The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-03-14
VAKRMAN'S TRAVELS.
Copyright, 1911
BY EDGAR L. wAKRMAN.
Old Yarmouth-II.

II.
Old Yarmouth-II.
Special Correspondence Of ne EnteltGeteT.
YARMOUTH, ENGLAND, Feb. 10, 1891
Pilgriming in many lands, l have been
much among their waterside folk-with
the fishermen OF Algiers, who are a con.
glomelate race Of Greeks, Italians, Span.
iarda aud Arabs; with the fiahermen oil
Sicily; gloomy and volceless as Gypsy
dogs; with those Of Barcelona, the giants
OF the south OF Spain; with Biscayau,
Breton and Cornish fishermen, supersti-
tious and sodden above all others; with
the brave, kind men OF ClGddRgh, at Gal
way, and those along the wondrous Kerry
coast, with the lazy fishermen OF the
dreamy Azores, who, transferred TO our
own coasts, prove the most valuable re.
cruits to our eastshOre fishing fleets
with the Cap.and.tasseled pescadores OF
Cuba, brigands all In looks and ways;
with the squatty Eskimos oil the Labra:
dor coast, satisfied with any fruitage OF
the deep which will barely austain lie;
with the Crofler.fsher OF the north.
Scottish and Shetland coasts; and with
our own brave Gloucester men who risk
their lives upon the Grand Banks, and
the 'Quoddy fishermen whose chief
quarry is the herring, all along the grand
Maine coast to the tnlst'wreathed Crags
OF wild Manan; and I have been con-
tinually impressed with the almost indie
Enable and wholly indescribable sadness
that seems TO brood over and among all
this class Of people.
1t ia in their cablns and homely
social life. It is in their voices and
looks. In repose, it sets on their faces
pitiiully. Roussd into some great activ.
ity, in storm, in taking fish, or in saving
lives, they have grand, earnest faces,
these fishermen. But in the quiet hours,
there is something hunted, wearied,
worried, dreadiug and dreadful, to be
read in the lines OF their faces, in the
tremulousness OF their voices, and in
the light which shines from their eyes,
that all their brave and hearty ways
cannot hide or disguise. 1t is as II the
sea, from which they live, has Whispered
in secret to each consciousness some
savage threat OF Teprisal; as II over
every little comfort, home joy, or well.
earned content, hung the spectre hand
OF fate, coming closer to the inner vision
every time the fsherman's heart grows
glad. In whatever degree this is uni.
versal, it seems to me TO be more marked
among the fishermen Of Yarmouth than
have ever found it elsewhere revealed.
believe Dickens saw and felt this here
at this old tishiDg.port, when he created
out OF his great and tender heart the
pathetic characters Of the Peggottys;
simple, tender, true; scorning base.
ness; resolute in all manly attributes /;
majestic in suffering and forgiveness ;
and through and above all, the pathetic
thread of sadness, quivering like an end
less plant in q melodious though mourn.
ful song.
1t is surely here among all these thou.
sands OF Yarmouth fishermen, wives and
BARNS. The upward, far look in their
eyes, has come as heritage OF centu-
ries Of dolor and loss. The set, stern
shutting OF the jaws and lips tells better
than history can OF the endless fisher.
fight against the elements and poverty.
For that matter, all old Yarmouth folk
have that resolute, half.dehant expires
sion that tells as plainly as look can
"This is Yarmouth as you see 1t, because
we have battled with the sea thousand
yenrsI"
And 80 they have. A desperate and
unceasipg struggle against the elements
was necessary on the part OF Yarmouth
folk, past and present, to retain Their
very existence, as well as their trade in
behring's. The history Of the Dutch in
their battles for the preservation Of theil
dykes against the gnawing Of the sea,
cannot surpass the record OF Yarmouth
folk in their struggles to preserve theil
port. For hundreds Of years 1t was the
overcoming victim OF destructive
tempesis and shifting sands. Seven
different harbors were excaVated be-
tween the middle OF the 14th century
and the time OF Elizabeth. While the
storms and the sands were destroying
one harbor after another, war, REBEL
ion, pestilence and famine aasaileC
the brave Yarmouth folk ashore. II
the old books one can read how they
sold their church. plate, bella and vest
men:s for funds to preserve the harhnr
Again you can find where every inhabi
tant, save the shipwrights at VOL k OF
herring.0oats, were compelled to labol
three DAYS OF every week, on Sunday
Monday and Tuesday, at the excava
tiops. They worked first and worshippet
afterwards, in East Anglia, in thos'
rigorous old days. At another time
when the danger was most imminent
the precious store OF the towns qua
powder was sold for means with which
10 save the port. And again, when tn
sea had almost buried the Whurves au'
town in sand, the entire inhabitants
divided into four bands, labored da,
and night for months, aud yarmouth
was saved. The seventh harbor done, /
has since Stood the greatest monumen
to human pluck and tnvincibility tina
can be found in all Britain to-day.
One cannot help having an admire
ton and affection for men made out Q
this sort Of stuff; and 10 knoR them il
their humble homes, in their haunt
} and resorts OF the quaint old town, an
in their dangerous toll Of gathering. tn
haryests OF The deep, Is to posses lon
remembered pleasure and delight. Fhei
methods OF fishing vary little at th
present from those in vogue during tn
past hundreds OF years, save that bhe III
lie open boats formerly in use have bee
supplanted by fine deCked smaCks; as /
true with the fishermen OF the entir
British coasts, barring those Of the WEI
and porthg vest Irish islands, where th
ancient curragh, or yklp-kcelsd canoe,
still in use, Though Longtime Pnd deer
J sea Hshing Is prosecuted by man
) the year round, and, during :, tn
winter months uuder the most pertlou
circumstances known to any 6sherma
, on the globe, the paramount interest
: Yarmouth, from the fisherman's stan
point, is centered in the herring hshel
: les Of this coast. These made yarmouth
Thov anstajnad tho CITY and the citizen