The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-01-03
FULTON MARkEr, NEW YORK.

There is little of the squalor which APP
pears inseparable from great London food
centre to be seen here, comparatively few Of
the hungry, pinched, woe-begone specimens
of humanity who hang round the teeming
butchers stalls, or gloat with envy over the
groceries and bake-houses The sense OF
plenty communicates itself even to the tran.
sient visitor, and one longs to gain some
idea, however faint, of the aggregate
amount of beef and mutton, of poultry and
of game, which is daily poured into WASH
ington Market, and to sum up the cleaning
mass of fish which in Fulton seems sufficient
to provide for every fast day within the
next few hundred years. AS regards the
latter point, we are enabled to give the fig.
ure-65, 900, 900 pounds of fish being dis
tributed from Fulton Market every year.
This enormous supply finds market over
o vast area, quantities being shipped as fan
West as Denver, Col, and to all intermedf
ate States for, although there are local fish
markets in all the principal cities Of the I'm.
ion, there is not one where the same variety
of fish is obtainable. Here at the different
seasons of the year nre landed turbot and
soles from England, salmon from California
and Newfoundland, green turtle and Span.
ish mackerel from Key West, and the red
snapper from the Florida waters. Here,
too, the great lakes forward their contribu-
tons of white-fish and salmon trout Nine
ty per cent. of all the fish eaten in New
York is bought at Fulton Market, which sup
plies nearly all the hotels and restaurants,
both in the City and in the fashionable sea,
side and other resorts. Opposite the main
market is great wooden structure that is
the receiving-house for all this vast supply
here the Wholesale dealers congregate, and
the II stalls into which it is divided are held
by the leading fish merchants. The build.
ing itself belongs to the Fishmongers' AS
ISOLATION, which leases the bulk-head upon
which it is built from the City.
At first it seems incredible that the
amount of fish which reaches Fulton Market
should over find consumers; but when We
learn the quantities taken per day by the
leading hotels there is no longer any ques
lion as to the possibility of the fact, but on
the contrary, the idea of possible sea fam.
inc for our descendants enters the mind.
In the month of August o hotel like the
Grand Union at Saratoga will order from
1000 to 5000 pounds of fish daily, while {
leading hotel at Coney Island viii command
over 1000 pounds of fish in one day. Since
the popularity of seaside resorts has beer
so fully established and SO many large hoteli
provide for the accommodation of the pub
lie, the Summer price of fish has increased
nearly 100 per cent. owing TO Che enormous
increase in the demand. The fish merchan
occasionally comes il for a fair share o.
abuse for keeping up the price of fish ever
at a time when the market is glutted, anC
allowing, so say the critics, thousands o
pounds to rot rather than sell at low price
But this view of tho matter is, perhaps,
little one-sided, the fish merchant asserting
on the contrary, that it is only by husband
Jug the supply when it is overplentilul thu
the daily demand can be met. That il
times of great scarcity, when, if there wer
ne reserve stores, fish would realize it
weight in doiidIs, they manage by Tie eA
cellence of their storage system to suppl
the market Mt nominal rise in prices. Il
effect this, huge refrigerating store-rooms ar
kept, in which 200,0 pounds of fish car
be slowed away, and here temperature o
IL below frpezng point ia steadily main
tanned. But for these precautionary meas
ures thore would De weeks in the year when
New York would be bare of fish Tho sup
ply shipped throughout the State is packed
in large refrigerating cars, by which means
the loss by spelling is very largely reduced.
With all these and various other modern ap-
plances, competition in the fish market is
keen and increases every year, the margin
of profit becoming smaller as time goes on.
Fulton Market oysters are celebrated all
over the world, and scarcely distinguished
person who has visited New York but has
been conducted to the great oyster saloons
in connection with it to make acquaintance
with the far-famed varieties of this dainty.
There Dickens drew his ideas Of American
possibilities in this direction, and Thackeray
swallowed the oyster which he said was like
small baby there many of the renowned
prima donnas who have charmed New York
with their song have been entertained and
delighted in their turn. A noticeable fea-
lure in connection with these oyster saloons
is the increasing numbers of Indies who
frequent them. During the ordinary lunch
con hours every day almost rs many ladies
appear in the neighborhood as men of bust
no.s, but whether they are themselves work
ors or only beguiling n pleasant hour the
deponent saveth not.