Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-21
A BIT OF BAD WATER.
The Worst Soil TO be Had is Over to
the Shetland Islands.
RESULT CT SPANISH SHIPWRECK.
How Gallant Paul Jones Was Frightened
by Red Petticoats.
A WHOLE ISLAND OWNED BY AW0MAN.
rcoRREsroNDtNcE OF THE DISPATCH

crossing from the OrkneyS TO the shetland
Islands, distance of perhaps 100 miles
from Kirkwall, the capital of the former, to
Lerwick, the capital of the latter, it is pos
sible for the traveller to encounter the
fercest ocean tides, and the toughest waters,
known 10 any seas. The perilous tideway is
called the Roost Morse, rsest, tide-race) of
Sumburg, and the waters sweep through it
with incredible velocity. One who has
known the roughest passage from Dover to
Calais, across the English Channel, will re-
member that experience as gentle sail
after tumbling about in the Sumburg
Boost, and particularly that portion nearest
the Southern headlands of Shetland, known
as the "west shot" of Sumburg.
Your steamer in the passage sails almost
within hailing distance OF lone Fair Isle,
standing midway between the Orkneys and
Shetland, and its natives invariably inter-
cept passing vessels in their curious, frail
yawls, eager for newspapers, magazines and
any scrap OF knowledge of the outside world.
Fair Isle was the Fridarey Of the Orkney
inga Saga. 1t and one or two Of the Orkney
group still retain the name of the Farce or
Sheep Islands. No spot in all these north
ern seas receives such lashings and Deatings
from the Atlantic, and its 250 souls are
never free from the shrieking OF sea fowl or
the howlings of the deep. The island has
no Lighthouse, and has been the scene Of
many terrible shipwreck.
TAUGHT BY PRISONERS.
In 1888 Ell Gran Grifon, . warship of the
great Spanish Armada, commanded by Juan
Gomez de Medina, went to pieces in Sivars
Clio, on its desolate shores. Eighty-six souls
perished. Two hundred reached land, many
of whom died of starvation. Others were
thrown from the cliffs by the perturbed ma
tives, who believed that the crew of Ell
Gran Grifon had been sent to destroy them.
Those escaping death by sea, starvation and
murder finally secured liberation and sort
of friendship which had curious results. The
Spanish sailors became, until they were res
cued from the island, dependents and slaves.
Seeking the good will of their Faroses mas
ters, the Spaniards actually spun yarn. wove
at hand looms and knit for the women.
That was nearly three and a half
centuries ago; but the very patterns in
stockings, gloves, capes and jerseys for
which the Farce Islands are to-day famous,
were then taught them by the shipwrecked
crew of Ell Gran Griton; they are identi-
cal with those now worn by the pescadores
of Barcelona and Spanish southern ports;
while it is even said that MuriIlo, who gave
the Louvre, in Paris, its matchless Ma
donna, painted similar patterns upon a
shawl in his study of the Flower Girl, now
seen in the Dulwich Gallery, London.
If one can keep good sea-legs under him,
the approach to Shetland is interesting and
exciting. Your steamer bounds, lurches
and pounds through tremendous seas, and
strange trembling OF the strongest vessel
is always felt as the unseen forces OF the
tideway contend for the mastery.
ADVENTURES OF PAUL JONES.
Straight before you is the southernmost
Shetland sea-nose, the grim precipice OF
Sumburg Head, crowned by a noble light
house, the first ever erected in Shetland,
built by Robert Stevenson. the great Scot.
tish engineer, in 1920. Around to the west,
its base white for 100 feet high with the
spume of the sea, and its highest peak as
white with drifting mists, rises upward OF
/, 900 feet, wild Fittul Head, the Legendary
home of Scott's Norma, the Reimkenner,
as dark, forbidding and fearful spot as
ever human eyes looked upon. To the
east, here and there featnery lines OF
smoke on the sea horizon tell OF the going
steamers or traders of the Baltic fleet.
resting upon the water while summing their
uplifted wings, the sails of countless Dutch
and Scottish herring-busses.
There is no finer anchorage in the world,
In Bressay Sound it was that King Hakon
came with his wonderful fleet of 200 gal
leys, when on his disastrous expedition,
terminating in the battle OF Largs. Our
own redoubtable Paul Jones once came
here to loot the capital of the Shetlands.
But he ran away again speedily. Hun
dreds of Shetland women climbed the Knab,
promontory near, to get a better view OF
the yankee Pirate" They all wore red
petticoats. The hero OF the Ranger and
Richard, believing them to be the red uni
forms of large garrison of King George
soldiers, did not stop to even ''kipper" and
eat a herring with the shetlanders, but
made away as fast as his ships sails could
carry him to the Solway Firth, where be
failed in an attempt to despoil Scotland OF
her good Earl of Selkirk, in Kirkcudbright-
shire.
ALL OWNED BY ONE LADY.
The area of Bressay Island is perhaps
II, 900 acres. 1t has population of ], 900
souls. ALL the acres ard people are the
able lady, Miss Cameron Monat, who lives
in high state and dudgeon, because Of the
modernization of Shetland and the incom-
ing Of tourists. at her quaint old mansion
house of "Gardie," which lifts its huge
chimneys and gables exactly opposite the
harbor and city of Lerwick.
Facing old Lerwick from . steamers
deck, or from Bressay Island opposite,
you would almost fancy your vessel had,
by some trick OF navigation, entered a
port of the Netherlands. If the level
land and dikes and weird old wind
mills OF Holland could be thrown in
behind Lerwick for q background,
the Dutch picture would be complete.
Architecturally, Lerwick is as odd a
town as you will find in all Europe. It is
built on the face OF brae, aud the morning
sun, when it gets around far enough north
to shine at all in this region, looks over
Bressay Island and peers squsrely into its
rough old face. tumble upon tumble it
straggles around to the southeast and the
northeast for good mile, in all manner of
curious groups and piles; just as though,
upon a time it had been leisurely built on
the edge OF the hill above, and then the hill
had gently shook itself and everything had
quietly slid down its side, and finally got
comfortably settled, fronts, rears and gables,
all inextricably yet satisfactorily askew.
One recalls Gray's description of Kendall:
"They (the houses) seem as though they had
been dancing country dance and were out.
They stood back to back, corner to corner,
some up hill, some down."
IT'S A TOWN ON EDGE.
But Lerwick is deliciously more 80. It
is uphill, downhill, and all around itself.
Yet there is some little method in it all.
For it is all along shore, and all upon, over,