Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-11

THE ONLY LARGE MARKEr-HoUsE OF WILMINGTON
AN EsTABIIsHED INSTITUTION AND DECISIVE
sUCoEss-wHo. OCCUPY II, AMOUNT OF BUSINESS
DONE, ETC.
Tho 'Curb Stone" Market, until 1869, was
wilmingtons sole dependence. In that year,
the firm of Gregg d Bowe, carriage builders,
needed larger building for their business, and
purchased the old Belts Il Seal foundry property,
at sth and Orange streets. The buildings were
erected in the summer Of 1869, and the GROUND
floor, on Eighth street, designed for use as
public market house. for which purpose il was
opened in September of that year. The dimen-
sione OF the room are 1G5 by SO feet. with an ex-
cellent cellar beneath. There are six rows OF
stalls running nearly the whole length OF tho
room, aud including the sdes and ends, there
arc in all, 1913 stalls. Nearly the whole OF them
are now occupied by permanent tenants
The stalls ranging around the wall, the entire
extent of the building, are generally devoted to
vegetables and garden struck" with the except
tion of a restaurant. some fish stands and one
or two provision stalls. These stalls are open
continually every day in the week.
The stalls ranging along each side OF the mid
die aisle are entirely occupied by farmers, dur
ing market days, or during part OF four days
in the week, viz :--o1 TuesdaY afternoon ana
' Wednesday forenoon and on Friday afternoon
and Saturday forenoon. The farmers are not
necessarily restricted to these times, but the
rules W hich govern other markets under the city
ordinances are found to work to good adVan-
| tage in the new market.
The south side Of the northern aisle and the
north side OF the southern are entirely taken up
| by butchers, who oontary to the customs of the
| farmers, and on account OF the constant demand
| for meat occupy their stalls every day OF the
week and frequently into the night as late as III
| o'clock.
The rents of the stalls vary according to loca-
| tion and the purposes for which they are used
Those located the first or northern aisle read
| st,,. &,Nc Narp nF rnRn ha nr E.ap
| year Those on each side of the middle AISLE
| entirely used by farmers upon the days mention
| ed, rent for $40 per term or $40 year.
| Those ON the southern aisle and the far
thest from the entrances, rent for @l75O per
| term or S35 year, and with those on the first
| aisle are continuously occupied. which in meas
| ure, accounts for the apparently disproportion-
| ate rent compared with the farmers stalls
| The whole market is brilliantly lighted with gas
and the janitor. Mr.. Patrick Phelan, having
| charge of the market, has also been sworn as a
special police officer, but the general order ID SO
/ good that his services, in this respect, are but
| seldom needed.
| In answer to our inquiries We were informed
| that prices in this market ruled tritie higher
i than in the curbstone and other markets of our
| city. This has been accounted for on the fol-
lowing hypothesis THAT the marketing here
/ is of a superior quality, and that this being we'll
i known people in good and moderate oircumstan-
/ ces will patroniZe it, and give higher price
| without objection where they are sure to re-
/ c6lve Hfst CLASS artlcle TOT tHelr uuheys 1uen
| again, the market is always under cover, which
besides the protection offered to the buyers, pre-
| vents the vegetables from becoming affected by
hot suns, drying winds, floating dust. and pelt-
| ing rains Another argument Is, that the most
| inferior marketing in tho country is taken to
| the curb market, and although, there may be,
| and no doubt there is, the best of butter and
vegetables in that market, it is all more or less
| affected by the inferior article Eighth Street
| Market ceases to be an experiment, and the only
| auaatiOn ari5iDH when and where Will the
next one be built2
One of the strongest proofs Of the success OF
this market. ID the tenacity with which renters
hola on to their stalls. The original renters
say that at first ii was an uphill business, and
required considerable backbone to make the ex-
pertinent, but that having weathered through
the storI1, they are now perfectly satisfied, and
would not exchange with any other place in
the city. butcher assured us that it was
now getting better all the time, and
from the manner in which his stall was patron
lied curing our visit, We should judge that he
did not exaggerate. There are eight butchers
twelve farmers, and two truck and fruit dealers
who occupy the same stalls, that they did
when the house was first opened, four years ago
Encouraged by their success, Messrs Gregg
and Bowe subsequently:to the opening OF the
Eighth street market fitted up the tlrst-storl
| OF the Orange street wing of their building fol
farmers Market exclusively, but owing, prob
| ably, to the attractions of the free curb-stone
| market, the enterprise did not meet with the en-
couragement it deserved and the effort for I
time has been postponed but still with the III
tention Of opening it at no distant day, to far
mers, free of charge for six months.