, 1890-12-25
IN NORTHERN WATERS
rair Isle Lashed by Tenn
nests and Rough Seas.
GRWICk, SAETLAND'S CAPITAL
A Description of the Quaint Old
Town-Other Points Of
Interest.

Ia
crossing from the Orkneys to the
shetland Islands, n distance of per-
baps 100 miles from Kirkwall, the
capital of the latter, IL Is possible for
the traveller to encounter the fierc-
est ocean tides, and the roughest
waters known to any seas. The per-
ilous tideway Is called the Roost
/, Morse, rtcst, tideraoe) of Sumburgh,
and the waters sweep through 1t
4 with incredible velocity. One VINO
II has known the toughest passage
from Dover to Calais, across the
k\EnglIsh channel, will remember
that experience rs n gentle sail after
tumbling about in the Sumburgh
Roost, and particularly that point
nearest the southern headlands of
shetland, known rs the "west shot
of Sumburgh. 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
intercept passing vessels In their
curious, frail yawls, eager for news
papers, magazines and any scrap of
knowledge of the outside world.
Fair Isle was the Fridarey OF the
Orkneyinga Saga. 1t and one or
two Of the Orkney group still retain
the name eff Farce or Sheep Islands.
No spot in oil these northern seas
receives such lashings and beatings
from the Atlantic and its go souls
!, are never free from the shrieking of
sea.fowl or the howlings of the deep.
The island has no lighthouse, and
D has been the scene of many
"A TERRIBLE sHIPwRECK.
In 1858 El Gran Grfon, u war
ship of the great Spanish
Armada, commanded by Juan
Gomez de Medina, went TO
pieces In Sivars Clio, on its desc
ate shores. Eighty-six souls per
ished. Two hundred reached land,
many of whom died of starvation.
Others were thrown from the cliffs
10y the perturbed natives who be-
lievedi that the new crew of FL
Gran Grfon had been sent to de-
stroy them. Those escaping death
by sea, starvation and murder,
finally secured liberation and u sort
of friendship which had curious re-
suits. The Spanish sailors became,
until they were rescued from the
Island, dependents and slaves.
Seeking the good will of their
Faroese masters, the Spauiards
actually spun yarn, wovc at hand
looms and knit for the women.
That was nearly three and Il half
. centuries ago; but the very patterns
Yin stockings, gloves, capes and ier-
seys for which the Farce islands
are to-day famous, were then taught
them by the shipwrccked crew of
III Gran Grifon; they are iden-
tical with those worn by the pesca-
dores of Barcelona and Spanish
Southern ports; while IL IS even said
tnat Murillo, who gave the Louvre,
In Paris, its matchless Madonna,
painted similar patterns upon u
shawl In his study of the Flower
Girl, now seen in the Dulwich gal
lery, London.
If one can keep good sealegs under
him, the approach to Shetland is
INTERESTING AND EXCITING.
Your steamer bounds, lurches and
pounds through tremendous seas,
and u strange trembling of the
strongest vessel Il always felt rs the
unseen forces of tho tideway con-
tend for mastery. Straight before
/ you Is the southernmost Shetland
sea-nose, the grim precipice of sun
burgh Head, crowned by noble
NJ lighthouse, the first ever erected In
Shetland, built by Robert Steven
SON, the great Scottish engineer, in
ylS20. Around to the west, its base
white for n hundred feet high with
the spume of the sea, and it's high
est peak as white with drifting
mis,s, rises upward of 1000 feet,
wild Fitful Head, the legendary
home of Scott's Norma, the REIN
kenner, as dark, forbidding and
fearful spot as ever human eyes
looked upon. 10 the east, here and
there feathery lines of smoke on the
sea horizon tell of tho going
and coming of German ocean
tramp steamers or traders of the
Baltic fleet. Nearer, in the fore
ground, like sea-fowl resting upon
the water while summing their up.
lifted wings, the sails of countless
Dutch aud Scottish herring -busses.
Then Great Ness, Lambhoga Hea d
and the Wane of Skcwsburg are
swiftly passed. When alongside
Aleusa Island the weird Pictish
broch or tower of Mousa is seen, grey
old sentinel of the wraiths of ancient
Morse hosts, crowning the desolate
moorland landscape. In n half
hour more you are passing through
the noble southern entrance to
. Bressay sound, II western arm Of
which forms the capaclous harbor of
y Lerwick. There Is nc finer anchor
yage In the world. Many time, u
century or SO ago, 1000 Dutch her
ring-busses, with hundreds of other
curious Orcadean, Icelandic, Morse
and Baltic craft might have been
seen within the sound at one time.
Picturesque headlands reach out and
around from the north and south,
from the western or mainland crcs
cent shaped shore, while on the east
the splendid island Of Bressay, high
and grand In places, forms u circling
eastern sea wall to guard the sound
and harbor from the tenipests of tho
German ocean.
BRESsAY SOUND