The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1880-11-27
BlLLiNGSGATE.
A I'M orning Scene I'm the London Mar
ket Famous for Its Fine Etsh and
Foul Language.

DuoicSu, muSt DC tneTe Dy nVe CLOCK In
the morning, for at FIVE o'clock, all the
year round. the policeman, permanently
appointed to this post, rings the great
bell, and at the first tone of its iron
tongue the iron gates, river side and
city side, are unbarred, and swinging
wide open admit such concourse as is
not seen in any other city under the sun.
Men in so-called white smocks, with
headdresses, partly felt, partly leather
some with leaves of leather hanging
half way down the back, make furious
rushes from Lower Thames street. to
the river side, where they are met by
fellow-laborers, who have reached
there by some mysterious means already,
and who search about eagerly for work
to do. The steamers that have been out
for days in search of the fleet of fishing
boats from the North sea, and which
may have overhauled them close to
deligoland, or nearer to, or further
from, our shores are moored alongside
the dummies by the landing and into
each of these are lowere two timber
gangways, up one of which climb the
porters with trunks of fish upon their
heads, whilst down the other trip other
porters with their empty boxes or
trunks. as they are indifferently called,
ready for fresh load. These steamers
may have arrived in the river during
the early morning, or they may have
come tlate the previous afternoon; or,
should your visit be fixed for Mon
day, they may have been there from
Saturday afternoon, lying lazily in the
suffocating weather, which is not cal
culated to improve the flavor OF the
cargo. But there are also ice ships
about, and the knowledge of their pres
ence lends sentimental GOODNESS to the
atmosphere.
Now the streets become noisy with
the arrival of carriers carts from the
railways whose systems touch the sea,
or carry river fish from Scotland or
from Ireland. Of course the Irish and
Scotch salmon are the most highly
priced. for those of the English rivers
are not rated so highly, and the produce
of the Norway rivers stand at the low
est figure in the market. But for this
class of fish the season is nearly, ifnot
completely, at an eud, for the speckled
trout goes out of fashion at the close of
the parliamentary session, with its lordly
relative the silver coated salmon. Cod
and skate, which lie about in all direc-
tons, are just coming in, and, whilst
haddocks, and plaice seems numerous
enough, turbot and oysters are rather
shy OF putting in plentiful appearance.
Norway Holsters are not Just now in
season, so that one visiting the market
at present loses the sight of their sort
ing in the "naddock-room," over the
ground floor market, sight well worthy
of beholding.
AS six O'Clock and seven o'clock ap-
proach, the business becomes fast and
furious. The fish arriving by boat and
by rail are being rapidly sold off for the
most part by auction There is but it
tie time to Maggie about prices; the
market figures are tolerably well estab-
lished almost from tie moment the
gates are unharred, and the customers
ara too anxious to obtain their required
supply. and to carry it off to distant
carts of the metropolis, to waste time in
beating down for pence, for shillings, or
even for pounds sterling. From the
steamers and the Dutch eel boats, hung
With cages round the sides, and fitted
with wells inside to keep the fish alive;
from the heavy barges laden with
shrimps, which are shoveled like grain
into baskets, or with mud colored floun-
ders caught by and beyond Blackfriars
bridge; from the railway vans in the
narrow roadways, crowded with flat
fish and fresh water fish, or with huge
baskets running over with shiny ees,
the porters make their way in and out of
the market. The numerous narrow
by-ways that radiate from the Ease
of the tall bully that lifts the head
and lies in Latin-are thronged with
CoStcI uOHgerS carts anu DdTrOW5, SO
far that for the general public these So
called thoroughfares are positively ian
passable up TO nine or ten o'clock.
AS the market exists, its business is
carried on with all possible propriet /;
and, taking into consideration that it's
lowest chamber, which, by the way. is
scarcely ever used, is ten feet below he
level of the river. it is kept remarkably
dry. This has to be effected, however,
by means of steam power, which keeps
continually pumping the water put from
under the flooring, and which would, if
allowed to rise, food the building in
thirty-six hours. Strange to say, too,
this drainage is not water from the river,
for ii is perfectly pure and tasteless, but
is supposed to percolate through the
earth from the coal exchange opposite,
where it is said that the Romans of old
had established spring batns.--Londoa
Ssaaa0rd.