The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-02
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
A VIVID sKETOa OF LONDoNs Bill
LINGSGA ATE.

In the W OrIQ-OLQ6F IMAM AuLD9ALlC
British History - It's Ancient Fish
Wives Are No More Interesting Sur
roundings and Odd Characters.
(CoABriGhtJ
LONDON, Sept. 19.-You can fairly
smell Bnlingsgate market, the great
don, and the most important fish market IN
all the world, long before you can see it. 1t
ia not an unpleasant odor. 1t has hlnt OF
the sea air in it. Tar and oakum ere sug-
gested Floating to your senses, along with
the coming of the first rays of the morning
sun broken by the grim and lofty monu-
ment, it tells more than of the stutfy mar
ket and its steaming thronRs. ltcerries the
fancy pleasantly along past London's water
side structures and the webs OF spars and
rigging, down the widening Thames, and
on past pretty Mergate to the wide free
reaches of the blue North sea. There 10
that wondrous sea harvest field, from
Dover to upper Norway, are rocking the
fisher fleets
In olden days, indeed not more than
quarter of a century ago, these sent their
catches direct to the London market.
And q pretty sight it must then have been,
when the fleet came up here to old Billings
gate wharf, just under the shadows of
historic London bridge, the Dutch. uilt eel
boats, with their bullying polished oaken
Sides half hidden III the river mist; punts
packed with founders and small closely
crowded baskets ranged along the seats;
scores OF oyster punts filed with gray
masses of sand and shell; weather-beaten
luEgers packed with herring, cod and ling
and eli abous the wharf and swarming like
flies abroad all manner Of closely anchored
Sc -.
Billingsgate tishwives, and fine ladies, too g,
engaged in the chAffering and bantering of
eager selling and buying.
But the day is pest. The olden color and
brightness are gone. Hard mercantile
thrift, and modern methods have banished
the fine ladies who, in gentle Cumming"
mood, made their own purchases at Bill
lngsgate, and took back iuto choice London
society the wondrous sayings OF the Bill
ingggate women, whose tongues were the
readiest and wickedest in all the world.
The fishwires are gone, and their only
hope existing prototypes are at the Clad
dagh, Galway, 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 sailing
steam crafts are laden, and these varying
in number according to the season, daily
bring the vast fish supply OF London, land
ing it at the very doors OF BillingsgRte,
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.
Billiugsgate market still stands Just
where It has stood for centuries. How
many centuries no man knows. Icono-
c.asts without reverence for even the an
tlquities of fish say q fellow by the name
Billing owned wharf upon the same spot
in Queen Elizabeth's reign, and hence its
name. But I have seen the preamble to
an act of parliament IN 10 and 12 Of Will
lam I'LL to make Bilingsgate free mar
ket for the sale of fish, in which, among
other "whereasesn is one recltinR that
"Billingsgate has time out Of mind been
q free market for all manner of floating
and salt fish, as also for al manner of lob
sters and shellfish.n Tradition, which is
good history when authorities differ, lends
the place its more fitting antiquity and in
slsts that it owes its origin to Bslin, an a1-
Gent king of the Britons, who fiOuriShed
400 years B. c., aud who, observing an 90
portunlty for gain, like a true Briton
erected a gate here through which the
fi,hermen of his day, after floating upon the
Thames with the tide in the hide b0ttomed
curraghs, were made to pass aud pay toll
before they could sell their fish; and hence
The name Belin's-gate, finally corrupted to
Blingsgate.
However all this may be Billiugsgate is
She oldest wharf on the Thames, AMI 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 river frontage is 200 feet,
and its superficial area Is &C, 900 square feet,
auordlng sites for seventeen shops and two
large public houses. 1t is located 10 the
deosest part Of whet may be termed water
SIDE London, on the north bank of the
names. Just above it to the west is old
London bridge; a bridge probably better
Known in the literature OF fiction and
lTaYe! than any otner similar struct-
Ore in the world. just below it TO the
eA8tB the new Tower Lridge, il process of
construction for the past six years I'm
mellately adjoining, to the west, ar the
great Levant and Spanish fruit markets,
qua on the other side, seward, stands the
huge Doric frOnted London custom house.
immediately opposite, across the Thames
On the Surrey commercial docks, vast
grim, black and bale in mist: and the
names ct this point between London and
Ghd Tower bridges is called "Che Upper
5ool'" l5 10 said 70 carry here moro float
aug traffic than any other reach Of water
globe
Owing to the dense massing ct river
frame at this point and the inconcgivably
oongestad nature OF the population mar
LOSS "a streets aGd seeming 110XtTlCa-
o4tIy OF street traffic banking up against
ana hemming in Billiugsgate from oil
directions, 1t would almost see n that Lon-
ION would have long since found some
more accessible aud convenient depot for
SHe disposal of her enormous fish supply.
i C all attempts to abandon Piliingsga,e
W oc overt its trade have p oven futile
Conservatism )" tradition ana even super
9Iuaon balk all efforts of this character.
tpeaers tell me they would 20 out Of the
BUSINESS .s II they had to leave Billtugsgate.
nIoueGmen would not feel easy about their
LSous'gnments TO any new market. Costers
1--we repeatedly told me that their best
customers among the poor OF the East End
t%oul1 no5 buy or eat fish that had not the
r rule- honored seal Of BillingsgRte inspection
Iue popular feeling undoubtedly had
lure than all else to do with two ruinous
iia'ures to locate this vast trade elsewhere
80 London. A great market was not long
rs established at Hungerford Stairs. Being
liar oo lar up the river and too far from tho
tt.Hse masses of the East End it had but "a
s g,i.t existence. A line drawn north and
Io1yu through the center OF London bridge
oa Ives population of about 800 900 TO the
ta - or down the river, and about :, 400, 900
f s99 west. Hungerford market was too
30 90 :, rom the coster sellers and lowly buyers
gu tue East End, who, It will be seen, really
III rather than the well-to-io classes,
cS5 l5cality Of London's fish market. An