The sun., 1897-11-13
REFORMS FOR A MARKET.
Sidewalk on King Street Should
be Clearer.
ONE OF THE GREAT MARKETS.
The Largest Of It's Character in the
United States---SOme Re.
marks COncerningit
Origin.
one OF THE GREAT MARKETS

through dense crowd in King street
market one day this week, and grabbing
a handful OF mackerel walked swiftly
away. The owner of these fish being ap-
prised of the above incident, started in
pursuit OF the rascal, and after a hard
chase caught him at Ninth and Orange
streets and recovered his property.
There does not appear to be much sig
nifcance in that piece Of news, but to a
pedestrian who was fighting his way
through the seething mass Of marketers,
the thought arose, Of how easy it would
naturally seem, for theft to take place
in the very sight of the storekeepers and
passersby and then. the thought OF the
enormity of King street market, occurred
to him. On inquiry he found the fol-
lowing to be true:
From a mere market house OF small
dimensions, this market has developed
into the largest market of its character in
any American city having population
OF Is 1000; a market extending over eleven
squares Of one street. Visit this market
on Wednesdays and Saturdays and you
see an aggregation Of characters worthy
the attention OF your minds study. The
gray haired grandfather, the middle aged
man and the son: the aged woman and
fair-haired maiden; the American and
the foreigner; and the wealthy and the
poor, are all to be seen anXiously scan
ming the goods displayed before them,
with an idea Of purchasing food, clothing
or luxuries.
In 1886 a market was established upon
the present site of Central Market, by
the Swede's who settled this city. King
street was then in the centre Of the city,
though very narrow at the time, was
nevertheless the principal thoroughfare.
The Shipley family built market at
Fourth and Market streets, about the
first of the century and the outcome OF
this was continual fghtin, among the
burgesses as to whether both markets
should be open on the same day, and it
was finally decided that Shipley's mar
ket should do business on Wednesday,
and Saturday should be reserqed for
the market at 2nd and King streets. The
formcr place disappeared with the late
war.
But now in regard to tie method of
doing business in the King street market
of to-day. Selling goods from wagon
whi,h is backed up to the crrbst'nc, be-
gan by farmers bringing loads Of wood,
potatoes and corn to town and dispoSing
of it from vehicles. Gradually the prac-
tice of making a store of the wagon, came
in vogue, and now on every market day
we find hundreds of all kinds Of wagons
lined up the side OF King street. Some
pfom in the manner of conducting the
King street market, would be acceptable
to the thronging crowd of buyers who
visit the market. The sidewalk meas
ures twelve feet and the owners of wag-
ons placing a stand in front of their ve-
hicles occupy four feet of the walk. The
storekeeper opposite puts his goods out
on stands, thus contiscating another four
feet. By this, only four feet OF space is
left through which the rushing crowd
forces its way.
The merchant in the building has no
right to cover the pavement with bas-
kets, boxes and bundles; has no right to
block the passagcway of the people,
made such by law, and those closely
packed sidewalk of King street should be
cleared SO as to allow the unobstructed
passage Of the customers as they trend
their way along the thoroughfare. The
condition just spoken of has become a
nuisance and should be remcdicd.
Places in front of some Of the stores
are rented weekly or monthly and the
statement was made to-day by an official
at the Court House, that this the mer-
chants were not allowed to do. Yet it is
done.
Another thing in King street market is
the fact that persons selling goods from
wagons are limited to tie sale of only
such stuff as is of their own produc-
tion. Even should "wagon merchant"
wish to sell meat, he is allowed to sell
only those cattle which are raised on his
property. He cannot buy meat and sell
it, wagon merchants" pay liscensc
to the town and retain exactly the same
place in the market each day. Only one
other "curb stone' market in the United
States approaches King street market, TO
any degree of proximity and that one is
situated in Baltimore.
S,,Ju,r;l =, f,r y,,, S,x