Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-11-09
VlEENAyS VANDERINGS
,ospoN's sllLlNescATs.


oad characters.
,o..,r,,ht, isoe, by Edgar Il. wakemanl
snoy Sent. iV.-Nou can fairly smeii
l,1l.S',,sste market, the greatest whole
Bsl ssh market Of London, and the most
tue ~" mn market In all the world
ihp't, lore you can see IL. II is not an un.
Ens.s,t od1r II has hint OF inc sea ayr
pc. T,r and oal.um are suggested
10 ~ ,,, 10 your senses, along with tuo
lpi s.', n The first rays Of the morning SUI
eoulns he The grim and lofty Monument,
b '.N,, mere than OF the stuily market anh
nN,r,,rlnq throngs. II carries tho fancy
hs,,tiv aloug past I.ondOn's arim water.
P,as,rpetu.es aud the webs OF spars nnu
su ,sing down the widening Thames ana
hs 49,, pretty Margato to the wide free
onrbss 6f the blue North sea. Ihete ~
~, vondrous sen harvest field, from
nar.r 10 upper Norway, are rocking the
~ alden DAYS, indeed not moro than
.,,er Of n century ago. these sent their
s,rbcsn direct to the london market.
- pretty sight ~ must then have been,
nssn HE fleet came mp here to the old
psillrg.,nte wharf, just under the shadows
- historic London Bridge; the Dutch
1ant e,lboats. with their bulRing polished
Yen sides. half hidden IN the river mist;
.nr,s hacked with founders and small
Iios,lv crowded baskets ranged along the
-. scores u oyster punts filled with
- masses of sand and she'll. weather
s,s,sn luggers packed with herring, cod
- ling. md all about the wharf and
earning like fies aboard all manner Of
slo.slv anchored fishing craft, sailors, lsh-
men. costers, Billlngsgato ilshwives, and
ane ladies too engaged In the chnifcring
and han,erlng Of eager selling and buying
put that day Is past. The olden color
..d brirhtnoss arr gone. Hard mercantile
,b,ift and modern methods have banished
,Is fine ladies' who In gentle cumming"
mood made their own purchases at Bill
i,ng.eate and took buck into choice Lon
don society tho wondr0ua sayings Of the
pIlllnrsaaie women, whose tongues were
az, rpadlest and wicicdcst IN all the world.
Tbe lshwivcs are gone, and their only OK.
sting prototypes arc at the Claddagh, Gal.
way, ireland.
steam vessels scurry about the North
,.a grounds, secure the fish where they
nre taken and bring them to the mouth Of
,be Thames. Here other larger fast sail.
ine steam craft are laden, and these. vary.
ine IN number according to the season,
daily bring the vHst iish supply Of London,
landing IL Mt tho very doors Of Billings.
gate. much as the fish supply Of New
York city l. set down In the East River at
,be hack doors OF ramshaokle old Fulton
Market
Blllinesgate market still stands just
where IL has stood for centuries. How
many centuries no man knows. IcOuo-
rlas,s without reverence for even the an
tlouitles Of tlsh say fellow by the uame
Billing owned u wharf upon the same spot
IN Queen Elizahoth's reign, aud hence its
name but have seen the preamble 10
an act Of parliament On 10 and u OF VIII
Lam I'D TO make Bllllngsgate free mar
ket for the sale ~ fish, In which. among
other "whetenscs," IL one reciting that
sBngsgate has time out Of mind been "A
free market for all manner OF floating and
salt fish, as also for all manner OF Holsters
and shclllsh" Tradition, which Is good
history When authorities differ, lends the
place lis more fitting antiquity and insists
THAT II owes It's origin to Belin, an ancient
King Of the Britons. who nourlshed 400
years D. C., and who, observing an oppor.
tunliy ior gain like a true Briton, erected
agate hem through which the fishermen
81 hisday were made to pass and pay toll
leicn they could sell their fish; and hence
The name Delin'sgate, finally corrupted tC
Bilngsgate
However all this may he Billingsgato Is
fhe Oldest wharf on the Thames, and that
j. saying much for II ON the line Of hge
The market building and the ground II
stands upon Is owned by tho London mu
utHN INa IT,. 4
80 feet and Its superficial area Is 1000
pquare feet, afording sites for seventeen
shops and two large public houses. IL q
located In the denSest part Of what may b,
termed waterside London, on the nortl
bank OF the Thames. Just above IL. TO The
west, Is old London Rrldgo-a bridge prob
ably better known In the literature o
ietion aud trayel than any other simila
structure in tho world.
Just below II to the east IL tho nov
Tower Bridge, In process OF construction
for the past six years. Immediately adj
Joining, To the west, arc the grcnt Levan
and Spanish fruit markets, aud on TN
other side, seward, stands the huge Dori
ironted London custom house. Imme
diately opposite, across the Thames on Oh
surrey side. Is the tremendous reach OF tn
Surrey Commercial docks, vast, grim
black and halt In mist. and tho Thames a
shIs point between London md Towc
bridges Is called "tho Upper Pool" Iti
sad ioeaTy here more floating traffic thai
my other reach Of water approaching IL Il
tile upon tho face oi the globe.
owing to the dense massng Of rive
iralic at this point aud the inconceivnbl
songested nature OF the population, mar
fowness OF streets aud seeming iuextrlca
buliy OF street traffic banking up ngalns
and hemming In Billingsgnte from all al
Ieetlons, II would almost seem that I.ot
uon would have long since found som
more accessible aud convenient depot f.
we disposal OF her enormous fish sunni,
iet AL attempts 10 abandon Blllingsgat
nr avert its trade lave proven futil,
'Conservatism,N tradition and oven supel
wilton bnlk all Efforts OF this charactg
Dealers telllne they would 20 out Of Ia
business II they had to leave Billingsgat,
thherhen would not feel easy about the
eohsighments TO any new market. Costci
hANe repeatedly told me that their be,
customer among thu poor Of the East En-
Wohl! not buy or eat fish that had not III
Hon upon II.
The varieties OF ilsh which are in the
respective seasons delivered Mt Billing
gaze market nunhdr nearly 100 Durln
iIis month have noticed perch, per,wii
hles' PIKE, Rnchoyies. roach, salmon, GU
he!S' haddoel;s, herriugs, founders, tn
poN sprats, jack, ling, plalce, dorco
lIawns' catfish, mullets, whclks, coalnsl
Trout, soes, pllehards, cells and cong,
eels' dogash, cod, Dream, brill, hako, slal
neNeTs' skate. smelts, whitehall, toncl
surgeon and perhaps dozen other varl
ues, and the total weight Is from ie, 900
, ,S,Up tons per month or 10000 tons ~
VI this vast quantity fully twothir,