Grass Valley telegraph., 1854-06-15
Curiosity OF Wall Street.
THE BOARD OF BROKERS.

THE BOARD OF BROKERS.
The Board of Brokers is a curiosity, and is
as we'll worth visit as any menagerie in the
city.-The principal animals on exhibition
are bulls and bears, but there is great varie-
ty of each genus; and there is no ''cry'' of
any wild beast now in existence that cannot
be initiated in a manner superior to the orr
ginal by scme one Of the members.-While in
the board-room, all restraint and dignity is
laid aside, and all sorts of ''tricks upon trav-
ellers' are practised by old heads, who, out
side, never think of smiling. These are about
one hundred and fifty members, but only one
hundred and twenty are regular attendants
The eldest member is about seventy years of
age, and the youngest twenty-five. The initia-
ton fee is four hundred dollars and the year
ly dues. in the shape of fines. are from twen-
ty-five to three hundred dollars more If not
on hand at half-past ten o'clock, when the
roll is called, the fine is sixpence for going
to the door, one shilling for bidding on
stock out of order. two shillings; for stand
ing up to make a bid, two shillings-and so
on through the catalogue. Some of the mem
bers get fined two or three dollars a dav.
The stock list is called off by the president.
beginning with government and state stocks.
then banks, insurance companies, fancy stocks,
railroad stocks, and closing with railroad
bonds. Time is given on each for bidding.
Everything goes along pretty quietly until
the ''fancies" are reacAd. such as Nicaragua,
Cumberland, Erie, Hudson River, and Har-
lem, when there are occasionally scenes of
noise and confusion perfectly indescribable,
Fifty men are yelling at the top of their voic-
es-sOne wanting to sell, some wanting to
buy-some jumping up and some sitting
down-all eXcted-all trying to sell the high
est and buy the loWest-making noise enough
to take the hair all off a nervous mans head,
and rendering it almost impossible to get the
sales properly recorded. After a great many
raps, and "Come to order, gentlemen" and
Il will fine every gentleman two shillings
bidding on that stock p by the president, Or
der is once more restored. It often happens
that one sale is claimed by two persons, and
in that case the question is laid before the
board to be decided. The decisions are often
times unjust, but there is no help for It. If a
broker is not popular, he stands poor chance
of getting a decision in his favor Some
times, in the midst of the greatest excitement.
when thousands Of dollars are being made
and lost, some incidents will happen that will
divert the attention Of the whole board. and
prevent, for time, any business being done
One day, when the board was on Erie, and
the excitement high, Mr.. D. a French gentle
man, and one Of the most quiet gcntlemanlv
men in the world, got little excited and
made some petulant remark. In an instant,
and with unanimity that would hardly seem
possible, the whole board struck up the Mar
seilles Hymn, and sang 1t through, in spite
OF all the efforts Of the president to prevent
it. Sometimes when on serious stock, like
Crystal Palace, a hen will be heard to cackle.
then Shanghai will crow, ducks will quack.
and a general barn-yard concert will take
PA'0OO' II AlA''hA III SCo UP W W luc ObLCr
end Of the roOm and everybody will begin to
laugh-He will look round and see all eyes
directed to him. Putting his hand to his
back, he finds card, on which is printed, in
large letters, "a fine green turtle" He
doesn't get mad-because that does no good;
but if he can discover the Puck who did the
deed, he watches his chance to pay him off in
like coin.
There are some of the finest men in New
ork IN the stock-board. and as general
'hllS' the members are men of worth and in
telhgence 1t is difficult to get in, as it only
requires three black-balls to keep a candidate
out and unless man can show a pretty
clean Dill OF health, there is but little chance
Tor him. Young men who have been brouobt
up in Wall street are sometimes admitted
without opposition but old men merchants
and broken-down politicians. are black-ballod
right and left.
Mr.. Campbell, one Of the poets saws.
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