Shetland Notes

From The Scotsman 06/08/1894

The chase of the steam trawler Stephenson, of North Shields, by H.M. gunboat Cockchafer attracted immense attention in Shetland. No such chase has ever occurred in Shetland waters since Kirkaldy of Grange chased Earl Bothwell out of Bressay Sound. The sympathies of the inhabitants at that time were with Bothwell, and on the present occasion it must be confessed that the admiration of the people was on the side of Skipper Telford of the trawler. Indeed the courage, skill, and determination of the man could not fail to elicit admiration. Once the chase was entered upon it assumed the appearance of actual war, and on board the respective vessels the state of feeling for the time being could not have been much different. Both acted as if each had an enemy on hand, and both acquitted themselves manfully. No two men could have done better. Shetland hitherto has not been troubled with trawlers. Two were seen in St Magnus Bay in early winter, and a few have been seen on the west coast of Foula for the last two or three summers. That is about the whole. The fishermen are strongly opposed to them, and with reason. They say that the trawlers sweep up everything within the limit. A limit of thirty miles is necessary. Outside of that line there is abundance of fishing ground for trawlers which Shetland boats can seldom reach.

When it became known at Lerwick that a trawler was fishing so close to the shores of Foula that her crew from the deck were chatting with the Foula lasses on the top of the cliffs, the gunboat Cockchafer was dispatched to the island. She found the island enveloped in such a dense fog that the trawler, which was working close to the shore, could not be seen. Boats were sent out, a thorough search was made and a watch kept, but from Wednesday to Friday every effort to discover her whereabouts was ineffectual. On Friday morning the fog lifted and the trawler was seen working a few hundred yards from the rocks. As soon as the skipper saw that he was observed by the gunboat he cut his trawl warp and steamed ahead. The mate of the gunboat hailed him from the gig, and told him that if he did not stop he would be fired into. He paid no attention, and three shots out of a Martini-Henry were fired across his bows, and afterwards he was fired on. The crew took shelter under the bulwarks, and the bullets came peppering along the decks like hail. Ten rounds of a Martini-Henry were fired, and a six-chambered revolver emptied, but the trawler still steamed ahead. The gunboat, having got her boats on board, fired three rounds of blank from a 64-pounder – a gun of 12 cwt, which the crew in their excitement, tackled with their fists at the stern and placed in position in the bow in a twinkling and hoisted the commercial signal to heave to, but the trawler sped on and heeded not. The chase now became intensely exciting, the steam power of both vessels was nearly equal. If anything the superiority in speed was in favour of the gunboat, and her steam was kept at the highest possible pressure. Her funnel became so hot that the paint on the lower part was burned off, and the hose had to be turned on to keep the wood near it from taking fire. The stokers were steaming with perspiration when they came on deck. On board the trawler the excitement was tinged with dread. They were in the midst of danger, and they were rendered entirely inactive. Their opponent was blazing away at them, and they could not return a shot. They could do nothing but fly, and their powers of flight did not depend on themselves. Inaction in such a case is dreadful. The skipper took the helm and stood there, the bullets flying around him, and later on the heavy shots from the gunboat were observed dropping nearer and nearer behind him. His steam was kept up to the utmost pressure, he declared that he would not yield while his lum was above water, and that if his firemen would not fire up he would go below and do the work himself. The gunboat chased him from Foula to Orkney, pouring shot after shot after him the whole way – chased him through the North Sound, through Calf, Eday, Spurness, Auskerry, and Sanday Sounds, and then lost him in the fog. The chase continued from Friday morning to near midnight. The gunboat then returned to Foula to recover the trawl, and was astonished to find the trawler there, with a grapnel at the water’s edge, with which she had just succeeded in grappling her trawl rope. The island was still shrouded in a fog bank so dense that the tops of the mountains alone appeared, and the gunboat shot out of the mist, so near to the trawler that escape was impossible. Skipper Telford had £60 worth of fish on board when he surrendered. He was brought to Lerwick, tried before the local Court, declined to employ an agent, defended himself – if defence it can be called – in a few simple words, such as brave men and, men of action often use, and was sentenced to pay a fine of £85, or be imprisoned for fifty days. He went to prison. It is hoped that his employers will promote him. The nation that can rear men in the lowly walks of life of the calibre of Mathew Telford needs fear God only.

ILLEGAL TRAWLING

From The Scotsman 03/07/1894

Yesterday morning Mathew Telford, master of the steam trawler Stephenson, of North Shields, was brought up at Lerwick Sheriff Court, charged with trawling within the three mile limit at Foula. The accused was informed that he could get the statutory adjournment if he wished, but he stated that he would like to get the thing settled, and be done with it. The charge having been read over, Telford said he was guilty. Sheriff Shennan said he was very sorry to see a man of accused’s appearance in the dock, because from the information laid before him he had displayed a considerable amount of pluck and resource in trying to do an illegal act, and to evade the consequences of it. He must, however, impose a severe penalty in the case, for it was the second occasion on which a trawler had been captured at work on the Foula coast, and this sort of thing must be put down. It was really a mean and cowardly act for trawlers to come and fish in the inshore waters, and thus deprive the line fishers of their livelihood. The sentence was a fine of £85, or fifty days’ imprisonment. The Sheriff complimented the Commander and officers of the Cockchafer for the part they had played in the capture.

ILLEGAL TRAWLING

From The Scotsman 04/12/1894

At Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday – before Sheriff Shennan – George Gardener, master of the steam trawler AB 93, was charged with trawling within the three-mile limit at the Isle of Foula on the 6^th June last. Accused pleaded not guilty, and was defended by Mr I. M. I. Scott, advocate, Aberdeen. The evidence adduced was altogether of a circumstantial character. Mrs Traill, who was residing on the island at the time, and three Foula men gave evidence as to seeing the vessel at work on the day in question. The trawler was first observed about two to three miles from the shore working her trawl. Mrs Traill, with a glass, was able to make out the figure 3 on the funnel, but the other figure or figures appeared to be obliterated. She directed the other witnesses to go down to the sea level and endeavour to make out the vessel’s number, which they did. All the men were able to say that they saw the figure three on the funnel, and on the starboard bow they saw the letter A, followed by the figures 93, there being a space between the A and the 9 which they thought was occupied by a letter which they could not make out. The vessel was then about half a mile from the shore. The letters were partially blackened out. On the port bow and the funnel the letters and the port of registry were covered with pieces of canvas. The vessel left Foula about half-past six o’clock in the evening. After a good deal of further evidence , Sheriff Shennan found that the charge had been proved by a combination of circumstances all pointing to the same conclusion. He imposed the same penalty as in the previous case brought before this Court – viz., a fine of £85, or fifty days’ imprisonment.

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