The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-24
OUR MISERABLE MARKETS.
TWO CENTURIES Am HiLFOFTHL
Ant or BJTCHERING.

Bear Markets Famous Wen IN the Bust-
ness Lis, Of NeIl-kuown Names
The public markets of New York are no
credit to the city. Located inconveniontly for
purchasers, they are crowded, dirty, badly ven
tlated, aud entirely unitractive. aud as a
natural consequence the bulk " our people are
left dependent on the mercy OF small retail
dealers. The result Is that they have to pay
large prices, the meats cannot be properly in
spectcd. and there Is little chance for choice. IL
is not 30 VA most of our other cities. nor In for
egn lands. The trader who, for Instance.
touches at kingston IN the comparatively Sc
questcred leland Of Jamaica, Is shown with pide
an admirable building OF iron, With tagged door.
where tue marble slabs Of the stands are sup
ported by iron frames, aud where a large fouu-
tain In the centre cools tho air. and uniformed
guards keep watoh over the building and extend
courtesy strangers.
Its lust two nun rcd and ATTY wears since the
Dutch West india COMPANY" offered to settlers
In the c,ty Of New Amsterdam the privileges Ut
market. among other attractions. Between the
comuauy's stOrehOuscs uu Whitehall street and
the Fort was the Market neld, where. on Mon
DAY Of each week, market lay was h,ld. ana
where was also held the .unud fair,which BEGAN
On the 2ith of Au0us' aud sted ten days. when
all persons were allowed TO sell goods from their
tents. The chief currency was walnpum uhe
RreenOack Of the dav) aud teaSer skins, tue lat
ter being valued at tnreo doll Is each.
the FIRsr MARKET.
In 1850 the FIRST uuhlic IN rket was located be-
tween Moore and Whitehall streets. on the east
side OF Pearl street. aud The city derived reve-
nue. from II IN ne ,have Of percontsgo on al
way Shan!blts was erected on the uIetcut
Bo~liug Green, but 1t was only a rough. lealIy
shed, and the next bear.the BuIgoW masters deter
mined to erect matkei ITO cover It with tiles
10 have - block brought therein. ana To- leave
the KEY with Andres tde Has-) the baker. VINO
email ufOAlstuuuilN have charge thereof
fullowiug yeur twelve Sworn butchers 30 were
chosen. one Of whom was recorded as A.s.r
Levy, jew. Ihey slaughtered al cdttlr. churg
Ing ~ Tor killing an OK. and a. OUT tufN cetts
Tor a hog. sheep. or calf. An we're sworn exeeut
Mr Levy, who "r,que-t- 10 be excused fr5m
Killing hogs a. his rei ion doc- no. allow MIN
10 do it. which was granted HIM" The great
trouble with these sworn butchers was tneir
proclivity to indulge IN litigation, which was
usually settled by referees, and without tn
help Of the legal profession. Ihere weie Kings
In the CIT, government even In he ptlmy q rs
Of our Dutcn ancestors. AS aupears 10y the record
OF June II. lUS. when the Mayor aud Aldermen
were informed that til city was seriously de-
trauded Dy tue inat,entiOn of Tim thy Gauria,
Collector OF Excise on S.oughtered Animals. ia
the matter Of "the en- erIng OF cattle for slausn
ter. At THIS time the city had grown 80 mucn
mat Tues lay, thursday. anu saturday were
appointed as market days, and the Inhabitants
were duly informed OF the hour II opening and
closing Uy the ringing 4 tus bell. \ very good
Erecautlon WIS taken asai!.st middle men, which
FORBADE any person to bay meat or vegetables
Tor sale again. uuul tue articles tad be Ia "a
posed for public sale for two hours 10 the mar
ket. The clerk Of the market M eanwhile went
bis rounds and collected heavy t4Ats lrom
lu those primitive days tnerc was no Delnon-
leo 20 furnish dinntr- ilr tnc tity F.thers. and
when they dln' q 90 g. bic the butcher OF CO..
period furnished the NiauGs, aud history says
not who cooked them. lie aid rmanic palate
OF l4 inclned t. SUI stan lals. - aut cas- b, a
till OF one Richard li.rtis, VINO supplied tho
Mayor and Aldermen with "a dinu,r II l,cf and
cabbage tripe aud COW heel, pork aul tugup-.
and mutton and pickles. 4 tue repa-t was
washed down with thttl-cne bottles Of Ntuo
and twelve shllngs worth " &c beer and -,ler"
" Is evident tho CITY fathers did ID IA re- Xar
dinner. tue iotdl cost Of which was 80 is. IT,
the trade Of butcher was one OF tue suiost
roads to fortune.
ANCIENT JOHN KELLY
Mr.. John Kelly, a freoh0lder, petitioned the
Common Council, In l.9l for leave To- erect A
Public Slaughter House and Penn" on the st
River near the present Peck slip, aud his petit
tion was granted, with the privilege Of taking
toll to tue extent Of one shilling, or the tongue
Of each neat cattle, for the use Of his premises.
MIR. Kelly appears u have made a good thing Of
II, AZ he was midway between Dreuckiyn ana
the new market az tue foot q Br9Ad street,
which was bullt IN 1891. ana removed about l;46
II was at this latter market, rather IA its reyu-
faiions, that We md tie first tracer Of tuat Ia
nous commodity known to la:er zen ratious Us
The Old slip Market having been erected n
11Ol, aud the market ~ Coentics slip a little lat.
err the citys income from these sources became
considerable, and the position and uerquisite-
Of CLERK OF tue Markets were held for a long
were therefore digeut ia Prosecuting delin-
o. t butchers, and the people accordingly
augment It's Income by leasing the STANDS IN the
markets, aud this WAS ,nnually done ny the
Market Committee. In the inst list of rentings
two women Eliza Carpenter and widow Davis
appear "a leaseholders. the former paying
sixteen pounds sterling for her stand. Tue
butchers were protected as lar 90 pOssible by
Furnishing market thieves with the lasn aud
with burning IN the hand. The profession pros
pered' aud other markets were added a. rapidly
a. population demanded, and kept under strict
control Of the city. Tue best Of Ties. IN It's
day was
THE FAMOUS FLY MARKET.
which was situated at the foot Of Green now
Maiden lane about on tue line Of Pearl street.
The u me was taken from ~mit's Nley ,r Fly
tvalleS or meadow long, low -alt water marsh,
which at an early ~ riod extended from about
WAL street ~ 10 the rising ground above Beck
man street. Tue market house WIS erected IN
liOd. Inc city passed a law that middlemen
should not no allowed u make purchases there
until afternoon. ITO the end that the uouse-
keepers NAV provide themselves IN the forenoon
Of every dtv at the iirst hand" The butchers
Were required To be ireehoiners u the city. Here
were t. DO found not on, meats, vegetables. ana
gran. but Old new piI els record such advertise
neht. as the following 10 he soil At puzzle ven
due, on saturday IA lrnug next at O'ciock.al tho
tY MAXI; d" negro ll,n VINO gan cook ana Do
all sorts ol housenoll Work, II wa- at tins
market that Long Island poured out its treasures
OF provisions here flon iiroehtn Whoin. IS
local poet sang ian hour before the sun,'
"lAecountry maids with sauce to market come.
Ana carry loads of taticr'i money houic'
II was ~ this market that, IN l,Jl, Il was Gr.t
ordered thai all kinds OF meat be sold by wcisnt.
ana tue rrice was nXei then az fourpcuce n.li
penny Tor beef PORK. hvepence hRlipcnny. uut-
ton, iourp"ncs hhltpenuy; fresh butter, one
stihug ana thretpence, mink, i've cOpplrs
by the quart. Tie latter article wis even thsn
hdulteratcd, a. apuears ia letter 10 a new.
paper OF the day. which B., signed, " New Nilk."
and com ialnsi " ! am obliged TO run barefoot
every mag and morning through so much
water Il am Hc4r BEN. waited to uotnIug.
In l~.l Il was Determined to open a new nl ir.
ket at the foot - Filton strrrt-th@ present
Fulton Mark-t-and tins sealed the late Of the
once famous Ola Fly Market, which Wa closed,
20 the great sorrow Of many eplcurC-, ia ls2s.
The new building was much admired, but II
seems strange to read now that objection Wa
made 70 II on account ~ the "lofty steps that
led up 70 n, aud the Gds,ttt called for hoist
lux apparatus for iuhrm customers. The resu-
latlOns were very strict, but the City IeAprd a
good income thereby. FitY wears ago boet az
fulton Market hrJasht To l. cents a pound
mutton LAM, and veal 10 cents: potatoes,
30 to - cents per Dushel; turnips the same -.
pies, 81 ~ 10 ~ a barrel and eggs, i! ceuts a
dozen. II scarce times these prices were Aely
Increased
the OLD BEAR MARKET.
Almost equally mous with the "Ol Vic"
wa the old Hear Market, which was h4iit m
177l at the Corporation lotts, to the nprthward
Of Dies dock on the west SIDE OF btrenWtch
Eueet, between Fulton aud NeseY. IrniN
Church gave taD toward the cost he name
was derived nom a hnc large bear wlich. IN
attempting TO cross the North river from the
jersey shore, WAS Killed Nv Jacob Fuck. "a
young butcher aud its meat exposed for -ale
there Bears me II was not "a ftyuflte except