1880
Severe Gale-Fifeshire Fisherman Drowned.
A heavy S.S.W. gale raged on the coast on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, in consequence of which one or two trading vessels put back to Aberdeen. The fishing craft KY. 1611 belonging to Cellardyke, went out on Tuesday night, but the gale being heavy it was resolved about two o’clock on Wednesday morning make for Stonehaven. There were seven crew on board the boat, which was commanded James Bett. While making way for port the rudder, which was being held by Bett, was struck by a heavy sea, and the tiller coming full round knocked him into the water. He immediately sank. The night being dark, and a heavy sea running, nothing could be done to render assistance. Owing to the accident the boat was headed for Aberdeen. Deceased, about 25 years of age, was married year ago, and he has left widow and child. The gale continued on Wednesday evening with unabated violence; but the wind moderated on Thursday. In addition to the boat above mentioned nearly thirty Fifeshire fishing boats put into Aberdeen harbour for shelter on Wednesday. (The boat was the Taeping)
1881
Little, if any, abatement took place in the rigour of the season up to last night. In the course of the day the clear, unclouded sunshine had the effect of setting the housetops a-dripping, but as the –shadows of the evening fell on the scene, the fingers-of the “Wizard of the North” were everywhere to be seen in the icy stalactites that fringed the eaves. The ground was also seemingly sheathed in glass, but though the hoar frost everywhere tinted the landscape, there has been no further fall of snow since the storm-of last week. In East Anster and also in Cellardyke the Police-Commissioners have bestirred themselves to-clean the thorough fares, and this has also been done on the leading roads, so that traffic is once more in full wheel in the district The most marked interruption was between the coast St Andrews, the omnibus being withdrawn from Wednesday week till Tuesday morning. Several falls took place-on the ice, but no serious accident is reported in the district.
The Herring Fishing.
This enterprise is now in active operation in the east of Fife. Owing to the unsettled weather, but still more, in the opinion of the fishermen, the mischief wrought by the steam trawlers, there had been little or nothing done till Saturday, when about sixty boats came in with a total of nearly two hundred crans. The highest take seventeen crans, current price from 48s to 50s. This encouraging success has acted like a signal call, and, with few exceptions, the fishermen of east are now engaged in the net flaking. This is especially true of Cellardyke and St Monans, and many of the English and other buyers are also on the ground, the campaign, as we have said, is opened in earnest for the season.
1883
At the Cellardyke Bailie Court on Saturday. Grant MacKay and his wife, Isabella Jack residing in Dove Street, Were convicted for assault on their neighbour, Mr David Muir, and fined 10s and 8s respectively.
Another report
Neighbour’s Quarrel and what came of it.
The Bailies in Cellardyke were called upon to dispose of somewhat curious case on Saturday. A householder and his wife Isabella Jack, her son, George Watson, and her nephew Thomas Jack, also Mrs Ann Birrell or Reid were charged with an assault upon their neighbour, David Muir, likewise with breach the peace in the said street on a previous Saturday. They one and all repudiated the charge, when witnesses were examined pro and con. The evidence was, indeed, of most conflicting kind, but the Bench found the indictment proved in the case of Grant and his wife, who were fined in the sum of 10s and 5s respectively. It broke down, however, in reference to the lads and Mrs Reid, who were then dismissed from the bar. The Court—which sits for the meantime in one of the classrooms of the Free Church Hull—was crowded during the trial.
Interesting Exports. —There have been shipping in the course of the winter from the several Harbours of the East of Fife between Elie and Crail, at this date eleven cargoes of potatoes representing 1123 tons or 5626 Fife bolls. Fearly 700 tons have been sent to the grand emporium of London, but one schooner cleared for Penzance, and amongst the exports of the last few days is a cargo of fifty six, and another of twenty-six tons consigned to Newry, in Ireland. The exporters are Messrs Sharp and Murray, and the tubers are the well-known Champion sort to be used not at the table, but for seed ; thus repeating the experiment tried some two or three years ago by the Irish growers, with the most notable success.
1884
Several engagements for next season’s herring fishing were made on the Kincardine and Forfar coast during the past week. Mr Joseph Anderson, Montrose, has arranged for five boats to fish Gourdon at the following rates: —£2o bounty, £1 arles, fishing to commence 7th July, 15s per cran first week, after that for complement of 200 crans. Three boats have made terms with Messrs Sharp & Murray, Cellardyke, to fish at Shetland, the fishing to commence at 1st June and continue until 13th September; bounty, £55; complement, 500 crans; first month 15s per cran, after that 250 crans at £1, then until finish of complement, 15s.
1885
Drink in, Wit Oct. —At the bar Last Anstruther Burgh Court on Friday-Bailie Graham presiding—the young Cellardyke fisher, Wm. Brown, was accused of assaulting, in so far as he felled to the ground by one more blows, and bit the finger to the effusion of blood, of David Walker, on the last night of the old year, this being the origin, according to the complaint, of the busy forenoon in the first of the week before the Bailies in Cellardyke. He pleaded guilty with provocation. The plea, however, being accepted by the Fiscal, the complainer and two young women, Grace Drummond and Jemima Henderson, deponed to the charge, which, being held proved the panel was fined in 12s 6d. Alexander Martin, fisherman, residing in Kirk Wynd, was then indicted under the Lindsay Act with molesting so as to provoke a breach of the peace, and also with bursting open the door of a pedlar, said to be from the other side of the Atlantic named James Taylor. He pleaded not guilty, but was convicted on the evidence of Mrs Taylor his wife, and one of the neighbours, and fined in 7s 6d. James Keith, carter, Cellardyke, was charged with a similar offence at the house of Widow Sang. He protested his innocence, and held that the widow was only one of the tenants in the house, but, in answer to this, Mrs Sang insisted in the course of her evidence that she had right to bolt the common door at 11 o’clock on a Saturday night. The charge being also deponed to by her daughter, he was convicted and fined in 7s 6d.