Report of the Shetland Relief Committee,

The boats engaged in the prosecution of the "haaf" or deep-sea home fishing in Shetland, and locally known as "sixerns," are of a build peculiar to the Islands, and closely resemble the Norwegian yawls. Slimly built, about six and a half feet broad, and three feet deep, and with from twenty to twenty-one feet of keel, they are manned by six men, and carry a large lug sail containing about sixty yards of canvas. Although from their frail appearance they are not used by south-country fishermen, the Shetlanders, accustomed to them from infancy, manage them with consummate skill, and make marvellous voyages in them on the dangerous and boiling seas which surround their coasts.

On the night of Wednesday the 20th July, 1881, the whole of the haaf fleet belonging to the North Isles was at sea. The day had been fine and the air warm. Some heavy showers had fallen towards evening, but except for a heavy swell on the sen, supposed to have been caused by the rain, there were no indications of an approaching storm. Between ten and eleven most of the boats were from forty to sixty miles out at sea. Some of the smaller ones had hauled their lines, and were making for the land with their fish; others were setting their lines, when all at once, and without any warning—"like the shot of a pistol," as it was described by an eye-witness—a violent storm from the north-north-west broke upon them. Between midnight and one o'clock A.M. on Thursday, the gale was at its height. About the latter hour it commenced gradually to moderate. So suddenly had wind and sea arisen that some of the crews had not time to reef their sails, and had to set them for land just as they were. Thus over-rigged, they staggered and plunged onward. In some cases they reached the shore in safety. One, however, sweeping on before the gale in this perilous trim, became unmanageable. Her rudder was lifted out of the water; she broached round, and a gust of wind taking her sail aback, she was instantly swamped, and her crew left struggling in the sea. Many of the boats which reached the shore owed their safety to being ballasted with fish. The fish floated the boats while they were being emptied of water. The crews of others page 4 broke the livers of the fish they had caught, and cast them into the sea to calm in the waves.

The total number of widows, children, and persons dependent upon the deceased fishermen is as follows:—Widows, 34; Children, 85; Dependents, 14.

The Committee commenced its meetings on the 28th July. Subscriptions were invited on the condition that, if a larger sum was collected than was necessary thoroughly and efficiently to relieve the distress occasioned by the present calamity, the surplus should be appropriated to the formation of the nucleus of a permanent fund to page 5 be available in cases of similar disaster in the future. The following gentlemen were appointed local Treasurers:—

London.—Thomas Edmondston, Esq. Edinburgh and Leith.—James Shand, Esq. Glasgow.—Thomas Stout, Esq. Aberdeen.—Charles Merrylees, Esq. Liverpool.—R. P. J. Simpson, Esq.

From the first the response to the Committee's appeal exceeded their most sanguine expectations. The generous example of Mr Samuel Fielden, of Manchester, to whom the most grateful thanks of the Committee are due—who, on hearing of the disaster, at once sent the magnificent donation of £500 to be applied to the immediate relief of the sufferers by the calamity—was promptly and liberally followed. Special collections were made in every Church throughout Shetland. An appeal to the Primus and Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church was generously and readily acceded to, and collections instituted in the various places of worship throughout their respective dioceses. The clergy of the various other denominations throughout Scotland, unasked, imitated their example. Subscription lists were also opened by the Corporations of Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Town Councils of Greenock, Paisley, Stornoway, &c., the Commissioners of Supply of Orkney, and the Town Council of Kirkwall.^* An important addition to the Fund was made through the kind exertions of Sir Robert Anstruther, Bart., of Balcaskie, Pittenweem. In many places subscription lists were voluntarily started by private individuals interested in the Islands. Messrs J. & G. Stewart, Leith, and Mr John B. Leask, Leith, the Rev. J. W. Macwilliam, Letherhead, and many others, were instrumental in adding large sums to the Committee's Fund. A party of tourists visiting Shetland in Messrs Langlands' s.s. "Princess Royal" contributed £22 10s. Collections were also made on board the steamships belonging to the North of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Company, running between Leith and Lerwick, and the s.s. Earl of Zetland, trading to the North Isles. From the Press throughout the kingdom the utmost assistance was obtained. Subscription lists were, opened at the offices of the Dundee Advertiser, the Aberdeen, Free Press, the North British Daily Mail, the Stirling Journal, the Greenock Advertiser, the Christian, and others.

In England sympathy took a no less practical shape. The Ship-wrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society immediately opened a special fund, heading the list with a subscription of £100. To this fund Her Majesty the Queen subscribed £25, and the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh also contributed, while the Corporation of London subscribed £100. The total sum collected by the exertions of this Society amounted to £766 4s 9d.

Presided over by Mr Samuel Laing, M.P., the member for the

^* Note.—No remittances have been received from the latter twe bodies.

page 6 County, while Mr Edmondaton acted as Honoray Treasurer, they were enabled by their exertions to add a very considerable sum to the Shetland Relief Committee's Funds. A large sum was also received from members of the "Baltic Coffee House," London.

Much substantial aid also came to them from the Colonies. A Shetland Relief Fund was established in Melbourne. The Caledonian Society of Adelaide, South Australia, exerted themselves to collect subscriptions; and remittances were also forwarded from Tasmania and New Zealand. Messrs W. & J. Irvine, of Launcesten, New Zealand, forwarded two tons of oatmeal to distribute among the bereaved families, while the National Bible Society of Scotland presented each widow with a large type, and each son or daughter with a small type, Bible.

In addition to the sums obtained from the Committee the bereaved families were supplied with clothing and bedding by the Yorkshire members of the Society of Friends, and assistance also was given them from other quarters.

To aid in the formation of a Permanent Fund the sum of £107, being the balance of the Shetland Destitution Fund of 1817—51, was handed over to the Committee by W. F. Skene, Esq., W.S., LL.D., the Secretary.

To all these various bodies and persons the Relief Committee tender their sincere and grateful thanks.

On the 7th December, 1881, when the Relief Committee was dissolved, and the Shetland Fishermen's Widows' Relief Fund was established, the total amount of subscriptions received by the former body amounted to £11,683 14s 5d.^*

These gentlemen were at a subsequent period, along with the local Treasurers in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, and their respective local Committees, appointed ex officio members of the Committee.

In addition to these sources of information one of the members of the Committee—Mr J. Kirkland Galloway, Procurator Fiscal—visited the bereaved families, and made a report to a meeting on the 4th August No portion of the expense of this visit was borne by the Committee.

The first care of the Committee was to provide for the immediate necessities of the distressed families, and that was done under the personal superintendence of the Local Agents. All sums specially contributed for immediate relief, or for the inhabitants of specified districts, were expended in accordance with the wishes of the donors. A sum of £533 8s was expended on mournings for 255 persons.

Questions having arisen, and claims having been made upon the Committee to discharge or buy up the debts of the deceased fisher-men, the Committee on the 14th September resolved as follows:—"(1) That they would not hold themselves responsible for the debts of the deceased fishermen: (2) That in their grants of alimentary relief they would not take into consideration the fact that the deceased men were, or were not, members of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society: and (3) that they would not entertain any claim made against the representatives of the deceased fishermen on account of the loss of the boats"—many of which were, in accordance with the custom of the country, hired out to them for the fishing season.

In order to ensure the bereaved families in the occupation of their houses, till they were able to decide as to their future movements, the Committee on the 21st October resolved: "(1) That the rents of the bereaved families should be paid for this year only, either in whole or in part, according to the recommendation of the Local Agents in the Schedules laid before the meeting: (2) That where the rent is paid in full an assignation of the landlord's right of hypothec should be taken from the landlord: (3) That the rent, or proportion of rent, should be paid by the Agent to the landlord direct, and a receipt taken from him for the same: and (4) that in cases where the rent exceeded £2, the Committee reserved the right to themselves to make such deductions from the annual grants to be made to the widows or other dependents of the deceased fishermen, for the purpose of equalising the payments to each family, as they might subsequently think fit."

The Committee having determined to grant pensions to all the widows, to all children under fourteen, and to certain persons directly dependent upon the deceased fishermen, and whose age or circumstances seemed to justify this expenditure, Mr P. Sievwright, Assistant Actuary to the Standard Life; Assurance Company, was requested to prepare a Scheme showing the amount required for this purpose—the pensions to be granted on the following conditions:—(1) that the pensions to widows, fixed at 2s 6d per week, should be for life, or to cease on second marriage; (2) that those to children, fixed at 1s 6d per week, should be conditional on their being sent regularly to school, and living in family with their mother; and (3) that those to dependents, fixed at from 2s 6d to 1s 6d, according to circumstances, should be for life also.

The Actuary's Scheme, a copy of which is hereunto annexed (Appendix I.), having shown that a sum of about £6000 would be needed for this purpose, the Committee, in order to have page 8 an ample margin, appropriated £7000 to thin end.

The total amount collected being larger than was necessary thoroughly and efficiently to relieve the existing distress, the Committee felt themselves warranted in appropriating the balance—after setting aside the above sum of £7000, and deducting all disbursements up to date—to the formation of a Permanent Fund, in accordance with their intentions set forth in their Subscription Lists. A sub-committee was accordingly appointed to prepare the Rules and Regulations of the Shetland Fishermen's Widows' Relief Fund, and at a Special Meeting called for the purpose on the 29th November, these Rules, carefully framed to avoid trenching on the ground occupied by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society, were finally adjusted and approved. A copy of these is attached to this Report (Appendix, II.).

It was also resolved that the Shetland Fishermen's Widows' Relief Fund should be registered under the "Friendly Societies Act" of 1875.

Sheriff Rampini was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Mr Alexander Mitchell, Secretary and Treasurer. The Right Hon. the Earl of Zetland was also elected Patron.

By the establishment of the Shetland Fishermen's Widows' Belief Fund, the Shetland Relief Committee ceased to exist.

An abstract, showing the receipts and the disbursements of the Committee during its existence, is appended. (Appendix III.)