The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-26


Odd Characters.
copyright, IS9e. by Edgar l.. wakeman.l
LONDON, Sept. i9.-You can fairly smell
Billingsgate market, the greatest whole.
sale fish market Of London, and the most
important fsh market In all the world,
long before you can see it. 1t is not an un-
pleasant odor. II has hint Of the sea air
I'm Il. 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,
It tells more than OF the stuffy market and
it, steaming throngs. 1t carries the fancy
pleasantly along past London $ grim water
side structures and the webs Of spars ana
rigging. down the widening Thames and
on past pretty Margate TO the wide Tree
reaches Of the blue North sea. There In
that wondrous sea harvest field, from
Dover 10 upper Norway, are rocking the
fisher fleets.
Ia olden days, indeed not more than
quarter Of a century ago. these sent their
"catches" direct TO the London market.
And a pretty sight IL must then have been,
when the feet came up here TO the old
Billingsgate wharf, just under the shadows
of historic London Bridge; the Dutch
built eelboats, with their bulging 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, fish
ermen, costers, Billingsgate fishwives, and
fine ladies TOO, engaged in the chaffering
and bantering OF eager selling and buying.
But that day is past The olden color
and brightness are gone. Hard mercantile
thrift and modern methods have banished
the fine ladies who in gentle stunning"
mood made their own purchases at Bill
lingsgate and took back into choice Lon
don society the wondrous sayings OF the
Billingsgate women, whose tongues were
the readiest and wickedest in all the world.
The fshwives are gone. and their only ex-
listing prototypes are at the Claddagh, Gal
way, Ireland.
Steam vessels scurry about the North
sea grounds, secure the fish where they
are taken and bring them TO the mouth Of
the Thames. Here other larger fast sail
ing steam craft are laden, and these, vary
ing in number according to the season,
daily bring the vast fish supply of London,
landing it at the very doors of Billings
gate, much as the fish supply of New
York city is set down in the East River at
the back doors of ramshackle old Fulton
Market.
Billingsgate market still stands just
where it has stood for centuries How
many centuries no man knows. Icono-
cIasts without reverence for even the an
Equities of fish say fellow by the name
Billing owned wharf upon the same spot
In Queen Elizabeth's reign, and hence it's
name. But have seen the preamble TO
an act of parliament lin 10 and IL of Will
liam IT'D TO make Billingsgate free mar
ket for the sale of fish, in which, among
other "whereases," is one reciting that
"Billingsgate has time out of mind been
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 its origin to Belin, an ancient
king OF the Britons who flourished 400
years b. c., and who, observing an oppor-
tunity for gain like true Briton, erected
a gate here through which the fishermen
Of his day were made to pass and pay toll
before they could sell their fish; and hence
the name Beln's-gate, finally corrupted to
However all this may be Billingsgate is
the oldest wharf on the Thames, and that
Ii saying much for it on the line of age.
The market building and the ground it
stands upon is owned by the London mu-
nicipal authorities. It's river frontage is
zoo feet and it's superficial area is 10000
square feet, affording sites for seventeen
shops and two large public houses. 1t is
located in the densest part Of what may be
termed waterside London, on the north
bank OF the Thames Just above it, to the
west, is old London Bridge-a bridge prob
ably better known in the literature Of
fiction and tra.el than any other similar
structure in the world.
Just below it to the east Is the new
Tower Bridge, in process of construction
for the past six years Immediately ad-
joining, to the west, are the great Levant
and Spanish fruit markets, and on the
other side, seward, stands the huge Doric
fronted London custom house. Imme-
diately opposite, across the Thames on the
Surrey side, Is the tremendous reach Of the
Surrey Commercial docks, vast, grim,
black and half in mist, and the Thames at
this point between London and Tower
Bridges is called 1.-THE Upper Pool" 1t Is
said to carry here more floating traffic than
any other reach of water approaching it In
size upon the face of the globe.
Owing TO the dense massing Of river
traffic at this point and the inconceivably
congested nature OF the population, mar
rowness of streets and seeming inextrica-
bility Of street traffic banking up against
and hemming in Billingsgate from all di-
it would almost seem that Lon
don would have long since found some
more accessible and convenient depot for
the disposal Of her enormous fish supply.
Yet all attempts TO abandon Billingsgate
or divert it's trade have proven futile.
Conservatism, tradition and even super
stition balk al efforts OF this character.
Dealers tell me they would go out of the
business if they had to leave Billingsgate.
Fishermen would not feel easy about their
to any new market. Costers
have repeatedly told me that their best
customers among the poor of the East End
would not buy Or eat fish that had not the
time honored seal Of Billingsgate inspec-
ton upon it.
The varieties Of fish which are in their
seasons delivered at Billings
gate market number nearly 100. During