trade, to get the proper statistics from Anstruther to London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, and to compare them with the rates now charged. Councillor Melville said he could scarcely imagine the Railway Companies to be so foolish to increase the rates. They would just be “cutting their own girds” to do so, and put a stop to the fishing traffic from this district. The rates were heavy enough at present without making any increase.