Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-02

the fish TO the stallmens wagons, or the
costers' carts. who are called ''mobbers."
The pugillsts Of London chiefly have
their origin among the Billingsgate
porters. They have their regular
champions at seven stone SIX eight
stone six and eleven stone, and of
flcer 100 Policeman 4. Wade, informed
me that there Is not a man among them
who has not at sometime or another
appeared In u Wnltochapcl ring. Bill
Goode. who fought Slayin, IL still A
licensed porter here. Among many
curious characters Is one Cornelius Cal
lahan, known AS mike, the Iipser
He is neer-do-wcll and a privil-
eyed person. He makes u great os-
teutation Of his knowledge OF the state
OF the market. Getting up az 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
tin o. the day in their cars. The ha'-
penny is always forthcoming. On Sat
urday afternoon, just before the mar
lSet is closed for the week they "have a
game with Mike" He regularly APP
pears for his butieting, and often in the
rough play that ensues poor Mike is
nearly killed. Then the hat IS passed
and from to 10 shillings is always paid
the willing victim.
All Blllingsgate fish are sold by auc-
ton. and a veritahle Babel the place is
from b to s 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 n thoroughly hated but
most thoroughly prosperous class,
known to Billingsgate from time i'm
memorials as "bummarees. These
are really middle men who practice all
possible arts TO combine and force the
regular commission men. who have
but a short limit OF time In which to
sell, to dispose Of lots at ruinous prices,
and through similar combinations of
ten compel retailers to purchase at eX-
orbitant rates.
But however interesting may be the
! interior of Billingsgate TO the casual
visitor the adjacent thoroughlares
/ from midnight, when the first retail
/ buyers begin coming, until the close OF
| the market at 8 o'clock provide far
more strange and curious pictures and
groupings. Upper and Lower Thames
I street, Eastcheap and Great Tower,
I Tower hill, Fish street hill, st.
/ Mary at-Hill, st, Dustans hill, King
William street, Arthur streets, east
and west, Grace Court and Love Lane
are apparently ineXtricably jammcd
with hundreds Of railway fish vans
green-groceis wagons and costers' don
key carts and handbarrOws, There Is
no other place in London where
such vast and SO odd jun
BILE OF vehicles and folks may a
any one time be seen. Over 1000 vehi
Giles for the bringing or taking away Of
fish are here. With them are 10000
costeI men and women and an unnam-
able, indescribable host of petty street
vendors and hangers-on. II you can ar
rive here on foggy morning early
when the first rays Of the sun are filter
irg through the fleece folds of mist
Mapping up with the tide along the
Thames, you viii then know old Bill
ingsgate as Dickens and Thackeral
knew 1t, and win long for power ant
space in which to paint with pen o.
pencil one Of the strangest, oddes
scenes to be found in this mighty Lon
don town. EDGAR l.. WABEMAN.