, 1873-07-27
THE WASHINGTON MARKET BOOTHS.

HE WASHINGTON MARKET BOOTHS.
Thoir Dcmolltton by tho nonrd OF
sacn1th..sconos in tho Nnrket--A
| Grcnt Knt Hunt.
~, From ths Ne.e Fork Eptning Post judy ii.
washington Market, with its ragged booths
anu falling roof, haH long boon ono Of tho most
familiar eghta to tho cltizona Of New York. Il
outward appearance was not remarkable for
beauty, cleanliness, or symmetry, but, notwitl,-
standing al this, the market obtained certain
kind Of public respect from tho fact that II waB
very old,-one OF the antiquities Of tho city, In
aot,-nnd represented u vast amount OF money.
Tho progress Of tho fight between tho standhold-
dora In the market, tho Board Of Health, and tho
Commissioners Of Public Works has boon fully
reported, and 1t iB not at this timo neceBBary to
review 1t. Buffioe It to Bav TINT tho stalls pro-
truding ovcr tho sidewalks In VoBoy, West and
Fulton staeots have long boon regarded as public
nulaancos, ininical to public hoalth and public
| Tho Board Of Health detormined to domollsh
theao Sheds, aud last night, aftor procuring the
vacation OF M order from tho suoromo court
roBtralning them from interference, proceeded
| to do 30.
large forco OF labororp, specially engaged,
and protected by force OF 800 policemen, under
t1e,;; tno command Of tho two Veterans, Inspector
@ @Malnng E an ana Capt; Copeland, were marched
demollshment Of tho sheds.
20 sudden All attack. as may woll DO Imagined,
filled with aismay tho hearts Of Tho atandholdors
who wore yet at their posts, moro especially Us
they bollevod that the injunction iBsuod by
Judge Pratt In tho carly part Of tho day was still
| In force.
It is only duo to them to say that they exhibit
| cd no great amount OF ill-tempor or roHRtanco.
although many Of them will bo g7oat suffcrorB by
tho action OF the Health Board. Some Of tho
men, indeed, were very angry, and muttared
threata betwecn thoir tooth, but the forco OF
police on tho ground was sufficient to overnwe
| t,u
| the Arguments Of thoir moro temperate friouds.
The work Of demolition began, aud through
ont tho night tho sounds Of tho blows from axca
and hn,nmers, mingled with tho crash Of falling
timbers, tho rattle OF sheets OF tu md tho shouts
Of tho 1aborcrs re-ochocd through tho lowor part
All night long tho work proceeded steadily tho
| owners Of tho property In tho meantime looking
! gloomily on. Reporters who were present at tho
time tell Us TINT ono or two women woro In tears,
but with this exception no outward aign Of dis
| Battefnotion was given, and it WINS evident that
the standholdors had convinced Themselves Of
tho futity OF resistance, aud resolved upon their
future course Of acttou. Tic co1rHe OF action
which they intend to pursue will DO explained
Tho oldest vandorer among the purlieug OF tho
market must havo boon astonlaflel at itB appear
nnee this morning: It looked as ragged as ovor,
to bo Buro, possibly o little moro untidy than
usual, but for all TINT it waB possible to walk
around 1t without being run over or coming into
collision with pedoBtrians at every other atop.
It needed not the worn and dusty appearance
Of tho workmen to understand Tint they had
done thoir work faithfully. The. old and
dscy9a shss whsh for the last hry
disappeared, and the curbstones Of the sidewalks
were once moro restored to tho light OF day.
vesey streot, Wcst stroet, and Fulton etreot wore
filed with wagonB laden with DEBRIS old Aooriue
planks brokon window frames, fragments OF tin
and brokon glass, bits Of cloth and canvas, stray
lohster-ehols, old cabbage-stalks, Jagged pipoB,
and every other kind Of rubbish which was once
| part Of Washington Market.
| And tho boys They were in thoir element,
with no ono to Interfere with them. Tho police
| acted q wiHo part TAoEe was no disposition to
| create disturbance, and they .wero probably
well pleased to allow tho difficulty to 10 aolyod
In good humor. So tho officers sat lere and there
| on stoops, smoked aud chatted and laughed at
| tho sight before thom. The Btandholdors had
forgotten their sorrows i'll tho prevailing oxoito-
ment, and naany of thom, rather tlan stand idlo,
pouitively helped III the destruction OF their own
property.
Rats arc not, humanity speaking, lovable anil
mails, but II tLors lad been fewer rats in Wash.
ington Market tlloro would have been moro ILL
| temper. Tho place awarmB with them. Tho
roofs. tho walls, the floors, every crack, every
creyico forma a snug hiding-placo for rnts-hugo
fellows, big, brown, lazy, and fat, Home OF them
| almost too plothoric for active oxertion. Whom
| over beam was pulled down or q plank torn UP,
out fell or out rushed Q rat md each unfortu-
nate rat was pursued with shrielss, and yele, and
immodorato laughter by boys and mon, and
Ronletimea oven BY o policeman. and tho rats,
after aIl. Thoy found crannos cyorywhoro In
which to hide. A piece Of bonrd m empty bas-
ket, o heap Of vegetables, an open drain, wero
to thcm 30 many harboya OF refuge, and thoir
pnrsuors wore often batllcd after long and ar-
duouB chAHo.
Half dozon dogs Joined in tho hunt from
puro love of sport, but, in tho hurry aud oxcta-
mont Of THO moment, caught more blows than
rats. SO tho fun wont on fast aud furious, and
tho rat hunt created moro excitement than tho
demolition Of tho sheda.
At noon to-day tho present task Of tho noaltl,
Board WAS almost completed. The booths had
disappeared, and the boundary walls Of the mar.
ket proper were exposed to Wow, and presented
strange appearance when tho roofs Ind boon
cut In twain and tho old oak beams Ind been
cloaely sawed of.
There still remained groat quantity Of rub
biah to bo removed, but o score OF scavengors
will DO aufictont to cloar that away, aud Vesoy
and Fulton Btreota will then be as opon % they
wero whom first laid out
put tho markotmen haye fal1y medo up their
only tho precursor Of d moro serious attack.
There arc fur creator nuiganees on West and
VeBoy streots than any OF those which have now
been removed, and 1t is expected that within q
few days, or porhaps in shortor time, the side
RtallH Of those streets will bo cleared away.
The holders OF these booths aro alHo c1poct-
ing somo suoh action, and, in1oed confeBB TINT
they haQo no moro right to DO where they arc
than the po1aonB displaced last night.
It was generally expected that tho forcblo
aboliahmont Of tho Washington Market booths
would be attondod with a desperate resistance
Tho peaceablo accomplishment Of tho work has,
therefore, caused SONG little surprao, but tho
marketmen this morning frankly explained the
reaaons for their aoquoHconco.
They mado no secret Of their intontion to
bring suits for damages against tho city, aud
profess themselves confident that thoy will bo
successful.
It Is understood that q committee las already
been formed to rRise tho funds necessary for
beginning these actions, and that Mr. Abraham
H. Lawrence will bo entrusted with their COLI
duct.
They do not deny that tho Board Of Health
was Justified i'll tho course adopted, and, 50 for
~ a. gould DO aseoEainod, aokno,wledge that their
claim that this was not their fault, aud main
tain that they had established right to tho
ponaoason Of tho a.. stalls by The long.cont1nued
mitB.