1910
CELLARDYKE FISHERS HOOT AND SNOWBALL ST ANDREWS M.P.
Duncan Millar, M.P., visited his constituents in the coast burghs yesterday. Crail, Anstruther, and Pittenweem he was well received, but at Cellardyke was given a hostile reception. A number of young fishermen snowballed the member and his wife, who were struck more than once. The cushions and rugs of their motor car were littered with snow, and the crowd hooted lustily.
In connection with the damage done to property in Anstruther and Cellardyke on the night of the election, claims have been lodged with the Anstruther and Cellardyke Town Councils to repair the damage done at the expense of the towns.
Complaints having been made to the Police authorities of the county as to the attack made on Mr and Mrs Duncan Millar at Cellardyke on Tuesday, an investigation is likely to be made by the police, and criminal action taken against the ringleaders whose names and addresses are well known.
1911
GREAT LOSS OF GEAR.
A fleet about 50 boats left Anstruther onTuesday in mild weather. The nets were shot mostly along the land, on the south side of the Firth Forth. Shortly after darkening a strong north-easterly gale sprung up, with the remit that number of crews had to cast their nets adrift, to save the boats going on the shore. One boat arrived home about ten o’clock Wednesday night, having lost 25 nets.
But it was only the arrival of the boats yesterday morning that the disastrous effects of the storm were realised. About one-third of the boats that had reached the harbour up to noon yesterday had lost, their entire drift, of nets and ropes, and a portion the fleet had to arrive.
The loss the Cellardyke fishermen alone is moderately estimated at over £2000, and that sum may greatly exceeded when all boats have been accounted for.
The loss is the most serious experienced by the local fishermen for a number of years, and coming as it does at the opening the season, and when the fishing prospects were brighter than for a few years, it will seriously handicap a number of them. The Pittenweem and St Monans fishermen fished farther up the Firth Forth, and more sheltered waters, and their loss is not so heavy.
Two local steam drifters, with a large number fishermen on board, left yesterday make for the missing nets, but as there is still a heavy gale and a heavy sea running the coast, it not considered likely that much the gear will be picked tip. The Fishery Board cruisers are also to assist the fishermen to recover the lost gear.
Breach of the Peace.—At Burgh Police Court held West Anstruther an Friday—Provost Porter and Bailie Menzies presiding—John MacRuvie, fisherman, Cellardyke, pleaded guilty to a charge of breach of the peace in the High Street on New Year’s morning. He admitted several previous convictions, and was fined 25s.
DANCING. GRAHAME MACNEILAGE begins a DANCING SCHOOL in CELLARDYKE TOWN HALL, on MONDAY, January 23rd. Juveniles, 6 p.m. Adults, 8 p.m. Pupils enrolled at Hall.
BOAT-BUILDING TRADE.—For some time back, the boat building trade has been in a very stagnant condition, and so far there is not any demand for drifters and large boats. Mr Miller’s workmen have been engaged recently in building yawls and bauldies for the inshore fishings, and on Wednesday a bauldie was launched by Mr Miller for a Pittenweem fisherman.
Mr Alexander Thomson has also got an order for a bauldie, 25 feet in length, for one of the local fishermen, and has secured the contract for considerable alterations and repairs in the steam drifter Rothesay Bay, recently purchased by several Cellardyke fishermen from Aberdeen owners.
CELLARDYKE – THEFT BY TRAMP.—Before Provost Black and Bailie Butters, on Tuesday, Peter Lynch, a man between 30 and 40 years of age, of no fixed residence, was charged with having, on Monday, 16th January, at a shop occupied by Mrs Charlotte Davidson or Bett, stolen four penknives, with mother-of-pearl handles, valued at 1s each. Accused pleaded guilty. The Fiscal stated that when accused entered the shop, Mrs Bett was upstairs in her house. On coming down to the shop, accused asked her to give him money. She refused, and accused left the shop. Shortly afterwards, Mrs Bett noticed that four penknives had been removed from a pasteboard sheet which was lying on the counter. She immediately notified the police, who, from the description furnished by Mrs Bett, arrested the accused in James Street. The accused had given the knives to four young lads at the foot of the Loan. He got nothing for them. The object of the theft was not apparent. The Fiscal said that there were several characters such as accused wandering about the district, and it should be made known that such conduct would not be tolerated. The accused stated that he was the worse of drink, or he would never have committed the theft. Provost Black – That is no excuse whatever. You should let drink alone. Sergeant Graham He was not so far gone in drink but to know perfectly well what he was doing. Sentence of 10s or 10 days was passed, and Lynch left for Dundee.
Alleged Case of Trawling. —On Saturday while the S.S. Eva with a large crew of fishermen, who were out in search of fishing gear, were returning, they observed the crew of a trawler engaged trawling, apparently, within the three mile limit. On their return the harbour they reported the matter.
Recovery of Fishing Gear.
As reported in last week’s issue, the fishermen of the Fife coast, particularly in Cellardyke, lost large quantity of nets through the storm of Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Since that time, active and continuous search has been made; sail craft and steam being engaged. Their efforts have been, so far, successful in that all the ropes have been found, and large quantity of nets, although the latter have been so much injured that it will take hundreds of pounds to cover the damage.
1912
OBJECTIONS TO MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
A memorandum by Dr Currie dealt with the advisability of forming Care Committees under each School Board. The memorandum stated that medical officers and school nurses with wide areas under their charge and district nurses with urgent duties to perform apart from medical inspection, might often be prevented from devoting to particular cases the time and attention which alone could ensure success, or might unable, from Want local knowledge or acquaintance with the circumstances of parents, to bring their influence bear its most convincing form. They might even be viewed with misgiving by some the heralds of proceedings under statute. There was thus gap in the line this point. It could made good with the aid of voluntary workers, whose office it would to supplement and reinforce the efforts of school nurses and medical inspectors. Voluntary helpers associated for this purpose were children’s Care Committees. The Secretary said they had had difficulty in carrying out the schemes of medical inspection all along, obstacles having been placed in the way by the Boards themselves and by parents the very children they ought to get at. Those parents either kept their children from school on too day of medical inspection or sent notice to the teacher that their children were not “medically examined. In that case nothing could be done with the children. The worst places for this were the fishing burghs—the Anstruthers, Cellardyke, St Monans, and, in lesser degree, Pittenweem. Dr Currie said up to the present point everything they were doing was to too effect of impressing upon parents the necessity of observing their duty to their children. He was sorry Sir Ralph Anstruther did not seem to agree with him that point. It was when they went further and established school clinics that they took over the care the children from the parents. He did not recommend that, because the time for that had not yet come.
1913
DAMAGE TO TRAWLERS’ NETS. To-morrow Major will ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether claims have been received from George Keay and crew, of Cellardyke, of the steam drifter S.N. 297 Redvers Buller. North Shields, for £4. and from James Muir and crew, of Cellardyke, of the steam drifter S.N. 268 Baden Powell, North Shields, for £5 10s, for nets or gear destroyed on Thursday, July 18. by His Majesty’s gunboats, about 40 miles east by south of the Tyne, and, if so, whether he can expedite the settlement of these claims, which have been pending for six months.
1914
CELLARDYKE. Fire in Public School.
Shortly after noon on Friday the pupils and teacher of one of the classrooms were startled by a boy bursting into the room and yelling “The school’s ahaud.” Immediately the whole class jumped to their feet, but with commendable presence of mind the teacher quelled the excited children, and in good order first the girls and then the boys; were marched downstairs and out of the building. The other classes were also divulged in an orderly manner, and at the same time buckets of water were requisitioned and a beginning made to overcome the outbreak. Warning was also seat to Provost Black, the Chairman of the Board, and to Mr Barbour, who at the time, was engaged at the Technical School in Lady Walk. The Provost arrived in a few minutes bringing with him several ‘Minimax’ fire extinguishers. Fortunately these were not required as the outbreak was being stamped out by buckets of water. In a short time the fire was extinguished. The outbreak was caused by the overheating of a flue from the furnace, and had it occurred in the dinner interval, doubtless the damage would have been considerable. The loss, of course, is covered by insurance.