The Coolidge examiner., 1934-06-22

Mkersu NfEEa - CIV aN asTFira-
n 6ELLOwED By time. whiihy.
N climbing the rllTs % the
North sea coast tn which II
has clBng for centuries. draws many
visitors who are lured by ihr NJ
uosphcre of old England
Most of the old part o. the town
remains as IL Nas hundreds of years
aEo. dominated By the parish
church. ST. Mary's-bulli ln 100
and the famous ruins of whltby ab
hey.
Today whiiby Is a fishing port
only. and It's real splendors belong
90 the past: 10 the days of the cid
Saxon monastery % St IIilda and
Caedmon: 10 the days Of the Great
Synod In os34. when saxon kings and
the leading ecclesiastical lights Of
the land me, with pomp and cir
eumsianee 10 settle the ve1ed ques.
ton OF the date OF Easter: TO the
days OF wooden ships and wooden
ship building. when whitby was
ffth port ln EnglAnd and Der sturdy
oak-bulit ships we're famed across
the saven seas: % the days when
Whltby was one of the chief bases
OF the Greenland whaling Industry.
and Cook and Scoresby sailed from
the port on their exciting enter
prlses: 20 the days when i-5So men
were regularly employed mining and
carving jei "a black semi-precious
mlnera) and twice this numbeg
were engaged In the alum Industry
sio=S the coast.
There Is 20 shipping now. AZ the
dawn of the great iron age some OF
the yards turned 10 iron. and
many One screw steamers were built
on the stocks which then lined the
upper harbor. But the shaiiownsss
OF that harbor and the distance from
foundries and rolling mills were
fatal handlcaps. and whltby found
annlhllatlng rivals IN the ports OF
the Tees AMI Tyne.
The alum industry died with the
discovery OF a cheaper method OF
production.
Ancient. Crooked Streets.
The old towns streets are tortu
Gus and narrow. the names OF the
chief ones. BHXtergate and Flower
gate. sugges; that they were built
when there were no traffic problems
There Is documentary evidence OF
their existence in the Fourteenth
century. FlowergAie climbs down
the slope OF the West CHI Raxter-
gate runs parallel 10 the docks A
steel bridge. originally a wooden
drawbrIdge. conducts It's bewlldered
traffic 20 the east side OF the har.
bor. and here is the equally ancient
and even narrower Church street
again running parallel 10 the har
bor and leading 10 the foot OF the
famous 100 steps which the faith
ful must climb TO attend worship In
the parish church. 81 Mary'S
whliby Is the shopping center FOR
q wide rural area. It's shops are
chiefly In the two main streets and
It's market backs OF Church street.
The market day ls Saturday.
Early In the morning the farmers
arrive In their neat little traps. with
baskets OF butter. eggs. chickens.
curds (filling for the famous York.
shire cheesecakesl. trussed geese.
rabbits. and the like.
Chiefly In Church street are the
shops OF the Jet and fossil dealers. |
Jet Is fosslllzed wood converted into
carbon II Is found in beds known
as Jet rock. which crop out in sew.
eral places along the coast. II does |
not occur In seams. like coal. but In |
Isolated pockets. which make its |
mining a speculative business. A
man might dig for months. and not
find 4 handful A good pocket. how
ever. when the trade was In IT'S hey
day. might have been worth any. |
thing up to $3.50.
There Is no mining now. What !
craftsmen are left depend for their |
supplies on the longshoremen. who /
collect the bits washed out OF the
ellis. or from submarine explo- |
sions.
Its Jet is Distinctive.
While there is diverse opinion re.
garding the merits OF Jet as a me- |
dlur To- the true artist. II has In /
spired some very tine and original |
carving. II Is easy TO work and |
takes on a lovely polish. as different /
from the glaze Of glass and imita- /
tlon Jet as the polish OF cheap fur /
nitnr~ Is from the patina of a gen |
uine p!ece OF Queen Anne. More /
over. while Jet Is found elsewhere,