The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-26
WAKEMAN'SW
INTER ssTING FEATURES OF A
TRAMP THROUGH CORNWALL.

some OCEulSn hOo&ODtlnS ana Blu ga
boos - Grewsome Deserted Mine
stacks-Moving "Mine-bob"-Grow-
der and Growder Sellers - Roadside
Games and Strange Old Customs.
tCo9Yri0ht.l
CRowAN, CORNWALL, June l5.-What-
ever Wesley and Whitfield, with the rail-
way, the newspaper and the telegraph, may
have done in altering the everyday lives Of
the Cornish folk. no power has yet been
able to Danish the endeared wraiths of the
mysticisms and mysteries of Iegendiarily
heroic past. To-day. as firmly as Ave
centuries since, the inner heart of the
Cornish man clings to his "droll" or tale of
giant, hobgoblin and fairy with the great
est tenacity; and a few Of these are inter-
esting by way of illustration. Bellerian
was formerly the name of Lands
End, as also the name Of a mighty
giant who made 1t his home. Cor
moran built st. Michael's Mount,
but was slain by the redoubtable Jack the
Giant-killer. Holiburn of the Cairn de-
Tended ordinary mortais from other giants
than himself. TIE Giant OF Nanoledry
LIZ
giant Trebiggan frightened bad children
into virtuous lives, and dined OFF the in
oorrigible ones, which he usually fried
upon a fiat rock by his cave door. The giant
Blunderbus, killed by little Tom Hlcka-
thrift with cart axle, was the embodiment
of surly laziness and cruel greed. The
giant Wrath, terror Of the coast, walked out
to sea dozen miles or so, and, fastening the
fshermen's boats to his glrdle, strolled leis-
urely back to his Gave to serve his prisoners
up for food at will.
Gogmagog lost the kingdom Of Cornwall
to Trojan giant. Corineus, in q wrestling
match. Thunderbone walked the land
everywhere inspiring terror by his awful
ugliness. While the mighty Bolster, whom
Cruikshank endeavored to depict, was so
huge that he could stride from st. Agnes
beacon to the top of earn Brae, a distance
of six miles. This was the amorous giant
who, while nearly killing his wife from
overwork, was making love to st. Agnes
who to rid herself OF his opportunities per-
suaded Bolster, as a test Of affection, to
bleed himself to death In an attempt at
Chapel Perth to I'LL hole, which had a Sc
cret outlet TO the sea, with blood let from a
vein in his massive arm.
To all Cornish folk these monsters still
live in f1reside tales. and the numberless
monuments to pagan past scattered over
the rocky tors and wild moors, such as
cromlechs, monolith3 and other rude stone
monuments, are the household goods and
psstime implements Of this vanished but not
vanquished race. Every hill or crag has its
cairn or cromlech every gorge or glen its
ghost or goblin. The kno Wedge of all this
takes firm possession of the wanderer
through Cornwall.
II these were not enough to keep alive all
manner of weird superstitions, the chimneys
of the deserted mines of Cornwall alone
would furnish sufficient CREWS )me influence
to create and foster spooks enough for an
entire people, Any one who has ever looked
upon the dreary round tower puzzles of
Ireland will recall the feeling OF dread and
mysticism they always engender. But these
lonely landmarks OF former activities seem
to possess more dire and forbidding aspect.
Away back in the vicinity of Liskeard
they began to loom darkly upon the land
soape. From this place they are every
where seen, increasing in numbers az the
Redruth district is approached, and decreas-
ing in frequency toward ST. Ives and
Penzance. From the top of some high
Cornish hill what seems to be hundreds can
be seen; and on the road between Redruth
and Camborn, a distance of but five miles,
I counted upward of forty "knacked" or
abandoned mine stacks.
They usually comprise the tower-like
chimney, the old engine room and the lofty
dreariness encompass them. Not even furze
will grow upon the "poor-dirp and
''churksn or mine refuse around them.
DAVIS chatter in their tops. The wind
means through the rotting chimneys.
Weird tales, superstitions and whispers OF
tragedies, are associated with them. l often
turn aside to the dreariest of these places.
In one found half dead English tramp
with his half-starved wife who had just
given birth to child. Here was real
tragedy for another Cornish bugaboo. |
left them a little money; sent member of
the mounted constabalary to them and
went on my way; but now l see CHASTITY
faces through the crumbling walls OF every
other "knacked" mine stack that looms IN
sight.
Moving a n1ine-bob is one of the curious
performances in tho Cornish mining dis
tricts happened to witness. Turning from
q hill lane into a wide highway l saw a
great concourss of people following an en-
ormous truck drawn by at least twenty
teams of shaggy Welsh horses. Joining the
crowd | found that Cornish folks had
come from miles around TO see
the "mine- bob movin." This Smine-
bobn is the great beam, the highest piece in
all hugo Cornish mining machinery, which
works like steamer beam, the man engine
and the man pumps. This one weighed up
ward Of 11S tons! A mine had been
abandoned: q new one was being opened by
the same company, and from the g'eat
forge works at Hayle had come this ron
truck forty feet long, withsteel wheels Ike
engine drivers, on which the te-
mendous casting wos being Con-
veyed, The earnest interest OF
miners, "kepens" (captainsl and engn-
GERS who accompanied the ponderous bean ;
the curious excitement OF hundreds OF strsg-
glers drawn together by the event; and tie
mischievous prayers of Cornish boys Tat
something would ''seat" or break, TO n
crease the anxieties of the occasion, hee
very great owing to the hilly nature OF tie
Cornish roads, furnished a most interesting
opportunity for character study. lie
greatest parsonage on all the road that dY
was the tealnster who drove those forF
Welsh horses Like the boys l envied Inn
and maryeled with them at his handling c
the whip, his powerful lungs and glib an,
urgent tongue. -
The marvellous whiteness of all Cornis
housewives floors, tables, chests and chair
have been my constant admiration.
learned the secret on recent Friday
which day of every week is ''Rrowder day
in Cornwall. You will see numberless don
key carts hurrying up and down the hill
highways OF hating before village doors
They are filled with some light ana pumlce
like substance dug from near hillside plt
and are in charge of women, CHEEKY an
stout and half dressed as men, or OF boy
already full OF shrill whistling and I'd
quiet philosophy OF older tradesmen.
Istopped one OF the boys with smile,
sixpeuce and the question::
What have you in your cart, my laa5