1876
The fund for the relief of the widows and children of the Cellardyke and St Monance fishermen recently lost sea now amounts to £5700.
A Case of considerable importance to fishermen came before Sheriff Crichton at the Anstruther Small-Debt Court on Saturday. It was at the instance of Robert Lindsay , fisherman , Pittenweem , against Thomas Anderson (Anderson) , boat skipper there , and the particulars were as follow : – The pursuer , along with others , was engaged , to prosecute the herring fishing at Yarmouth last autumn in the defender’s boat, the terms being, as is usually the case , that each of the seven men who composed the crew would receive an eighth share of the free proceeds, the other share going for the boat. While going down the river one day, the boat, which belongs to the defender, and was being steered by him, ran into an English lugger, which was also struck immediately afterwards by a Cellardyke boat belonging to skipper Thomas Bett. A reference was entered into between the Scotch shippers and the owners of the lugger, the result oi which was that the former were found liable in £22 for repairs, and £30 as compensation for the loss of two days’ time occasioned by the vessel being kept on shore while the repairs were being executed. Of that amount Anderson paid £30, and in settling up at the end of the season, deducted a proportion of that sum from the amount due to the crew, and which the pursuer now sought to recover. His Lordship, in giving his decision, said, from the evidence led, it appeared to him that the crew were employed more as servants than as in the case of a joint adventure, and that view was greatly strengthened by the practice which had been proved to exist of skippers themselves making good any damage done to their boats. He gave decree for the pursuer with expenses, a decision which was received with loud applause by the crowded Court. Mr Cook acted as agent for the pursuer, and Mr Oliphant for the defender, and the decision was understood to rule the cases of the remainder of the crew.
1877
Claim for Damage to a Boat. – George Smith, fisherman, Cellardyke, sued Mrs Andrew Henderson and Robert Montadore, both residing in Cellardyke, for the sum of £8 2s 9d, in respect of damage done to his boat by that of the defenders. The defence was a denial of liability, on the ground that the boat of the latter was properly moored, but after hearing evidence at considerable length the Sheriff said he had come to the conclusion that the chain by which the defenders’ boat was moored was subjected to a more severe strain than it should have been; and while in a case of this kind there must be hardship of some sort, he thought it consistent with justice and equity that the loss should fall upon the defenders.
Anstruther. Lifeboat, -The annual general meeting of those interested the Anstruther branch of the Royal National Life Boat Institution wan held the Town Hall Saturday evening last—Provost Anderson in the chair. Mr George Dickson, behalf of the honorary treasurer, submitted statement the funds for the year ending December The balance hand at the commencement of the year was £27 7s 4d. which, with the annual contributions (£21 1s). and the sum subscribed amongst the Cellardyke fishermen (£7 16s). brought the total income £56 4s 4d. The expenditure, consisting principally caretaker’s salary and payment crews for quarterly exercises, amounted to £21 10s 7d – leaving a balance hand of £34 13s 9d, being increase over the balance of the previous year of £7 6s 5d, attributable to the fact that thoroughly efficient committee of coxswains had been organised to collect subscriptions from the fishing crews in Cellardyke. This was heartily responded all the crews subscribing 3s each, with, we believe, only two exceptions. It was left the life boat crew, which the late Skipper Andrew was coxswain, to select a successor him.
1878
New Year Spree and how it Ended.—The Bailies of East Anstruther held a criminal court on Saturday, when James Myles, carter, Cellardyke, was charged with drunken and disorderly conduct calculated to provoke a breach of the peace in the meaning of the new Police Act, on Tuesday, the 1st inst. He pleaded guilty and threw himself upon the compassion of the Court, but in respect of this being his fifth conviction before the East Fife bailies, he was sentenced to a fine of 30s, or fourteen days’ imprisonment
1879
We understand that Mrs James Bruce has been appointed succeed Mr Brown in the charge the Post and Telegraph Office in Cellardyke. Considerable difficulty, we believe, has been felt in filling the appointment, hence the delay which has taken place; but from the strong recommendations in her favour, Mrs Bruce will enter in the duties with the best expectations of the public.
The long storm has proved a serious hindrance to the building trade, as with the exception of a day now and then chisel and mallet have been idle since the opening week of December. Our operative masons, therefore, have good cause if they are impatiently heating their toes at the grumbling comers, in far as work is both waiting and accumulating in the district. At Cellardyke the superior business premises in course of erection for Mr Andrew Mitchell, draper, is likely to be followed by renewed enterprise in the way of house extension.
Kilrenny School Board— Cost of New School,
This Board met in Kilrenny last Wednesday evening, when the Cellardyke members only were present. The committee appointed at last meeting to review the accounts of the several contractors for the new school, gave in report that these should be one and all discharged. The report was unanimously sustained, when it appeared that the total cost of the school and school-house in Cellardyke was no less than £2560. Mr Martin referred to the ways and means – to wit, a Government loan of £2000 and an educational grant of £327 payable in February next, thus leaving a balance of £233 yet to be raised by the Board. Mr Marlin pointed out the difficulty of dealing with such a burden, but eventually it was agreed to make it a bank debt, repayable in stated instalments. The Board then took up the school reports, according to which the average attendance at the new school scarcely exceeded 200, owing chiefly to the prevalence of frost-bitten feet amongst the children, which also interfered considerably with the classes of the other schools. The Chairman, Bailie Sharp, urged the defaulting officer to make every exertion to secure a more regular attendance; but it was thought inexpedient in the meantime to resort in any case to extreme measures. Mr Dalrymple appeared before the Board and asked for some additions to his school furniture, and also for a new pupil teacher, which, he said, was called for seeing that the present attendance the school was about 170, or very near the same as it had been last year. The requests were acquiesced in by the Board, which subsequently approved of several accounts, amongst others of a charge £4 10s for lodgings to Mr Barbour owing to the delay in finishing the new school-house. It was also agreed to let the infant school house to Mrs Margaret Doig, who has charge of the cleaning of the Cellardyke schools, at a yearly rent, to include gas, of 50s. In reference to the accounts for the new school in Cellardyke, it was stated that Mr Currie, the architect, would be satisfied with a fee of £100, which was ordered to be paid. It further appeared that no extras were due to any of the contractors with the exception of Mr Wallace, who, inconsequence of the failure of the Kilrenny quarry, had been forced to find a supply elsewhere at additional expense of about £90, which, after being examined the committee, was fully acquiesced in to the last particular.