Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-06-14

Of genuine piece Of Queen Anne.
Moreover, while jet is found else
where, notably in Spain, Whitby jet
Is distinctive.
Most of the famous craftsmen are
dead, and there has been a tendency
for their successors to keep the stand
ardized designs. But here and there
one of them will show flash of orig
inality, and hope endures that the
pendulum of fashion may swing back.
The fossils which form the second
bow of the Whitby jet dealers have
more strictly scientific interest. The
commonest is the ammonite. It Is
found in immense profusion along the
entire coast, but from the biologists
point of view its most interesting as
pect is its extraordinary variety. The
ammonite, of course, was a marine
animal belonging to the family Of
squids and octopuses. Its nearest ex-
listing relative is the nautilus. Its
variations are distinguished by size,
by number and shape Of the corruga-
tions Of its shell, by the presence or
absence of spines or tubercles.
The ammonite, which is particularly
abundant on the rocks at the foot Of
the Abbey cliff, has given rise to an
interesting legend which still finds
credence among Whitby fisher folk.
They believe it to be the petrifed re-
mains of a snake. Rarely, however,
is specimen found with its head"
intact The story goes that in the
days Of st. Hilda, the district suffered
from a plague of adders. The holy
lady was prevailed upon to use her in
fluence against them, with the result
that first their heads were prayed of
and then their bodies were turned into
stone.
Cottages Of the Fishermen.
From the main streets of Whitby-
Baxtergate, Flowergate, Church street
and from Skinner street. Sandgate,
Haggersgate and st. AIMS Staith, mar
row lanes twist among the old cottages
or lead to watery dead ends.
The cottages are built In amazing
confusion. One has the impression
that they must have pushed them
selves up, mushroom fashion, from the
ground wherever there was space
They have no gardens. They have,
with few exceptions, no view save into
their neighbours parlor or down his
chimney stack. They are, however, all
built on one general plan, which gives
a kitchen, parlor, best room, two
bedrooms, and an attic. Their archi-
tects and builders were all men Of
the sea. Today 1t is chiefly the fisher.
men who live in them.
Even the fishing trade Of Whitby
has suffered more than an ordinary
share of economic viclssitude. Old
residents Of the town can remember
the time when, in summer, during the
height Of the North sea herring sea.
son, the harbor was forest of masts.
And they have since seen the time
when the unloading Of solitary her.
ring drifter created sensation. The
herring trade has vanished. But that
spirit without which no industry can
thrive has remained alive in the
breasts of the sturdy Whitby men. and
the port has of late years expert
enced revival in the crab and lob
ster trade.
Coble Fine Surf Boat.
That view to the east across the
harbor, SO beloved of painters and
photographers, would not be complete
without the fishing craft, moored hard
up to the very threshold Of the cot
tages; without the lobster pots stacked
upon the quays, the salmon nets
spread out on poles to dry in the sun;
without the groups of blue-jerseyed,
salt-tanned men, busy with their gear
or gossiping. Some Of these men are
old, white-bearded, and loquacious;
but most Of them are in their prime,
tall, square-shouldered; soft, catllke
in the way they move about, restrained
in their speech, watchfuL
The type Of craft characteristic Of
the coast Is the coble. No photo
graph can show Its superb sailing quail
tiles Its design Is the evolutionary
outcome Of conditions. II pre-em-
inently surf boat.
The coble's greatest draft is for
ward, and on an open shore 1t is land
ed stern first, its slender bows offering
no resistance to the surf. It sails fast
and very close to the wind, because its
long rudder acts as keel. But the
rudder is also a source Of danger, for
it may foul mass Of seaweed or be-
come entangled in anchored fishing
gear when the boat Is In a heavy
breeze. The coble, like a spirited
horse, demands expert handling.