The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-21
Architecturally, Lerwick is as odd

Alphabetically. Lerwick is as odd q
town as you will find in Europe. It is
built on the face of a brae. and the morn.
ing sun, when it gets around far enough
north to shine at all in this region, looks
over Bressay Island and peers squarely into
its rough old face. tumble upon tumble it
struggles around to the southeast and the
northeast for a 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 it's side, and finally
got comfortably settled, fronts, rears and
gables, oil inextricably yet satisfactorily
askew. Ono 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, cor:
ner to corner, some up hill, some down.
But Lerwiok is deliciously more 30. 1t is
up hill, down hill, and all around itself.
Yet there is some little method in it oil.
For it is all alongshore and all upon, over,
under and near, DELIGHTFULLY."- crooked and
shadowy thoroughtare following the vaRa-
rous sinuosities Of the shore. and a modern
street, or road, that at last was beaten along
the top of the hill, where the more preten-
tious, but altogether uninteresting. new
town lies. Connecting these two thorough
seven feet wide. at an angle Of thirty-fye
degrees. These with no end of still mar
rover wynds and closes give one longing
for game of 'hide-and-seek," and recall
few of the shadowy old ways at Mayence
on the Rhine and the weird. sunless, silent
than all else are the old houses. now
reaching to the waters edge and. in former
times, standing ont into and above the
water. The ancient burghers could not only
fish out of their back windows, but some
houses were go constructed that yawl load
,lrI Ofv,
be shot into convenient openings and the
latter MS instantly closed. Numbers of
buildings had secret apartments and you
may still, find structures, at some distance
! from the shore. to which spacious subter-
ranean passages lead from the bay. The
| knew how to fear God and thrive.
Two of the most interesting, through
| somewhat grewsome, objects OF interest In
| the little islands are the Pictish tower of
| Mousa, and Fitful Head, of both of which
you have caught glimpses from your steam,
| confirmation, extends north and south in a
| narrow strip Of land about seventy miles
long, and from three to five miles wide,
with an arm, perhaps twelve miles long, ex-
| tending westward from its center. some
thing in the form of greek cross. with its
Dor. are located where the eastern arm
would fit into the socket; and about mid
| way from lerwick to Sumbura Head the
| islands southern extremity on the eastern
coast, is the island of Mousa. A good
walker can journey from Lerwick to Fitful
Head. opposite Sumburgh Head, seeing the
tower of Mousa on the way, and return il
one day; thus inspecting the southern
nearly one-half of Shetland, and yet never
stand on q single spot where either the Ger,
man or A tlantio ocean is not visible.
The road to Mousa and Fitful Head ira
verses the township of Fladdabister. whers
| or little lords who own their lands in free
} hold and sulk and strut in poverty and il
pride of their pure Morse descent, now re-
manning in Shetland. A boat must be hireG
at Sandlodge. seat of the Shetland Bruces
| to cross the sound to the utterly dreary isl
and of Mousa. The broch or tower stand
at the southwest corner of the island, an,
is remarkable from an antiquarian stand
, point in being the largest and finest exam
. pie of the Pictish towers of defense now re
manning in Europe. They are very nu
Q merous IN northern Scotland and the Ork
p neys and Scotland. Anderson gives sixt
I ness, seventy in the Orkneys and seyenty-fv
: in Shetland. The Mousa tower has the ap
J, pearsnce of q gray, ragged and Giganti
9 dice box; is built of uncemented stone
: like the great Dun EnQus on the Irish Ara
Y ! Islands: is about l6O feet in circumference
o aud it is still fully 10 feet high. III
ID pals. which are about 10 feet thick. al
u | really double, or rather consist of two con
10 centric circles of stone Ave rect thick, wit
h an intervening space of equal width. TIL
4 space, chambered by making the floor {
\ one tier answer for the ceiling of the mel
one below. light and air being admitte