The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-09
LOND0N'S FISH MART.
Billingsgate, the Home of SLANG
and Strong 0dors.
NEARLY TWO CENTURIES OLD.
The Ccsters and the Immense Trade
They Do in . Few Heurs-strange
Scenes in Early Morning.

LONDON, July 27.-fSpecial Correspond
ence }-Haif-past O'Clock in the morning,
and grey dawn is slowly breaking over
London town. 1t Is sultry summer
morning The air is heavy with the odor
of fish. There are crowds in the streets
near Billingsgate, bewildering assort-
ment of wagons and q hurricane of voices
that would deaf.n the people who were on
the tower Of Babel one day, now famous
in history Horses appear TO be entangled
in shafts and shafts in wheels. while the
cries, the shouts and objurgations make a
confused and deafening uproar.
The clock strikes and the market opens.
In a moment the place swarms with life.
The vessels are there hauled up in tiers In
the river, laden with silvery cargoes; the
porters are there running TO and fro be-
tween the ships and the market; the rail-
way vans are there, packed with fish
brought from the railway stations; the
statesmen are there at their stands or
benches. and the buyers are there ready
TO buy and pay.
Little business, however, is transacted
until about O'Clock, the intervening hour
being occupied chiefly in the transference
of the consignments of fish from the YES
sells to the market, and putting the differ
ent stalls in ship-shape for the business
that viii shortly begin.
1t is nearly two centuries ago since Bill
ingsgate was established. Since then it
has achieved and maintained worldwide
notoriety, principally through the bad
Language popularity supposed to be used
by the frequenters thereof. Billings
gate. however, is now myth, whatever
II may have been in the days gone by.
When paying a visit to Billingsgate
market it is advisable TO don an old suit
of clothing Not only does the market it
self reek Of fish, but so do all the lanes and
streets approaching IT. At early morn
these thoroughfares are crowded with fish
carts for a distance Of several hundred
yards from Lower Thames street. There
Is never ending stream of porters, each
with large box of fish curiously balanced
on his head. It is always best to give them
the wall, for your Biilingsgate aristocrat
Is no respecter of persons.
The market is long low edifiee, built
on pillars, with a number of Offices over
the ground floor. On the roof is figure
Of Britannia, pluckily holding on to that
everlasting trident. The sculptor who
carved the figure had no sense of the fit
ness of things, otherwise he would have
made the statue holding her nose with her
fingers. The smell of fish is strong down
below, but what must it be up there?
With some difficulty We cross the road,
which is ankle deep in filth.
This stalwart fellow, climbing the ribbed
planks that lead from the river TO the
market, and bearing on his head two
heavy baskets of fish, is typical market
man. He wears tarpaulin hat fitting
close to his skull, something like ''sou'-
wester," and boasting brim of about nine
inches in width az the rear and which
curls up at the edge to catch and retain
the moisture which would otherwise fiow
down his back from his dripping burden.
The outer garment is a grayish-white hy-
brid surtout, half jacket, half smock-
frock. reaching almost to the knee:
it is open al the breast and
displays voluminous handkerchief, tied
in double knot, the ends fiuttering jaunt-
ily in the breeze. His trousers are of anv
material you Ike to imagine, as imagina-
ton alone can penetrate the coating of
mud, which is all that is visible 10 the eve.
While we have been describing his ap-
pearance he has vanished, and a dozen
more of precisely the same mold and SIM
ilarly burdened have followed him. On
they come in continuous stream, rising
out of the darkness below with startling
regularity. These men bear themselves
with an air Of high official dignity. and
not without reason, for they are the ''fel-
lowship" porters. who have the sole priv
. h. -,
They are the yeritable Caryatides of the
commerce Of Billingsgate.
It is now nearly O'Clock and the trade
is at its height. A continuous tide of pop
ulation flows in and out of the market,
where the sharp shot of thousand chat
ering tongues drums upon the year in an
uninterrupted volley. There is, however.
no disorderly riot or quarreling. The
sales are so astonishingly rapid as to be
scarcely comprehensive to q stranger.
Many lots are sold upon the head of the
porter. who yet hardly waits a minute in
the throng before he dashes down his bur
den and is of Under the flaring gaslights
are ranged the salesmen's desks. Behind
each of these stands the partner or head
assistant and the aucIioneer proper. who
stands " here the boxes Of iish are deposited
by the porters. The aucuOneers are waited
upon bv form" mana very useful fel-
low if he knows his business well This
functionarv takes charge Of each box as It
arrives. and sees TO its delivery when sold.
The market place is covered with the
stalls of the statesmen. the tenants of the
market, which are divided BY narrow al
levs that serve 10 condense the food of
u6rters more than ever and makes il irnpos-
sibIe TO avoid an occasional collision. In
one corner man Is conducting an auction
in a hoarse greasy voice, a hoarse greasy
thunder rises up from the reeking crowd Of
purchasers each time tempting lot is put
IN. The crowd around his stand. which
is coraposed of q couple OF rickety boxes
consists of about go retail dealers. all
elbowing and nghting and husEling 10 get
near him. and all bawling a. If 10 lift the
roof off, Many Of them absolutely drip
with dishy water. They are literally as
oily, and are packed a good deal more
closely as sardines In TIN.
About o'clock new class of buyers
come crowding in, and the whole place is
so filed with them that one has 10 fight
his way AT every step. You find yourself
all OF q sudden surrounded by verv IN
disciplined regiment of London ''cossers''
an extensive and peculiar class iadigen-
Gus 10 the soil. They have already heard
that this morning the market Is well sup
psle0 Win nShs anu lLSf nave AocAel oy
hundreds with their barrogs, baskets,
hsnd-carts and donkey-carts in the hope
Of making a good days work over half
lot Of soles. The lot is generally couple
OF baskets
What for this lot?" says one salesman.
Eight shillings for one, bawls coster
lad
Eight and six-eight and nine-nine
shilIings-nine and two-nine and six
ks.h - hale
tones in instant succession.
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