Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-07-14
A FAMOUS FISH MARKET.
WHERE MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF
SEA FOOD ARE SOLD
Busy Scenes Around Old Fulton
Market-The Fishing Grounds
Whence Is Drawutfe FinnyPrcy.

In building two stories high apd oc
cupying about goo feet Of the dock 'front.'
Of the East River. between Eeekman
street pier and Fulton Ferry slip, is done
most Of the whole>alin. Of fresh 1i>h Of
III metropolis. About score Of firms
occupy the interior spaces, and on ,heir
benches are to be found specimens Of all
the >easonable food fish 1T any articuiar
season of the year. Indeed, it Is their
Pride and boast that between January /
at five minutes past twelve s. VI. and
December 81 at midnight, every one Of
the II. 900 species Of the food priced den
izens Of the deep are to be seen exhibited
eithcrin sample lots or wholesale guam
titles. he rear Of he squat,y building
looks out lpon the ti6 ats rising with the
tide to within a yard Of the flooring OF
the erounG s'ory. once or twice a week
the enclosed dock is crowded with fish
inc smacks Of fifty tons burden or less.
dlscharginr Cargoe> of cod, halibut had
dock, buefsh and other tnny prey.
which are landed upon the floats and
lifted bv block and tackle into the ware
rooms above. The scene is then lively
indeed, for the fishermen are As anxious
to turn their last catch into currency as
and be off on another predaccous voyage
as the merchants are to keep their dis
play shambcs and ice boxes full Of the
rarest freshest and most sought after
food fishes Owners and helpers alike
know no rest during those periods Of in
cessant activity. Like newspaper men,
they turn night into day, also reversing
that act, which is goin. tbe Bohem'ans
one better.
IN THE FISH MAKKEr.
The interior Of the fish market IS a
place the casual visitor sees with interest
Just once. Novelty is heaped up on every
bench and sticking out Of every box, but
I to see it one ought to be equipped with
the rubber boots and smock frocks Of
the men who make their living there
After the work of unloading the fish the
most obvious duty is to put them in the
way Of lasting fresh as long as possible,
and ice is the only preservative agent
The heaviest work of the helpers is de
voted to comminuting huge blocks Of ice,
and the flying fragments make the floors
/ fairly awash with a chilling mixture of
slush, into which are often trodden such
small fish as slip off the huge shovels in
which they ar transferred, first to the
weighing scoop and thence to the boxes,
in which they are packed with aternat-
! ing layers of cracked ice. Men are
! trundling truck loads, barrels and boxes
] Of fish along the narrow passagcwavs.
The little dens that serve a, counting
rooms are crowded with buyers, and
huge packages of ice buried fish are be
ing loaded upon the army Of draws and
trucks that crowd the delivery entrances
+. far out into the street.
NwHERE THE FISH ARE CAUGHT.
Comparatively few Of the sea FISH now
come III smacks owned and run out o
this port. In fact, only fifty craft ha
from New York and have their brio
home coming after landing their catcf
here. This number is somewhat in
creased when the opening of sprlns
makes it good enterprise to meet tn
schools of fish as they make their Wa.
northNard from tropical waters, haltln.
briefly at the various "banks' that skir
our seacoast from the Carollnas to Green
land Just now, however, the fish hav
made such northerly progress that littl
marked deep sea fishing is done furthe
down the coast than the banks OF
hoHtauk l JIM
The fishing grounds off New England
shore are most attractive Just no"
Thence are drawn chiefly the supply Q
cod, haddock and halibnt for the cast
crn half of North America. There ais
are caught vast quantities Of mackcrel
herring. sea bass, cells, ctc4 New or
used to have 100l vessels harvesting TIN
scalv crop. Tie number 81 vessel
engaged al present is much larger, hu
they hail from Boston and Other aS'
ern seaports now \ few years ago III
railroad, put on what is known as tn
Centennial train. and more fish arrive II
it each morning in this year Of grag
than come in by smacks.
oNHHE Ff~uI-Ss. H><h~.
Fishermen have 10 run far ont 10 sea !
pursuit OF the halibut. h.ddoek and 60
in paying numbers. Some vessels q
ca.cd in such fishing are 81 10 tor
burden and 90 out with stores enough
last them FIVE or siN months They IN
get their fare as thcv call il, Socnc
but thev 90 out provided against Al
contingency. These fish are taken i
most solely hy the hook Ih"ytish vi
"trawls' m'io or meTe in leng'
from which a. S.N feet interval, har
other lines terminating IN hooks co.
floats are strung along e. The require
!, intervals. and kc- huo.~ support t
travis al the two ends. lver hoeN
hated with scrap + '-h- Twice
day the fishermen in lories lift I
travis, taking of the ti~h that re hook
! and renewing the bat I"e -hern'
;. who forage around The dtant ban
generally sat their ca'ct. smaller Nf
sells 70 10 the nearer ha"ks and retl
with their atch fresh after two or 'hr
!, d4y~. The latter cla-, c4tCI near,
the haldoc, tina rruh taJs fnarNt
Haibl, make the moS, proh.sl,.e i,
ing. L IS not unn>sia, to catch L
wei. hin- two or tic f-:nafel pounc
!. They command i've cent< pound = i
; fresh. and q such figures the heavy :
mount up 70 respectable p-o1t. y
Yor[ 1rap|i.