1871
An Interesting Meeting.—A public meeting of the boatskippers of Cellardyke was held in the end of last week, to consider a representation from two brothers Largo, for aid to repair their boat, which had been wrecked in that harbour during the late storm. It was stated to the meeting that the brothers had bought the boat only a week or two ago in Cellardyke for £36, but that before she had brought in return of a penny this accident had occurred, which would entail an outlay of about £30 to make her again seaworthy—and as this sum, added to the large purchase price, was simply beyond the means of the unfortunate owners, it was hoped that under the circumstances the fishermen of Cellardyke would with their characteristic kindness give some tangible token of their sympathy and goodwill. The meeting, after hearing a full statement of the case, did not consider it of such a nature as to invite relief—it was not like the cry of the widows and the fatherless—the plea of old age and want, or peradventure of some luckless brother overtaken distress or infirmity and cast all unbefriended and in danger of total “shipwreck on life’s stormy sea.” It was no doubt cruel disappointment to the two young men concerned, but still with youth and strength on their side, the meeting hoped that, grappling their present difficulty with true Scottish spirit, they would soon be floating again on the full sea of prosperity. The meeting consequently resolved unanimously not to give the representation any countenance.
1872
SHIPWRECK ON THE ISLE OF MAY. Another of those severe tempests, which will so long darken the memory of the spring of the present year, occurred on Wednesday night, when a gale, seldom equalled from the same direction raged without intermission from the northward, though sheltered by the situation of the coast. Our shore has happily in a great measure escaped the fury of the storm. The Isle of May, however, has been the scene of a shipwrecking disaster; but though the vessel is total wreck, we are glad to state that the crew have all been saved. The unfortunate ship is the three-masted schooner ‘Matagorda,” of Aberdeen, which sailed from Burntisland with a cargo of coal for Dantzic. Sheltered by the north shore, the schooner had a pleasant voyage along the Fife coast; but as soon as the friendly land was cleared, at the mouth of the Forth, the storm was encountered in all its fury. But confident of the weatherly qualities of their gallant craft, which, even with her heavy coal lading, bore herself like a sea gull in the storm, the crew bravely struggled on their course, but while endeavouring to tack to windward of the Isle of May, the Matagorda was struck by a heavy sea when coming to the wind, the act of staying, and being equally unfortunate in their attempt to wear, she was driven ashore on the north-east side of the island. Providentially, the disaster occurred 9.30, or about half flood, and to this circumstance the crew are largely indebted for their escape, for had the schooner struck at low water, or on a less shelving part of the shore, the poor sailors must have shared the fate of many a gallant crew, at spot peculiarly fatal in the old annals of shipwreck. The vessel was seen lying a dismasted wreck on the storm swept island in the grey light of Thursday morning from the Fife shore, when, with the view or gathering information about the ship, and also in the hope of succouring the unfortunate crew, a Cellardyke fishing-boat, with the veteran pilot Mr Thomas Cunningham, Skipper Alex. Watson (Lyall), and other gallant men on board, hoisted sail from Anstruther harbour, and returned with particulars of the wreck about noon, leaving the crew busy in trying to save the material of the vessel. The Matagorda was under the command of Captain Allan, and had six of a crew. She belonged to Messrs George Milne & Co., Aberdeen, and was built in 1537, being 153 tons register.
1873
NEW METHOD OF HERRING FISHING. The Fishermen of Cellardyke have introduced a new system of fishing herrings in the Scottish seas, which may be expected to mark a new era in the development of this great branch of national industry. The system in itself cannot said to be new, as it has been practised for many years on the Norfolk coast, where instead of sinking the net some three or four fathoms in the northern waters, it is floated close to the surface so as to prevent the possibility of any of the fish from escaping over the head rope. This was tried by one of our Cellardyke crews simply by way of experiment last week, and succeeded so well that in one instance at least about a barrel of herrings were caught in a single net while the rest of the drift, numbering some eighteen, floated in the ordinary way were almost without a scale. We ought, perhaps to have stated before that the herrings caught on the deep sea banks at this season, or in Summer are what are called in a feeding state, and so are totally different at the spawning time, when they seem to rush blindfold on destruction, or against whatsoever comes in their way. On the contrary at this season they instantly dart from any appearance of danger, or as worthy Skipper Pratt graphically described them the other day, “They’ve een like candle an flee like lichtnin’ through the water” and thus our hardy crews often see a fine appearance of fish, and are yet tantalized to find that not a single herring has been taken in the nets. Observers have long been baffled to explain the habits of the herring; but under particular circumstances they sport upon the surface, and are caught both in both in daylight and in the dark, as the crew of the Cellardyke boat “Janet and Margaret”,” Skipper Watson, cast their nets one day about noon amongst a shoal of herrings, and by throwing stones amongst the fish succeeded in driving about two barrels into the nets buoyed at the surface, while some crews fishing alongside, in the usual manner, did a not draw a single herring. Encouraged by these results all the crews fitted one or more of their nets as at Lowestoft; and last Saturday saw Cellardyke busy from one end to the other with the necessary preparations, but it goes to show the precarious nature of the fisherman’s calling, that while some crews were this week so lucky to draw in the grand Sea lottery a prize of five and even eight crans by the new system, other crews were indebted for their success to the under floated drift, but this was the exception to the rule, and notwithstanding the risk from passing vessels, our fishermen are not likely to neglect a discovery which promises to open up an inexhaustible bait supply for the deep sea fishing. After supplying their lines, a number of the crews returned this week with a surplus of from one to seven from seven crans which were sold by auction and otherwise, from 4s to 9s a cran, but, apart from being so long on board the boats, these herrings are in such an immature condition that they were of little or no value for human food, though they are simply indispensable to the success of the cod and halibut fishing