1862

Serious Accident.—On Monday, young woman belonging to Cellardyke, while crossing the street, was knocked over by a cart, laden with nets, which was passing at the time. The shaft of the cart struck the young woman in the breast, and before the cart could be stopped, one of the wheels had passed over her shoulder and legs. After medical aid had been procured, it was found that the injuries she had received, were not of so serious a nature as was at first suspected—one of her legs being broke, but not otherwise seriously injured. She is now in a fair way to recovery.

Early on Friday morning last, as the crew of one of the Cellardyke fishing-boats were in the act of drawing their nets at the fishing-ground, one of them observed the mast to be failing down. He at once gave the alarm, and his companions that could averted from the stroke, one, named Watson, seated in the stern, being unable to remove in time. It consequently fell upon him, crushing him severely. He was immediately brought into harbour, and conveyed to his home at Cellardyke. Dr Macarthur was forthwith in attendance, who pronounced him to have received some severe internal injuries. He at present lies in a very precarious state. The accident was caused by the pin or wedge of the hasp which keeps the mast in its position having come out by the rolling of the boat.

1864

A few days since, one pound bank note was circulation here, which had the following quaint couplet written its back :- You came me time of need, But off you went with railway speed.”

Cupar – The fortnightly Debt Court was held here Thursday—Sheriff Taylor presiding. There were only about a dozen cases on the roll, none of which possessed any points of interest or importance. The only case worth noticing was that of Hatch v. Skinner, which the pursuer sued the defender, who is a grocer in Cellardyke, for £8 15s, being the price a quantity of soap which, it was alleged, had been bought by the defender. The defence was that the soap was not according sample, and such that the defender could not sell—some of his customers returning it to him, after having purchased it.  A correspondence had taken place between the pursuer and the defender, from which it appeared, that the defender had threatened to send it back to the pursuer, and in reply the pursuer stated that, in order to settle the dispute, he would take back the soap if was put free on board the steamer for Leith. The soap had accordingly been returned to the defender, who at same time sent a post-office order the pursuer for 12s 5d, being the value of what he had used. The pursuer’s agent contended that ‘free on board the steamer” meant that the goods were to be sent on  to pursuer carriage paid, but the Sheriff considered the plain meaning of the words was simply that the goods were to be put on board free of all expense and that then pursuer was responsible. He did not think they could mean that the carriage through to the pursuer was to be paid by the defender. The Sheriff seemed prepared to give judgment in favour of the defender, but on the motion of the pursuer’s agent, who undertook to pay the defender expenses to Cupar, the case was remitted to the Small Debt Court at Colinsburgh. Mr C. Welch, writer, Cupar, as agent in this case for the pursuer, and Mr T Davidson for the defender.

The Herring Fishing.—Although have now entered on what, former years, has generally proved the most productive part of the season, little or no improvement has yet taken place, either to the results or prospects of the fishing on the Fife coast. On Tuesday and Friday last week several crews had cheering measure of success, but this was very far from being general. Since then, although the weather has continued favourable, little or nothing has been done—the highest takes only amounting to one or two crans. At the present date (Tuesday) the total quantity landed here and Cellardyke may be stated at about 2000 crans, which, although somewhat of increase as compared with last year, is still considerably under an average fishing. Owing to the limited supply the demand has again become more active —prices, in consequence, having again advanced to 35s and 37s per cran.

1865

Meeting of Fishermen.

On Friday evening last, a meeting of the fishermen of Cellardyke was convened by the town crier, and held in the Female School there. Nearly all the fishermen attended, and Mr Alexander Tarvit was elected to the chair, on taking which he stated that the meeting had been called to consider the advisability of having a suitable boat or coble stationed at Anstruther harbour to be ready for use in the event of any emergency. All present appeared to concur in the desirableness of the project, and it was all but unanimously agreed that the sum of 2s should be weekly contributed by each boat now prosecuting the herring fishing, the sum being continued for three weeks, when a total sum of about £18 would be collected — the estimate expense of the boat.

A committee was appointed to meet with the Commissioners of the Union and Harbour as to the obtaining of a proper place to deposit the boat when not required, and also to solicit them to use their best exertions to have a Manby Apparatus Station at Anstruther – a suggestion which, by the way, we earnestly urged a few weeks ago. In the course of the proceedings, the present by no means unreasonable dissatisfaction of the fishermen, was manifested at the ruinous state of the Anstruther Harbour works. The business then terminated with a vote of thanks to the Chairman. We cannot conclude this notice without expressing our sincere admiration of the praiseworthy spirit of self-help which on this, as indeed on all other occasions, so eminently distinguishes our fishermen; and we earnestly hope that their exemplary conduct will be appreciated as it ought to be by the Union and Harbour Commissioners, and that every encouragement and support will be afforded for the successful carrying out of these most desirable schemes.

1866

Anstruther Presentation. —On Monday evening, a number of the friends of Mr Allan Johnston met and presented him, on the occasion of his leaving the service the East of Fife Railway Co. as goods porter here, with elegant silver guard and a purse of money, which had been subscribed for the fishcurers and merchants of Anstruther and Cellardyke mark of their appreciation and regard for his uniform attention and civility. Mr Brown, coal merchant, presented the gifts in a few sensible remarks, which Mr Johnston suitably acknowledged.

Assault and Breach of the Peace. —A Burgh Court was held here on Saturday-Provost Todd and Bailie Brown on the bench—when the following cases were disposed:- of James Walker, fisherman, Cellardyke, was charged with having committed a breach of the peace, by quarrelling and fighting with Robert Gardener, another Cellardyke fisherman, in Shore Street, on the 25th December last; and also with having committed an assault on the said Robert Gardener, in the Eastgreen, on the same evening. The panel pleaded guilty the breach of the peace, but not the assault, when five witnesses were called and examined for the prosecution, and two for the defence. After hearing the evidence, the bench found the charge clearly proven, and sentenced Walker to a fine of 21s or twenty one days’ imprisonment in Cupar Jail. The before-mentioned Robert Gardener was then charged with having committed a breach of the peace at the same time and place, and having pleaded guilty as indicted, he was sentenced to a fine of 10s 6d, or ten days’ imprisonment in Cupar Jail. Both fines were paid.

Sad News. —The distressing intelligence has this week been received of the death, at Shanghai, of dysentery, on the 9th August, of fine young man, belonging to this place, of the name of Alex. Smith, son of Captain Wm. Smith, of Cellardyke. The unfortunate young man was a seaman on board the ship Neville, of Liverpool, which was then lying in port. The deceased was of quiet, kindly disposition and bore an excellent character; and the intelligence of his death has been received here with sincere sorrow and regret.

1868

The Great Ocean Race of 1868.

The homeward race of the magnificent China clippers will this year be as intensely and widely interesting as on any previous occasion. Indeed, we would almost warranted in anticipating that it will far exceed anything that has gone before it, as several splendid additions have been made to this already world-renowned fleet, which has given a prestige to the British mercantile navy, that leaves foreign competition out of the question. Already the national mind may be said to have been startled by the news from the Far East with regard to the performances of two of the ships which are doubtless to hold leading place in the coming contest. The clippers to which we allude, are the Lahloo, owned by Alexander Roger, Esq., of Glasgow, and commanded by Capt. John Smith, of Anstruther, and the Spindrift, the property of James Findlay, Esq.. Kilbirnie, the owner the celebrated Taeping, Serica, and Taitsing. Both ships may be fitly described as perfect specimens their class, having been specially built, as rivals for the China tea trade, in the Clyde last summer. They went round in August to load for Shaughae, but the Spindrift was enabled to leave port three days before her rival. “A stern chase is a long chase,” according to the-old saying, but notwithstanding this immense disadvantage in beginning the race, Captain Smith skilfully trimmed the sails of his gallant craft the wayward breeze,  and so ably piloted his course over the trackless deep, that the Lahloo reached her destination as soon as the Spindrift – the goal, we have said, being Shanghae, where they will both load the first teas of the season, and then start on the homeward passage for London. It will thus be seen that the Lahloo beat the Spindrift by three days, which is a feat certainly to be boasted of, the latter ship was built on entirely new principles, which led her owner confidently to anticipate that she would beat I everything afloat; but in the first instance, as we have shown, she has more than found her match in the Lahloo. From the fact that both the owner and the commander of the last mentioned ship are connected with the East of Fife—Alexander Rodger, Esq., being native of Cellardyke, and Captain Smith native of Anstruther—gives not only general but almost an individual interest to the homeward passage of the clippers.

1869

Accident.—On Wednesday, as Mr James Rodger, blacksmith, Cellardyke, and a party of men were lifting a large crab-winch from a” boggie” which had just brought it to his smithy door, the machine, from there not being strength enough at hand, fell over upon Mr Rodger, crushing him to the wall in most alarming manner. An instant effort was made for his release, when it was found that his left leg had been broken and the right one severely bruised, but are glad to learn that through the surgical skill of Dr Macarthur Mr Rodger is in a fair way recovery.

Tombstone.- A curious old gravestone has just turned in the churchyard of Kilrenny, where it has lain for many years, hidden beneath an accumulated mass of earth and herbage. Notwithstanding the neglect and rough usage with which the stone has been treated, both the sculpture and the inscription upon it are still in good preservation. On the upper part of the monument, a stately frigate, with courses and topsails set, and colours flying at mizzen-mast head, is seen running before the wind, while the waves are circling all around her. The prow and poop of the ancient ship rise high out of the sea, like some Dutch galliot of the present day, but the figure which has been doubtless designed as a symbol of a useful and prosperous life has been cut with considerable care and fidelity. Beneath this is the inscription, which runs as follows:— “Here lyes the corps of ane honest and vertuous man, James Brown, spouse to Agnis Foord, sometime a Bailie in Kilrenny; departed this life on December 22, 1673, and of his age 62.” On the lower part of the table those stern emblems of mortality, the skull and cross-bones, have been chiselled with great precision ; but have stated, neither the character of the worthy magistrate it commemorates, nor the quaintness of its device, has preserved the tombstone from contumely and insult. Originally the gravestone stood on four pillars, near Cardinal Beaton’s tomb, where it now lies on the grass, but many years ago it was put over the grave of an old inhabitant of Cellardyke, where it had continued to be until the grave was reopened the other day for one of her family. A tradition exists amongst some of the old inhabitants of Cellardyke that this stone records the wreck of a large three masted vessel amongst the rocks the east end of Cellardyke, when several of the sailors were drowned; but there is nothing about the monument itself to confirm or countenance such a legend. In Kilrenny churchyard there are many interesting monuments of antiquity, such as the curious relic we have just adverted to and the remarkable epitaph on Mr Beats’ tomb, given over to neglect, or fast mouldering to decay; but we trust that when the burying ground comes to be enlarged and improved—as there is now early prospect—some steps will be taken for their better preservation.