Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-06-18

'hSS VI SICHiGSS.
remains Of a circle of similar stones,
not quite so large as the Watch Stone
in the midst of which is a rude table,
or altar made of three short stones
standing on end, and surmounted by a
large flat stone or slab. This is the
Ring of Stenness, or the Circle of the
Moon
Across the bridge, a quarter of a
mile away, is a larger group, properly
| designated as the Ring of Brogar, but
| commonly known as the Circle of the
Sun. 1t is about 120 yards in diam
| eter and was surrounded by a fosse or
trench at least six feet deep, the out
lines of which are distinctly traceable
The stones of this large circle are
from s to 16 feet high; one is from
8 to 6 feet wide, and all are crude
and irregular in shape.
Fifteen Sremain standing, although
the group originally contained 80 or
40. They have strange, shaggy COW
ering of unusually long lichens, like
an ancient sheep whose coat has be-
come scraggly with age and exposure
to the weather.
North of the Ring of Stenness was
the famous Stone of Odin, which diff
fered from the others chiefly in having
hole through it. The Stone of Odin
was visited by Sir Walter Scott in
1914, and he made a romantic use of it
in 1.-THE Pirate" In the same year
neighboring farmer broke it up, with
several other stones from the Ring
of Stenness, to build a foundation for
his cow-house for which act of van
dalism he was boycotted and driven
out of the country.
There is nothing about the stones
themselves that is wonderful. Any
body could erect similar circles with
modern appliances. But these monu-
ments were here when the Norsemen
landed and were probably at least
three centuries old even then. They
have stood for 1,400 years. They were
doubtless quarried with stone nipple
ments and set in place by the exertion
of sheer brute force. Their history
is shrouded in obscurity, their very
purpose mere conjecture. They are
a part of the mystery of the islands.
Lerwick, ShetIand's Capital.
No mention has been made so far of
the largest and most commercial city
of the archipelago, because it's impor-
lance is entirely modern and it's place
in history small. This is Lerwick,
the capital of Shetland 1t is far more
picturesque, as we'll as more imposing,
than its southern rival, Kirkwall. It
is the center of vast fishing industry,
and from Saturday to Monday, in the
season, its harbor is crowded with
steam drifters' the modern style of
fishing-boats which now control the
herring industry.
Lerwick is on high ground, with a
road running along the shore, as at
Stromness. It is q narrow street.
though wide enough for vehicles to
pass. and much buster than the streets
of Kirkwall. Narrow lanes, for pedes-
TRANS only, lead off the main thor
oughfare up the slope of the hill, and
these are curiously provided with
ropes along the buildings to prevent
slipping in icy weather.
The city has a large fish market,
where the boats dispose of their catch
by auction, a handsome town hall, and
many substantially built churches and
dwellings.
Shetland 1t must be remembered,
lies north of the Goth parallel. Trace
the line around the globe and 1t will
be seen that it touches Greenland,
passes above the northernmost extrem-
ity of Labrador goes through the up
per half of Hudson bay, skirts the
shore of Alaska, and traverses the
dreary wastes of Siberia.
But the climate of the islands is so
modified by the sea that they are
neither excessively cold in winter nor
warm in summer. A strong wind
blows across them most of the time,
and this has interfered with vegeta-
ton to such an extent that few trees
are to be found. The inland scenery
is, therefore, not attractive, but the
rugged outlines of the coast, cut up
BY the action Of the sea into numerous
inlets or woes, and carved into fantas-
tic stacks" and Castles" like the
Old Man of Hoy, have a wild beauty
Of their own.