, 1888-03-01
"UALLES CENTRALES.r
THE PLACE WHERE THE PARISH
ANS BUY THEIR FOOD.


tho Morning.
There are now twelve pavilions of iron
and glass at the Paris Halles Centrales.
Each ono seems to be devoted to u differ
ent sort Of edibles, and yet the space thus
allotted under cover is little more than
half large enough for the city's needs.
The four largest pavlions are those where
fish, poultry, vegetables and dairy prod
uce are Sold All the pavilions are well
ventilated, the stalls are commodious and
''down among the dead men, are base
ment cellars, where the stall renters are
permitted to store such imperishable
goods as they have been unable to dis
pose of in the course of the day.
The wagons bringing the meat from
slaughter houses and poultry from trains
begin to arrive about IL o'clock IN the
evening, and they continue coming
throughout the night. The employees lift
out the baskets ard arrange them along
the sidewalks. In each basket Is the car
cass of an animal, either whole or cut up
into quarters, and carefully wrapped up
In stout canvass also label bearing tho
name of the sender, the weight of the con-
tents and a sort of bill Of lading, which is
handed to market official who makes
from it his memoranda. Then number
is placed on all the merchandise which
comes from the same shipper, after which
the board Of health Inspector makes his
examination, marks V on all meat that
he considers ft for food and has the rest
removed to another place to be looked ut
more carefully later on. When it is
finally found unfit to eat it is contlscated
and either sent to the Jardin des Plantes
to be thrown to the wild animals, or is
totally destroyed.
Tn fha ip,n tha fOrfc ola In hol1o
or market portcrs, have commenced their
part Of the common work. Handling the
meat which has passed inspection with
large iron hooks, they carry it to tho pub
lie weighing station, and when the weight
of each piece has been twice recorded,
once by the clerk Of the consignee and
once by the city's employe, q label is fas-
tened 60 1t with q galvanized iron pin, and
then the meat is hung up in rows to be
sold, n Ia erie, or at public auction, to the
retail dealers, and rs the pieces are sold
the name OF the purchaser is written on
the other side of the label.
This is the routine for carcasses and
quarters already prepared but there is
other meat in large quantities which has
to undergo two operations known as the
epluchage Urlmming) and the decoupage,
or cutting UP. This is done by five men,
and ia difficult and sometimes dangerous
work. Tie dccoupeurs wear o sort of
cap, to which lighted candle is fixed;
this Is the only light that they have to do
their work by, and it must be executed
with great rapidity in the midst of q crowd
of porters and other market hands. There
are, it Ii true q few gas jets here and
there, but not enough of them to enable
the inspectors and cutters to do their work
properly Why don't they burn more
gas? Well, because it is known in Paris
that gas is bad thing for meat and other
food, and the less of gas there is used
about eatables the better for mankind.
Four o'clock is the hour when the vente
a Ia criee begins. The din is appalling.
Strong armed wenches, men and boys are
rushing about or pushing trucks bearing
hampers full to the brim, and statesmen
perched aloft in small pulpits bawl their
offers in voices which sound like dismal
howls under the zinc rootings, while Gus
toners bid in the same strain. The buyers
at this early hour are stallkeepers, proprie-
tors of restaurants and hotels and caterers
to hospitals or asylums. These people, by
coming early, get their provisions much
cheaper than the public will do in the
course OF the day, though this is not true
of fish, which is subject to astonishing
fluctuations. The wholesale selling ends
at O'Clock, and now cooks and poor wives
make their appearance by thousands.
1t is II curious ard an instructive scene,
| assure you, that Of the markets at an
early morning hour.
The street is 50 crowded with people
that wheeled Vehicles cannot enter; but
beyond the church stand rows Of cabs,
with their horses heads facing the shops
ON the other side of the little rue that runs
along the front of the ancient edifice.
Here Oh The sidewalk stand hundreds Of
baskets Of fruit, grapes and whtish
brown things that on closer inspection
provo to he mushrooms. There Is u wide
passaSc between the two lines Of pavl-
Ions. and ut this early hour this passage is
that lovely that even you, good people OF
the Go!uen coast, would cry out "Ye
gods how beautiful" The colors of all
the rGinbows that have arched them
selves over the earth since Noah went
yachting greet our eyes. II is paradise
Of roses, camefias, violets, prmroses, of
all the flowers in the world, at least it
seems so, Farther on are things which
English rcople call roots, but which we in
superiority pronounce vegetables. Hun
urcds ana hundreds OF rows of red carrots
RS many more rows of white turnips;
rows three or four feet high, mind you,
and 80 s,;illfully piled that no vestige OF
tile green stems can he seen, and yet To
each root is such an appcndage. And the
S''"p'i5V' Hilu INC clullHoWerS! ana the
baSEcts Of string beans and peas. and the
green st,:f"s for shladsl and the rdtatoes.
"Arrth, he spudsr' as heard tic gentle-
man--lc may oven now he one of our first
citizens tor all | know-say once upon "a
tinlc in Dublin.
y i;I;r further on are the fishes. ON
&'lccri rlattcrs, like rc,lud basket lids
WITH h,.lGles on either side, turbo,,
skate, "nckcrel, sole, rclmoa, perch ETC.,
In tcH, fifteen and twenty pairs ut time
These lishwomcn are not those OF Billings
gate, but they will DO. have 10 wish to
come into contest with muscular rcd
nriss; and, phew heaven knows they are
Just now strong c:GCc,! % knock John
sullivan himself OFT oi time. Parisians
lIkI i''n and cons.,l:!e yearly on average