Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-28

sisted only OF coarse wooden stuffs, and
fine Shetland shawls did not become COM
mon until about 1910. The finest collec-
ton of knit goods ever produced in the
islands was presented to the Princess of
Wales on her marriage In 1868. This
season large shawl was sold at Lerwick
for So. 1t only weighed two and Ave
eighths ounces; and another which sold
for S45, weighed but two and one half
ounces. Some of the designs are mar
yelously beautiful.
The Peterhead and other whaling ships
formerly completed their crews at Ler-
wick, and these times were always
periods of great activity. OF late years
Shetland 8 interest in whaling has been
principally confined TO driving the mon
sters ashore. This exciting work is often
tremendously profitable. 10 1875 a shoal
of 1910 tca 'ing'' whales were driven
ashore in Queudale bay, the souther-
most bay of Shetland, lying between
Sumburgh and Fitful hea Is; and in June
of the present year s. oal of several
hundred was successfully landed on the
east coast. Until quite recently these
shore whalers were lily requited for their
captures. The financially omniverous
landlord, called the "lsird' here, true
20 us octopus IllsllHctS tue III
up to 1889 to tax the poor Shetlanders
one-haIf of the entire proceeds OF all
whales driven into shGal water opposite,
or upon the shores of their domains; ga
sort OF riparian right on the Almighty
for what was sent to save man from
starvation on account of rents and other
burdens imposed by the laird him.
self,'' an old Shetlander explained
IN nf
Der will average $50 per ton, the "laird'
often thus secured from $1,000 to So 600 a.
his right in single catch. From
1889 to 1883 the ''lairds were consider
ate enough 10 rob the whalers of but
one-thrd. In September of that year
the claim was resisted in the courts; the
whalers won their cause, and the
"lairds' have since been compelled to
content themselves with the meager en-
joyment of witnessing rather than profit
ing by the hazardous work.
When drove of :ca 'ing'' whales ap-
pear on the coast, the news spreads like
oil drops on marble. AS the whole town
of St. Ives, Cornwall, goes mad when a
shoal OF pitchers is sighted, SO does every
live Shetlandsr desert every other voca-
ton, even to q wedding, to join in the
'drive. - A rush is made by the men for
the boats, while women and children
wildly collect guns, ammunition, har-
poous, scythes, lances, knives aud even
bags of stone, indeed anything portable
which may assist in the hoped-for des-
truction. The whalers make all haste
and splendid cunning in getting between
the whales and the open sea. Their feet
of all manner of craft then gradually
closes in upon the ''pack' or ''drove, -
directing by the splendid maneuvers of
the different boats the course of the
whales TO a shallow bay. So expert are
these Shetland whalers in driving that a
shoai of whales is seldom lost, If time ia
given for forming the "drive' well out
side the "drove.' If the whales once
enter the chosen bay, their pursuers
come TO close quarters, and then the
con fiIct begins. Finding the water be-
coming shallow the terrified whales en-
deavor TO make for the open sea, but are
met at every point by perfect wall of
boats, altogether filled with hundreds,
and sometimes thousands, of men SEEM
insly desperate in their efforts of cap.
ture; and the howiing, shouting ,snream-
ing. lsShing of the water, discharge of
fire ,ston e-throwing, and rushing
to ard fro of the equally desperate
whales, form as exciting a scene as one
ever witnessed outside q genuine field of