Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-10-06


LONDON, Sept. 23.-You can fairly
smell Billingsgate market, the greatest
wholesale tishmarliet of London, ana
the most important fishmarket in all the
world, long before you can see it. 1t is
not an unpleasant odor. II has hint
of the sea air in it. Tar and oakum are
suggested. Floating to your senses,
along with the coming of the first rays
of the morning sun broken by the grim
and lofty monument, IL tells more than
Vi the stufTy market and its steaming
hrongs.. 1t carries the fancy pleasantly
long past Londons grim waterside
Structures and the webs of spars and
rigging, down the widening Thames,
and on past pretty Margatc to the wide
free reaches of the blue North sea.
There in that wondrous sea harvest
field, from Dover to upper Norway are
rocking the fisher fleets.
In olden days, indeed not more than
a quarter of century ago, these sent
their 'catches" direct to the London
market. And a pretty sight it must
then have been, when the fleet came up
here to tho old Billingsgate wharf, just
under the shadows OF historic London
Bridge;-the Dutch-built eel-boats, with
their bullying polished oaken sides, half
hidden in the river mist; punts packed
with founders, and small, closely
crowded baskets ranged along the seats;
scores of oyster punts filled with gray
masses of sand and shell; weather.
beaten luggers packed with herring, cod
and ling; and all about the wharf and
swarming like flies aboard all manner
of closely anchored fishing craft, sailors,
fishermen, costers, Billingsgate fish
wives, and fine ladies, too, engaged in
: the chafferng and bantering of eager
selling and buying.
But that day Is past. Tho olden color
and brightness are gone. Hard mercan-
tile thrift, and modern methods have
banished the fine ladies who, in gentle
"slumming" mood, made their own pur.
chases at Billings5ate, and took back
into choice London society the won
drous sayings of the Blllingsgate
women whose tongues were the readiest
and wickedest il all the world The
tishwives are gone, and their only ex-
listing prototypes are at the Claddagh,
Galway, Ireland.
Steam vessels scurry about the North
sea grounds, secure the fish where they
CIV tUhSh anu bllllH llltlll W lDc 0lDuLn
OF the Thames. Here other larger fast
sailing steam craft are laden, and these
varying in number according to the
season, daily bring the vast fish supply
OF London, landing it at the very doors
of Billingsgate, much as the fish supply
of New York city is set down in the
East river at the back doors Of ram.
shacle old Fulton market.
Billingsgate market still stands iust
where it has stood for centuries. How
many centuries no man knows. Icono.
clasts without reverence for even the
antiquities of fish say fellow by the
name Billing owned wharf upon the
same spot in Queen Eizabeth's reign,
Jand hence its name. But have seen
n the preamble to an act Of Parliament
Qn 10 and IL of William ILL to make
Billingsgate free market for the sale
K of fish, in which, among other
"whereases" is one recting that "Bil.
lingsgate has time out of mind been n
free market for all manner of floating
and salt fish, as also for all manner OF
HOLSTERS and shellfsh." Tradition
which is good history when authorities
differ, lends the place its more fitting
antiquity and insists that il owes lis
origin to Belin an ancient king of the
Britons, who tlourished 400 years b. c.,
and who, observing an opportunity fol
gain, like a true Briton erected gate
here through which the fishermen of
his day, after floating upon the Thames
with the tide in the hide-b ottomed
curraghs, were made to pass and pay
toll before they could sell their fish;
and hence the name lin's.gate, finally
corrupted to Billingsgate.
However all this may be Billingsgate
is the Oldest wharf on the Thames, and
that is saying much for it on the line Of
age. The market building and the
ground it stands upon is owned by the
London municipal authorities. Its riyel
frontage is 200 feet, and its superficial
area is 10000 square feet, atfording site.
for IL shops and two large public houses
IL is located in the densest part of what
may be termed waterside London, OF
the north bank of the Thames. Jus
above it to the west is old Londor
bridge; a bridge probably better known
in the literature of fiction and traye
than any other similar structure in th,
world. Just below it to the east is tbt
new tower bridge, in process of con
struction for the past six years. I'm
mediately adjoining, to the west are tho
great Levant and Spanish fruit-markets
and on the other side, seward. stand,
the huge Doric fronted London custom
house. Immediately opposite. acros
the Thames on the Surrey side. is m,
tremendous reach of the Surrey Com
mercial docks, vast, grim, black ant
half in mist; and the Thames at THU
point between London and Towo
bridges, is called "thc Upper Pool. |
is said to carry here more floating traf,i,
than any other n oh of water approach
ing it in size upon the face of the globe
Owing to the dense massing of rive
tratilc at this point and the incOnceiY
ABLY congested nature of the population
narroWness Of streets and seeming mex
trlcaolllty OF street traffic banking vi
against and hemming in Billingsgatt
from all directions, it would almost seen
that London would have long since
found some more accessible and conven
lent depot for the disposal of her cnor
nous fish supply. Yet all attempts t
abandon Billingsgate or divert its trad
have proven futile. Conservatism, ira
dltion and even superstition balk al
Efforts OF this character. Dealers tel
me they would go out of the business i
they had TO leave Billingsgate. Fisher
men would not feel easy about thei
consllgnments to any new market. Cos
tiers have repeatedly told me that thc
pest customers among the poor of tn
East Enf would not buy or cat fish tina
mad not the time-honored seal of Bill
lingsgate inspection upon it.
This popular feeling undoubtedly hat
more than all else to do with two ruin
Gus failures to locate this vast trade else
where in London A rrn,. 49,, ,,l-al =.