Published: Wednesday, 30th December, 2009 12:47pm

How armless curler carried on the roaring game

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In this week's Know Your News, we look back to one of the town's most celebrated sons, 'the King of the curlers' - Doctor John Cairnie.

Some rare recollections include details about the entrepreneurial curler playing on with great style despite losing an arm in a bad accident.

Historian James Meikle penned an intriguing article in 1895 about the great man and revealed that in his latter years, he was forced to play with only one arm after an incident involving a powder flask.

Meikle revealed: "Dr Cairnie was an excellent player as well as a devoted admirer of the game. The dexterity with which he could thrown the channel stane in his later years was all the more wonderful from the fact that he had only one arm.

"Working with a powder flask too near the fire one day in Curling Hall, an explosion took place, by which one of his arms was so severely injured that it had to be amputated.

"As showing the determined nature of the man, he made several trips to Paris for the sake of getting the injured arm properly treated."

In his later years, it was also recalled by Meikle how Dr Cairnie also took a lively interest in the sport even when he was unable to play.

"One of his last acts even though he was unable to play was driving over the hill to Kilbirnie in his yellow painted coach, drawn by his pair of pretty little black horses, to witness a great game between Largs and Kilbirnie. He had the pleasure of seeing the efforts of his townsmen crowned with success. A hardy, frugal lot those old weaver/fishermen players of Largs must have been. Some of them wrought at their looms half the night to make up to some extent for the loss of time on the morrow, and besides walked to Kilbirnie and back again, a distance of at least 16 miles.

Dr Cairnie was a surgeon in the service of the East India Company , and on retiring from active professional life, settled down in Largs and built himself a home called Curling Hall at the Castle Bay area of Largs, including building a famous pond outside which was remembered in the article.

Meikle said: "The making of the artificial pond about 100 yards from the sea edge of one of the mildest spots on the Firth of Clyde, was considered to be one of his greatest works. Curling could be enjoyed four hours after frost, and with the thermometer never below the freezing point.

"The famous pond was simply a beautifully laid pavement of carefully dressed and jointed freestone, sunk a little way - not more than six inches at the very most.

"It was flushed with water in the doctor's day from a force pump and in an incredibly short period of time, a sheet of ice on which capital sport could be enjoyed. It was customary to flush it on the first sign of frost at night, and in the morning, it was ready for the use of the curlers."

In the year 1833, Dr Cairnie also made some interesting scientific observations as he tried to obtain the best possibilities for curling.

In his diary, he said: "From January 9 to February 1, there has been excellent ice on our artificial pond for 14 days, although the thermometer during that period has only twice been observed as low as the freezing point, and that only for a very short space of time. We are perfectly certain that the pellicle of ice begins to form at 34 degrees of Fahrenheit, On one of the nights alluded to our pond was completely frozen to the bottom although the thermometer was never lower than 34 degrees."

Meikle recalled: "He had a club attached to the pond, which was known as 'Cairnie's Own' and that it was a high honour to belong to it - independent altogether of the close fellowship it enabled one to have with an enthusiast like the Doctor - may be gathered from the fact that the membership was restricted to 10. In these days Largs was one of the keenest curling centres in Scotland with subscription to Largs Curling Club 1s, while the Gogoside Club was 4d."

He also kept a very fine set of named and numbered stones with titles including Mars, Venus, Thistle, Rose, William Tell, Peel, La Liberte. No 1 was Napoleon, No. 2 was Nelson, and next came Largs.

For years after Doctor John Cairnie died, the artificial pond was well maintained and used until 1885 when it was demolished by house owner John Clark who had to make room for conservatories, although a model of two curling stones were carved into the building in respect of its sporting heritage and background.

Discussing the history of the sport in Scotland, Meikle said: "The honour of initiating the Royal Caledonia Club in Edinburgh is generally conceded to him. Certain it is, at any rate, that he presided at the first public meeting held in connection with its formation, and he was its first president."

* A great storm in late December 1894 resulted in waist-high flooding of Largs Main Street according to a 'News' report.

The violent wind resulted in the ground near the UP Church 'seeming to rock' such was the might of the wind and the vibration of the steeple.

We reported: "The sea ran very high, and immense masses of spray was dashed over the sea walls on to the streets and roads. This increased as the tide rose until at high water, just before day-break, the foot of Main Street was waist-high in water. The water ran up Main Street nearly as far as Bellman's Close, carrying fish-boxes, sea-weed and other debris. The large iron public convenience erected some years ago by the Commissioners was demolished. The morning trains got a severe buffeting, and passengers to Largs in the forenoon had to get out to assist in clearing the line from telegraph poles, trees, somewhere around Dalry."

In the West Bay, Rock Villa and Window Terrace in Millport, several large windows were blown, while there was drama at the pier.

The 'News' reported: "A most peculiar occurrence took place at the pier. A lorry, belonging to Mr Archibald Allan, Caledonian steamboat agent, and 15 lemonade cases, were swept off the pier into the water when the storm was at its height."