The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-08-22
THE NEWHAYEN FISH
WIVES.
BY H. H.

Most piCtureeque of ell the figures
to be seen in EdInbutgh are the New.
haven fish wives. With short, TALL.
blue cloth petticoats. reaching
barely TO their ankles; white louses
and gay kerChiefE; big, long-sleeved !
clos Ks OF the same blue cloth, fast
ened At the throat, bat flying leoss,
eleeves and alI, az if thrown on 10 |
haste; the girls barebeaded; the mar
ried women with their caps, standing
up stif1 and straight in q point on the
top OF the head; two big wieker-woik
creels, one above the other, full OF
fish, packed securely, on their broad |
shoulders. and held in place by . |
stout leather strap passing pound the
forehesde, they pull along at q steady,
srriding gait, up hill and down,
carrying weights that it taxes 3 mems
strength merely to lift. In fact, 1t Is
a fshWiie's boast that che will run
with weight which 1t takes two
men to pull on her back. BY reason
OF IhiS great strength on the part of
the women, and their imnemorial
habit OF exercising it; perhep s also
from other causes far back in the
early days OF Jutland, where these
curious NeWhsven fshing folk sre
said to have originated, it has come
about that the Newhaven men are 8
sipgularly docile and submissive race.
The wives keep all the money which
they receive for the fish, and the
husbands take what ia given Them
a singular revision OF the situation in
most communities. Ibid not believe
this when it was told me, 30 | stopped
three fshwives one day, and, without
mincing matters, put the question
direct to them. Two of them were
young, one old. The young women
laughed saucily, and the old woman
smiled. but they all replied unhesi-
tatingly, that they had the spending
OF all the money.
"It't a. spent j. the hoos," said
one, anxious not to be thought tot
Gelgsh, -''it's a spent i the hoos
Il The men they cam home an tai
4 their sleep, an then they'll be Of
aRen."
ut 'ud never do for the husband
20 ssoop in tina city, an be spendin
j a. the money!" added tie old woman
with severe emphasis.
Whoever would see the NeWhaveI
! ffshwives at their best must be on tht
NeWhsven wharf dy z O'Clock in thu
: morning. on day when the traw
r lers come in and the fish is sold. ThC
o scene il study for painter.
4 The fish are in long, narrow boxes
] on the wharf. ranged a. the base o
i the sea wall; some sorted ont, il
:. piles, each kidd by itself: skates, witt
= their long tails. which look vicious
r as if they could kick, bake, witches
I, brill, cole, founders. huge catfish
/, crayhsh, and herrlnge by the ton
. The wall il crowded with men
. Edinburg 6shmongers, come TO bu!
= cheap On the spot. The wall is no
a over two feet wide, and here the.
/ stand, lean over, iostle, slip by tn,
= right and left OF each other, and rur
y up and down in their eager haste d
T catch the eye OF an auctioneer, or Il
= get first speech with another. Tn
8 wharf is crowded with women al
d army in blue, 200. 800, at time
Q white caps bobbipg, elbows thrusting
v shrlli voices crying. fiery blue eye
: shining, it is sight worth going +
7. Scotland for. If one has had 81
n affection for Christie JohnsGone, it j
\ delightful retnrn of his old admi
8 ration for her. A dozen faces Whicl
3 might be Ohristie's own are flashing
i up from the crowd; one understand
e On the inetsnt how that beat OF GOO
stories came to be written. a ma
p with eyes in his head and q pen il
q bis hand could not have done lesG
r Such fire. such honesty, such splen
g dor of vitality, kindle the women
faces. To spend q few days anon
them would be to see Christie John
stone dramstized on ell sides. Sep
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