The morning call., 1890-12-28
The Knit Woolen From the Hands of
Shetland Women fabrics Of
Wondrous Delicacy of Texture.
A Large Shawl Weighing But
Two and One Half Ounces
ing Mad When Shoal of Pilch-
ers Is Sighted.

ing. The mineral wealth OF the islands has
so lar been of little importance. At Sand
lodge. opposite Mousa Island and its famous
Fetish tower, there is an abandoned copper
nine with idle and rustng machinery. Over
against grim Fitful Head found another
e. abandoned mine, where, in search for cop
per, thousands of tons of iron pyrites had
= been thrown into the sea- Chromate quar-
! rles at Baltasound, in the North Isles, have
remained untouched for years: while in
: Bressay Island are slate quarries, but the
states are too heavy for modern houses, and
the thicker strata are utilized for paving
stones, Lerwick being paved with Bressay
flags"
The manufacture of kelp was formerly
carried on extensively, and still is means
Of sub sistence by many. This kelp gather
ing and burning, which is still source of
livelihood on the Arran Islands, Ireland, on
the west coast of Scotland at Three, in the
Argyleshire Hebrides, ana in many places
on the Shetland coasts. is dangerous and
destructive of health. Though the word
kelp" is often applied TO seaweed. it is
really the product Of the. burning Of sea-
weed, from which the alkali soda once SO
= largely used in the manufacture of glass
: and soap was obtained, and from which
Iodine Is still secured. he seaweeds are
called by natives "tangles.' They are de-
tached from the sides Of rocks. and fire.
que ntly great storms sweep fortunate plies
OF the eiammy stuff in upon the lodges of
the glos. They are gathered, stacked,
-. THATCHED AND DRIED
. For several weeks, and in the autumn are
burned in rude open pits OF ovens along the
shore, the ashes fusing into solid substance
: OF the density of freestone, which is broken
= up before being sent TO the market. Kelp-
gathering furnishes many picturesque scenes
along the desolate shores, as women and
=. children are largely employed.
The hosiery and other knit woolens which
!, come from the hands of Shetland women are
famous. They are as ceaseless knitters as
those OF CODnemara and Donegal, in Ire
>. land, and produce fabrics of wondrous
=. deiicacy of texture. The preparation of the
yarn has much to do with the lightness and
sofiness of theirwork. Fleeees are never
& shorn- The cruel practice of ''rueing," or
removing the wool from sheep by pulling it
out by the roots in handfuls, is still preva-
lent. The finest wool is thus procured
and the average weight OF the most prized
Ileeces Is but two pounds. The knltwOrk of
these nimble-frgered women formerly con-
sisted only of coarse wooden Stuffs, and fine
Shetland shawls dd not become common
until about 1910. The finest collection of
presented to the Princess OF Wales ON her
marriage in 1868. This season a large shawl
was sold. at Lerwlek for SIS, 1t only
weighed rs ounces, and another, which sold
for SIS, weighed but "a ounces. Some of
the de signs are marvelously beautiful
The Peterhead and other whaling-ships
formerly completed their crews at Lerwick,
and these times were always periods of great
activity. OF late years Shetland's interest
:. in whaling has been principally confined in
driving the monsters ashore. This exciting
work Is often tremendously profitable. LIZ
1915 shoal of 1910 Gazing" whales were
:. driven ashore in Qlfpndae Bay, the south
::'eFEniost bay of shetland, lying between
:. Sumburgh and Fitful Heads, and in June Of
tile present year
A sHoAL
:, OF several hundred was successfully landed
on the east coast. Until quite recently these
p siIofe-wiialers were lily requited for their
captures. The financially omniyorous land
lord, called the laird" here. true TO his oc-7
:; topus instincts, claimed the right, up to
:. 1889, to tax the poor ShetlanderS oue-half of
3 the entire proceeds of all whales driven into
:, shoal-wate opposite or upon the shores of
:: their domains-"a 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 to
NE. As. the value of blubber will
: thus secured from 5000 to 5000
:: as his fright in single catch. From 1889
:. to 1888 the -'lairds' were considerate enough
to rob the whalers of but one-third. In.
September Of that year the claim was re-
= sisted in the courts; the whaiers won their
:: cause and the ''laiIds" have since been
compelled to content themselves with the
:Ineager enjoyment of witnessing, rather
. than proGting by, the hazardous work.
=. Wien Il drove of ealing" whales appear
an the coast, the news spreads like oil-drops
A..lnl rbie. As the vi hole town of ST. Ives,
:: Corn wall, goes mad when shoal of pitchers
IS sighted, 50 does every live Shetlander de-
.. 'sert every other vocation, even to a we'd
ding. 10 join in the drive" A rush is made
by Ihe men for the boats, while women and
children wildly collect guns, ammunition,
liarpopns, scythes, lances. knives and even
bags Of: stone; indeed anything portable
which may assist in The boped-for destruc-
ton, The whalers make all haste and
. 81 lenujd cunning in getting between the
whales and the open sea- Their heet OF all
fnapner of craft hen gradually closes In
upon the ''pack" or drove" directing by
=: the splendid maneuyers of the different boats
the course of the whales to a shallow bay.
: So expert are these
81; l. SHETLAND wHALERs
. In driving that shoal of whales is
seldom lost, if time is given for forming the
=dflye" well outside the drove. Ii the
whales once enter the chosen bay, their pur-
&c suers come to close quarters, and then the
: conflict begins. Finding the water becom-
nag shallow the terrified whales endeayor to
make for the open sea. but are met at every
point by a perfect wall Of boats, altogether
filled with hundreds and sometimes thou
sands of men seemingly desperate in their
efforts at capture; and the howlIng, shout
ing. screaming, lsshing OF the water. dis
Charge of firearms, Stone-throwiDg. and
rushing to and fro of the equally desperate
whales form as exciting scene as one eyer
witnessed soutside genuine field of battle.
Occa sionally a few break through the line
= and escape. As a rule the schools doomed.
Once. driven into shoal water where they
. cari only founder in mighty struggles, or
bII1gh and dry on land, Where they often toss
themselves in their mad efforts to escape,
their butchery which is always savage
and .sickening sight. proceeds with wonder
ful:dfspatch. In this bloody work the hardy
and powerful Shetland women take glee-
full and almost frenzied part:
The chief Industry OF the Shetlanders
= n,tIst always be that of fishing. Cod ling
and herring are taken. The boats formerly
used were " sixerns," or ancient six-oared
boats, of about twenty feet keel and 'f1dle-
shaped 4" at bow and stern; but the great
:: :, Haaf " or deep-sea fishing with long lines.
: In which ten boats went down and fifty
eight fishermen persisted, paved the way for
tie adoption OF the large decked boats, de-
:scrlbed ina recent article OF this series on
tke Herring Fisheries of Scotland" Cod
and ling fishing IS extensively prosecuted,
d: many OF the Shetland smacks going as far
as the Farce Islands and TO Iceland. The
nuluber Of these two varieties OF fish taken
BY
SHETLAND VESSELS
In 1888 was 1,556, 446. representing weight
of 5.576. 600. pounds when cured and dried,
more THAN one-third Of this class Of fishing
for .alf Scotland for the same year. In gem
:eral, however, Shetland annually produces
fully one-haf Of the total catch for Scot
land;
character and environment from the Scot
fish Highland. crofter of the north and west
SLOPES Of the Scottish mainland. lie Is
J861:fearing, rugged, hardy, honest, simple
fellow, with scarcely other than the TWO