New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-01

and wharves the old market has been swept
quite away
40 more IS II visible 10 the ordinary citizen Of
Network even though ne tolls faithfully along
the waterfront 20 discover f.. y ride up West
ct no longer discloses the long row Of pictuI-
esque fiat bottom scows. with houses o. two
stories covering their entire hulk. moored 10 the
stringpiece at the edge u the street. The old
oyster market has reappeared, II j. uue-lt was
too important an institution not to-but now u
is hidden from general view. It's new site is
along the riVerfront juet opposite the new
West Washington Market. and the fleet moved
there early I'm the summer. chat the oyetermen
might have time to &c; settled before the rush
OF the fall comes on
whether tn. change is permanent r. So hard
10 sly. 1t is contend,d that il is, and the as
serton is made with much positiveu-se. Prob
ably the city officials and the oystermon are as
sured in their own minds chat the oyster
fleet" has had its last moving. But who shall
Say that city changes win not make IT. necessary
for the clumsy boats 10 move ON" some time
before many decades pass
An oyster "neet' is an easy affair 20 move.
A few tuehoats. an hour or two and # IS of
in the stream. bound elsewhere. leaving TO
debris behind il. nothing 70 tear down. All
knew. of course. that the old PerY-st. site was
not permanent. for he Dock Department plans.
made far back in the seventies. provided for
piers at this point as we'll as elsewhere but it is
quite probable that the unwrltten histories and
traditions that concern fifty years ago would
reveal that the old Spring street Market. where
the oystermen consre gated before they came to
Perry -et.. was accepted a. a nnality. ana that
no other site ever thought Of
Already there have been heard here ana there
- aoa
These are simply whispered rumors OF no par
ticular authenticity. and they are interesting
only because OF their possibilities. one Of these
rumors places the future site Of the oyster mart
at Staten Island and the argument for it is
that at the present site heavy swell is felt
from passing ressele and that unloading the
boats that are mOOred TO the scoWs becomes i'm
convenient. and might prove source Of dam
age Again. the handling of the oysters and the
running expenses OF each boat Of the "Aeet"
would Dee less. u is contcnded if the market
were down on Staten Island. and the margin Of
profit would not DE close a. the trade finds
st to-day
In many ways tho new oyster market site is
not success. and much gumhline is heard
along the "row." 4 veteran "oystcrer' is au-
thorty for the statement that The last sum
mer was the hottest and most uncomfortable
ever experienced in the oyster fleet" because.
OF its present exposed situation and that the
prospect Tor the winter is even worse. because
il Will be excessively cold there At Perry-st.
the oyster boats We're in sort Of BASIN shell
tered fro the wind and the cold. Now
they lie along an open bnkhead. well out in the
stream, fully exposed 10 the north To the
south. as we'll. they have little shelter. being
almost out 10 the line Of the new piers
Artistically however. the oyster fleet" has
lost little If at all, because II ii has been car
ried away from the old stringI ,cce and its
quaint surroundings, since destroyed and mod
he 20 and titt ~.
river front side of the new West washington
Market as background. This makes its sur
rOundings really the more attractive. OF itself
the fleet has not changed whit. Improve
merits may come and improvements may go
but the old boats continue 10 remain. with no
addition 10 their circle. no altering. no modern
izing. One is tempted to believe that an oyster
York