The record-union., 1892-10-01

tloiit lItidilu Is S6ilI across SJ. GEORGE
Channel in fast steamers and thence by
rail. Salmon and trout all come by rail;
ana much of the northern North Sea
yield, taken off east Scottish shores, and
even some OF the catches from about Var
mouth and Scarborough are, for the sake
Oh time saving. thus transferred. Small
wheeled, lead-lined vans are provided by
the railways. These are dragged by
horses from fishing stations or quays to
railway stations, and thus brought to
London without breaking bulk. On ar
rival here they are wheeled to the street
and dragged by horses through the
streets from various stations TO Billings
gate. Fully 100000 tons Of fish annually
reach the market in this manner; and
from o'clock of any week day morning,
hundreds upon hundreds OF these vans
choke up every narrow avenue of APP
proach, waiting their turn to unload.
over tnree-tourths of all the fish con-
sumed by London passes inspection at
BIllIngsgate. AS the market is city prop
erty the officials for this purpose, four in
number, are appointed by the Court Of
the t1shmongers' Company, one of the
ancient but still thoroughly active Guilds,
or Trades Companies of London. 1t has
a fine Fishmongers' Hall near London
bridge, and expends many thousands
yearly in preventing the sale of decayed
1sh. All fish condemned byits inspectors
are Immediately conveyed to a waiting
barge, treated with carbolic acid, and
sent to tertilizing works at Rainham,
where, after being baked dry, they are
ground to powder and sold at about SO
per ton to the strawberry and hop farm
ers of kentfor fertilizing purposes.
The hsh steamers arrive alongside the
market at all hours Of the night and early
morning. At precisely O'Clock in the
morning the market opens. Long lines
OF plank are laid from the market quay,
over barges and pontoons to the steam
ers' decks, and every ounce of fish is
brought over these IN baskets and bags on
porters' heads and backs. At the same
time the railway vans are unloading on
the landward side. But six can be cared
for at the same time. The confusion and
ENHANCEMENT are indescribable. One
who witnesses the scene for the first time
is filled with amazement that the largest
and most civilized capital in the world
will tolerate such antiquated methods.
But the porters are wonderfully deft,
alert and carry incredible loads. / have
seen many laden with from 200 to 800
pounds weight. They will positively
trisk under barrel of behring's which
weighs zoo pounds, and there is no ques-
ton that many of these fellows can easily
get about the market with upwards OF
400 pounds properly distributed upon
head and back.
These Billingsgate porters are regarded
as the strongest, quickest and most attn
letic men in London. They live in every
respect like the water rats of the Thames
and the aristocracy of the Whitechapel
district. Their only earthly ambitions are
To eat, drink, visit penny gaifs," rat and
dog fights, and excel in pugilism. They
are Big, brawny, hairy chested fellows, of
apparently endless good nature, but are
.bruteS by heredity, instinct and deepest
yearning. Whatever their want of char
acter outside the market, a more demure
and lamb-like set Of fellows was never
seen than they are while on duty here.
They are licensed and the strictest reg
ulatIons exist regarding their conduct,
even to the character OF their language.
10 lose their license is worse than i'm
prISonment as criminal. Their "reputa-
tons" among their fellows, the costers,
and the East End slums are gained by
their proves and strength here. 1t is
their world, their highest broadest out
look, and they are really curiosities in So
ciaI or literary study.
They delight especially in odd-sounding
nicknames. In my few visits to Billings
gate have already come to know, and be
tavorably known, by "Fishy JIM"
''Cocky JIM" BLACK Prince "Jack.
the Float" Happy Jack,' Johnny
Shoeblack," Jimmy Fingers" the latter
"Blue-Nose Nike" Gross Eyed joel
and 'Four-Ale Jim" The latter is never
quite at his best unless he has drunk six
or seven quarts of ale before break fast
The oath of all these Billingsgate porters.
like that of the costers, to which class
they have marked affinities, is "Gor bli
me and its wickednesS is too abhorrent
for translation. They comprise two
classes in their daily market work-those
who bring the fish from the steamers into
the market, who are called ''shorers,"
and those who remove the fish to the
staIlmen's wagons, or the costers' carts,
who are called smobbers.n
The pugilists of London chiefly have
their origin among the BilIingsgate por-
ters. They have their regular champions
at seven stone SIX ''eight stone six"
and eleven stone," and officer 100.
Policeman +. Wade, informed me that
there is not man among them who has
not at sometime or another appeared in a
Whitechapel ring. Bill Goode. who
fought Slavin, is still licensed porter
here. Among many curious characters
is one Cornelius Callahan, known as
Mike, the Iipster." Heis ane'er-do-well
and privileged person. He makes great
ostentation Of his knowledge of the state of
the market. Getting up at 2 o'clock in
the morning he prowls about the fishing
steamers, and then just before the market
opens he slips about among BUYERS and
sellers and whispers ''the tip o. the day.
IN their ears. The ha'penny is always
forthcoming. On Saturday afternoon, lust
before the market is closed for the week.
they have game with Nike" He
regularly appears for his butfeting, and
often in the rough play that ensues poor
Mike is nearly killed. Then the hat is
passed and from six to ten shillings is al
ways paid the willing victim.
ton, and veritable Babel the place is
from to or o'clock. There are two
classes of sellers. One comprises the
regular commission men to whom the
fishermen consign their catches, and the
other is thoroughly hated but most
prosperous class, known to Billings
gate from time lmmemorial as bum
marees.'
But however interesting NAV be the
interior of Billingsgate to the casual
visitor, the adjacent thoroughfares from
midnight, when the first retail BUYERS
begin coming, until the close of the
market at 9 o'clock, provides far more
strange and curious pictures and group
iugs. Upper and Lower Thames streets,
Tower Hill, Fish Street Hill, st. Mary-at-
Hill, st. Dustan's Hill, King William
Street, Arthur streets, east and west.
Grace Court and Love Lane, are appar-
emily inextricably damned with hun
dreds Of railway fish vans, green grocers'
wagons and costers' donkey carts and
handbarrows. There is no other place in
London where such vast and so odd a
tumble of vehicles and folk may at any
one time be seen. Over 1000 vehicles for
the bringing or taking away OF fish are
here. With them are 10000 coster men
and women and an unnamable, indie
scribable host OF petty street vendors and
hangers-on. II you can arrive here on a
foggy morning early when the first rays
OF the sun are filtering through the fieecy
folds of the mist Tapping up with the
old RillinnSo..ta nial-anS o,,I