Cellardyke Echo this week, mainly fishing news. Big valuable catches but due to becalming the boats cannot get back into the harbour and the catches become ” over nights” and value drops dramatically, they’re only worth selling for manure or dumping.A few gales and close shaves for some boats, and the final article is a thunderstorm – sound familiar?
1880
Though the herring season is scarcely half run, an average harvest has been all but drawn from the fruitful sea. On the Caithness Coast, for instance, there are those of our local crews who have fished from three hundred to four hundred and sixty craws, and having thus got their errand our townsman, Mr John Watson, and his Cellardyke friend, Mr George Anderson, have sailed for home with colours flying like whalers when full ship from the Polar Seas. Several East of Fife boats have been equally fortunate on the Buchan Coast, but, as a rule, the fishermen have been much harassed in their long sea chase by light and baffling winds. Thus the youthful Cellardyke Skipper, John Brown, was so belated with a splendid haul of some ninety crans at Peterhead on Sabbath that his merchant refusing to take delivery, the herrings had to be scooped like so much waste into the sea; and the same cause has also largely interfered with the fishing all along the coast.
HERRING FISHING BOAT.—For Sale, the Cellardyke-built Boat, WK 808, 41 feet over all, with all her materials as she ran the sea this season, follows, viz.2 Fore Sails (one 160 yards, new this season), 2 Jibs (one new this reason), Mizzen 2 years old, Swings (one new this season), New Running Rigging, Anchors and Chain, Compass, Lanterns, Ac. Delivery to be made on 6th September. For particulars apply to A. Cormack, Fishcurer. Pulteneytown, Wick, 4th August, 1880.
Stonehaven
Two Cellardyke boats 337 and 83 KY. lost 46 and 40 nets respectively owing to the extraordinary quantity of fish enclosed in them, and the boat 83 KY landed 90 crans out of the nets that remained, besides giving a quantity of fish to other two boats. ; 15 crans made up her compliment and to sell the remaining 75 to the curer for 2s 6d per cran. The great calm on Wednesday and Thursday seriously interfered with the fishing operations, and several hundred of crans were carted to the Country for manure or put the sea as they were useless by being so long in the boats.
1881
On Saturday some of the largest shots of the season were landed. One consisting of 114 crans, fell to the Pulteneytown boat of which James Macbeath is skipper, and which fishes for Mr William Sutherland. Next to it was the Cellardyke boat, James Smith, skipper, which we lately mentioned as having landed 104 crans ; but on Saturday he delivered to Mr Begg a shot of 108 crans.
1882
The Fife boats by of their great offing were amongst the heaviest sufferers by the gale. One Cellardyke boat, the Medium, lost as many as 40 nets, and another, the Goldie, lost 23. Great anxiety was felt in Cellardyke for the safety of the Floral Star, which was known to be out in the storm, until a telegram from Aberdeen stated that she had arrived there.
Sudden Death.—Mr Thomas Fowler, merchant, Forth Street, Cellardyke, died very suddenly on Monday night. He was in ordinary health, and watched during the day with natural interest the fitting up of fine new shop for his growing trade; but towards eight o’clock he was seized with a violent haemorrhage, which was almost instantly followed by the closing scene. He leaves a widow and family to mourn his loss.
1883
Aberdeen
On Thursday Cellardyke boat (No 1249) William Smith, skipper, fishing for Messrs Sharp and Murray curers, of that place, arrived with her sails split. The crew report having experienced very heavy weather, and about, one o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, when they were about 4 miles off the Isle of May a sudden gust came down on the boat from the west and tore the foresail into shreds.
Our Peterhead correspondent telegraphed on Thursday – Several narrow escapes from drowning are reported. … another carvel-built boat, Pride o Fife (KY, 1929) James Salter, master, was coming in last night, she was struck by heavy sea fourteen miles from land, which split the second board, next to the keel. The water came in so fast that besides the pump the crew had use buckets to keep her afloat. When she arrived the people on the quay were astonished, especially when she kept sailing up the harbour at a rapid speed, and ran up the slip.
Peterhead,
Thomas Stewart, “Goss,” fisherman, from Cellardyke, failed to appear for being drunk and incapable, and forfeited bail of 5s.
Aberdeen
ACCIDENT TO A HERRING FISHING BOAT. This afternoon an accident occurred to one of the Kirkcaldy herring fishing boats while making for the harbour, but fortunately no one was injured. The boat to which the accident happened was the Margaret Morris, belonging to Cellardyke. She had full sail set, and was coming in the bay towards the harbour at a rapid rate, there being a strong breeze blowing from the north. When a short distance out from the Girdleness a squall suddenly struck the boat, causing it to stagger and breaking the main mast five or six feet from the top. The broken portion of the mast with the sail attached fell into the sea. There was six of a crew on board, and several them were in the vicinity of the mast when the accident occurred, it is a fortunate circumstance that the gale carried the sheet with the piece wood attached overboard. A flag was at once hoisted a signal that assistance was required, and the crew set about getting the tackle hauled in. In a short time the steam tug Britannia arrived the scene, and a tow rope having been made fast to the craft, it was safely into the harbour.
1884
BOAT SWAMPED IN ABERDEEN BAY—RESCUE By a Fifeshire boat.—Between twelve and one o’clock on Saturday forenoon a small fishing boat, in which a man named James Gauld plumber, was fishing for mackerel, was seen to swamp in Aberdeen bay, about a mile from the point of the North Pier, in a north-easterly direction. The crew of the pilot boat No. 1 saw the occurrence, and proceeded to the drowning man’s assistance, as did also the steam tug Britannia. Before either the pilot boat or tug had reached the scene of the accident, however, the crew of the Cellardyke fishing boat KY.No. 78 (Christie. master), which happened to be returning from the fishing grounds at the time, having seen the disaster, bore down to the spot, and rescued Gauld, whom they found clinging to the boat, which bad been turned bottom up.
Fraserburgh Police Court
Philip Anderson. Cellardyke, was convicted on evidence of having thrown quantity of herrings into the harbour, and was fined 10s with costs of prosecution, 20s.
CELLARDYKE. Incidents of the Thunderstorm- Not a few casualties occurred in this district during the violent thunderstorm of Tuesday. Among them may be mentioned the destruction of a stack of hay on the farm of Pitkierie, which was set on fire by the lightning and completely consumed ; the ignition of the telegraph instruments in Cellardyke Post Office, which set on fire some papers which were laid beside them, but which were extinguished before the fire had got further hold ; the striking of the steeple of the new church in Cellardyke, where the only damage done was the displacement of some slates on the roof; and a slight derangement of the signal instruments at the railway station.