, 1888-04-19
"HALLES CENTRALES.'
THE PLACE WHERE THE PARISH
ANS BUY THEIR FOOD.

sclIing-stirring Scene ut o'clock in
the Morning.
There IRE now twelve pavillons OF iron
and glass Mt the Paris Hallcs Ccntralcs.
Each one seems to be devoted to II differ.
ent sort of edib!es, and yet tho space thus
allotted under cover Is little more than
hnlf largo enough for the city's needs.
The four largest pavillons are those where
fish, poultry, vegetables and dairy prod
uce are sold. All the pavilons are well
ventilated, the stalls nre commodious and
'',iown among the dead men" are base
ment cellars, where the stall renters nro
permitted to store such imperishable
goods rs 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 ii O'Clock in tho
evening, and they continue coming
throughout the night The employees lift
out the baskets ard arrange them along
tho sidewalks. In each basket Is the car
cass Of an animal, either whole or cut up
into quarters, and carefully wrapped up
In stout cauvas also II label bearing tho
name Of the sender, the weight OF the con-
tents aud sort of bill of lading, which Is
handed to = market official, who makes
from IL his memoranda. Then q number
Is placed on all the merchandise which
comes from the same shipper, after which
the board of health inspector makes his
examination, marks u V on nll meat that
he considers fit for food and has the rest
removed to another place to be looked Mt
more carefully later on. When 1t IL
finally found unfit to eat it is conilscated
and either sent to the Jardin DIES Plantes
to he thrown to the wild animals, or Is
totally destroyed.
In the meantime the forts de In halle
or market porters, have commenced their
part of tho common work. Handling tho
meat which has passed inspection with
large iron hooks, they carry 1t to the 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 employee n label Is fas-
tened to 1t with galvanized iron pin, and
then the meat Is hung up In rows to bo
sold, Ia erie, or at public auction, to the
retail dealers, and IA the pieces are sold
the name Of the purchaser IL written ON
the other side OF the label.
This Is the routine for carcasses and
quarters already prepared, but there Ii
other meat in large quantities which has
TO undergo two operations known as tho
epluchage Urnmingl and the decoupage,
or cutting up. This Is done by five men,
and Is difficult and sometimes dangerous
work. The dccoupeurs wear n sort OF
cap, TO which lighted candle is fixed;
this Is tho only light that they have to do
their work by, and IL must be executed
with great rapidity in the midst Of crowd
of portcrs and other market hands. There
nrc, II is true, few gas jets here and
there, hut not enough OF them to enable
the inspectors and cutters to do their work
properly. Why don't they burn more
gasf Well, because IL Is known in Paris
that gas IL u bad thing for meat and other
food, and the less of gas there IL used
about eatables the better for mankind
Four O'Clock IL the hour when the vente
lu crice begins. The din IL 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 roonngs, while GUS
toners bid in tho 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 q O'Clock, and now cooks and poor wives
make their appearance by thousands.
1t is curious and an instructive scene,
I assure you, that OF the markets ut an
early morning hour.
The street is SO 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 tho front of the ancient edifice.
Hero Oh the sidewalk stand hundreds Of
baskets Of fruit, grapes and whitish
brown things that ON closer inspection
prove TO he mushrooms. There IL wide
passage between the two lines of pavil-
Ions. ard ut this early hour this passage is
that lovely that even you, good people OF
the golden coast, would cry out: "Ye
godsi how beautiful" The colors Of all
the rainbows that have arched them
selves over the earth since Noah went
yachting greet our eyes. 1t IL a paradise
Of roses, cnmellas, violcts, primroses, of
all The flowers In the world, at least It
seems so. Farther on are things which
English fcople call roots but which We i'm
our superiority pronounce vegetables. Hun
drcds nnd hundreds Of rows Of rod carrots,
~ many more rows OF white turnips;
rows three or four feet high, mind YOU,
and 80 sEllfully piled that no vestige of
the green stems can be seen, and yet to
each root Is such an appendagc. And the
cabbagcs and tho caulilluwersl and the
baskets Of string beans and pens. and tho
green strCs for salads! and Tie potatoes,
"Arrah. ht spudsp' us heard the gentle
man--lo may even now he one OF our first
citizens for all know-sny once uron
time In Dublin.
l't;.e further on are tie fishes, on
wicker piatters, like round basket lids
With h:tidlcs on either side, turbot,
skate, uackerel, sole, salmon, perch, ETC.,
III ten, iifteen and twenty pairs ut n time.
These fishwomen are not those of Billings
10 fht.U ~ al. I huxg t,1. er