The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-03

was built in the sixteen years between
14l0 and 1926, on the site of an olden
structure, founded by st. Ivo, a Persian
bishop, who came over from Ireland in the
ninth century to preach the gospel to the
Cornish Britops.
Some stone carvings and most peauti-
full and curious font of the old st. Ivo
chapel are preserved. Perhaps the quaint
est carvings in England are to be found in
the present church. They we're the work
Of the then village blacksmith, "a handy
and devoute man." who carved the
oak of the benches and choir stalls, not
emitting to carve the forge, the bellows,
| hammer and nails. and pincers Of his own
sturdy craft. He threw in fair supply
of Tudor roses, monks and angels,
but, as sSts. Andrew and Peter are APP
propriate patrons OF the church where
countless thousands of fisher folk have wor-
SHIPPED, the good smith also put them into
every conceivable bene1cent attitude, and,
| as If to intensity their protection OF the
town of st. Ives and its people, also wove
fishes, saints and arabesques into most gen.
erous and profuse relationship.
II these wood carvings are curious studies
| some of those in stone are equally outland-
| ish. There are stone grotesques whose equals
| in strange and meaningless hideousness can
| hardly be found elsewhere in Europe.
Seven represent hooking, leering faces of
men and beasts. Two are distending their
mouths with their fingers and protruding
their tongues. One is a most horrible
| figure of an ape; and another wears a FOOLS
| cap of the period.
The stranger will be impressed with the
| extraordinary elevation Of the soil of the
| tiny churcnyard. When the place was first
| quite filled with the lead, the burial place
| was covered over with several feet of sand,
and interment went on anew. Three times
| this was done; when it was finally found
| that RI haUa raDaQtad fha would
| have been to bury the church itself, when
| a cemetery was secured upon the nights.
History, tradition ana legend have carved
| some grim pictures upon the dim back
| ground of the past is this old Cornish fisher
| town. One historical fact will be suth-
| GENTLY illustrative. In the Cornish up.
| rising of 1919, it's object being the restora-
ton of the Catholic religion, TO which Cor
nublans remained greatly attached long
after the reformation, John Payne, por-
| trieve of st. Ives, was one Of the inferior
| leaders After the defeat OF the Cornish
Sir Anthony Kingston, with royal COM
mission, was seeking out and Furnishing the
| rebels. He hanged the mayor of Bodmin
| before his own door. St. Ives portrieve re-
ceiVed Sir Anthony humbly and prepared
| a great dinner in his honor at the venerable
George and Dragon" still standing in Mar
| ket square.
During the dinner the portrieve heard
the sound of hammering outside, and being
| disturbed, was Quieted by Sir Anthony
with the remark that they were only about
to hang rebel Dinner over, history re-
| Iates, the commissioner invited the por-
trieve outside to inspect the gallows.
"W hat say you, Master Portrievef" quoth
Sir Anthony. sis yon gibbet duly fur
| nished for the hanging of a traitor?n
"All seems ready, ant please you" was
| the prompt reply.
"rhen, +" said the commissioner, turning
to a man-at-arms, secure Master Payne
and hang him straightway, for such is the
| protectors pleasureW
Master Payne was hanged straightway;
| but the Cornish, who are Celts, like the Celtic
| Irish and Celtic W elsh unpleasantly remem-
Der these little after dinner jssts of English
protectors and kings.
Great was the olden fame of st. Ives as
| metropolis of fish and fishermen. 1t is still
the most important of all Cornish fishing
ports. Five thousand folk live here on
what is harvested from the deep.
For 900 years or more, from father to son
from mother TO daughter, the line has re-
NAMED unbroken, has steadily increased,
and so narrow is the life horizon of these
fishermen and families that not a score of
them. it is said, ever see other English land
than the hills and headlands Of st. Ives
bay, save when at sea in their own boats.
| These boats are all tWo-masted, lug
sailed, with round sterns, and range in
tonnage from twenty to thirty tons.
With complete outfits they cost from $500
to 1850 Between 600 and 700 men and
youths are employed the year round in
fishing. During the winter they engage in
line fishing for conger, whiting and ling,
also securing few cod In March the
spring mackerel fishing begins; and the St.
Ives men are always found on their own
grounds, from thirty to fifty miles north
west of st. Ives in the Irish sea. Here they
remain until tho last of June when they set
out for the east-coast Scottish herring
fisheries usually selecting grounds in the
North sea, opposite ths Firth of Forth, or
abreast Of Coldingham and Berwick.
During August they will be found along
the east English coast in the neighborhood
OF Whitby, Scarborough and the Yarmouth
of Dickens "Peggottys;" but are always
back to st. Ives for the autumn st. Ives
herring fishing, and large number of their
feet are home in Jimo FOR possible runs Of
''pichers," (pilohards), the Fair Maids Of
st. Ives,h for which the ancient seaport has
been famous for 500 years.
| AS nearly as can be described, the pill
chard Is the sardine of the Mediterranean
waters. 1t makes its appearance at st.
Ives, when 1t comes at all, in tremendous
shoals. during the months of September
and October. From daylight until sun
set of every day during these months
watchmen are called "huers,n are stationed
at lookouts on Carringglsden and Forth
minister hills and earn Crows island.
Their practIced eyes never fail in dis
corning the approach of shoal Of these
fish. They come in such vast numbers that
the surface Of the bay changes its color and
often is broken into ripples and foam from
the movements of the dense masses Of fish.
On sighting a school Of pilchards the
"huern first blows a terrific blast upon his
spea king trumpet. One blast is sufficient.
All st. Ives folk tumble from their
homes and rush wildly shouting "Heva!
heval" to the shore. Meantime the
great seIne-boats, ready-manned, have
put out and are guided wholly in
surrounding the shoal by the signaling of
, the ''huern which is done with a hoop on
which white muslin is stretched, TO which a
long. light handle is attached. 1t is called
''the bush" for in olden times bush was
used instead.
, Shooting the seines is 80 rapidly done at
|, ST. Ives that often the entire shoal OF pill
, ohards will be literally impounded within
, ten minutes times from the 'huer's" trump
; ct signal. Single catches of pilchards have
, exceeded 5000 hogsheads of salted and
cured fish. or late years the st. Ives pill
cbard fishery has been uncertain; but in
, 1889 there were 5000 half-casks OF ga
pounds each taken. They are shipped to
various Mediterranean ports for use in the