Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-12-13
EAST LoNDoN's RIVERSIDE.
Sir Walter Besant Describes the
Thames Below London Bridge.

Thames Below London Bridge.
The second of Sir Walter Besant's
papers on the East End of London ap-
pears in the Century, with illustra-
tons by Phil May and Joseph Pennell.
1t is devoted to the riverside below
London Bridge, which only hundred
years ago was the home of pirates and
river thieves as heartless as the tug
boat captains who refused to save the
drowning victims of the great fire at
the Hoboken docks this summer.
There is one place in LONDON where,
at any time of day, and all the year
round, except in days of rain and
snow, you may find a long line of
people, men and women, boys and
girls-people we'll dressed and people
who had no work to do. They stand
here side by side, leaning over the low
wall, and they gazed earnestly and
intently upon the river below. They
do not converse with one another:
there is no exchange OF reflections;
they stand in silence, and they gaze.
against the wall, and they look down
upon the pool, that is to say, upon the
reach of the river that lies below Lon
don bridge. l have never crossed the
bridge without finding that long line
OF Interested spectators. They are not
in hurry. They seen to have nothing
| to do but to look on. They are not
apparently, country visitors. Most OF
them have the unmistakable stamp OF
London upon them. They never tire
of the prospect before them: they teal
themselves away unwillingly; they
move on slowly; when one goes, an
other takes his place What are they
thinking about? Why are they all
silent? Why do they gaze so intently?
What is it that attracts them? They
do not look as If they were engaged
in mentally restoring the vanished
past; ! doubt, indeed, whether they
know anything of any past. Perhaps
their imagination is vaguely stimu-
lated by the mere prospect of the full
flood of the river, and by the sight
of the ships. AS they stand there in
silence, perhaps their thoughts go
forth; on wings invisible they are
waited beyond the river, beyond the
ocean, to far off lands and purple is
lands. At least, / hope SO; otherwise
| do not understand why they stand
there so 'ong and are so deeply wrap
ped in thought.
There never was a time. there never
was any other place, unless it might
have been some short-lived pirate
settlement on a West Indian key,
where there was 80 much savagery as
on the riverside Of London, toward
the close Of the eighteenth century.
When one thinks of 1t, when one real
ICES the real nature of the situation
and its perils, one Is amazed that we
get through without the rising and
the massacre of the mob, not once only
as in the Gordon riots, but a dozen
times.
AS WhVic vi thc IifOi blut DOPuth-
tion, including not only the bargemen
and porters, but the people ashore,
the dealers in drink, the shopkeepers,
tho dealers in marine stores, were
Joined and banded together in an or
ganized system of plumber and rob.
berry. They robbed the ships Of their
cargoes as they unloaded them: they
robbed them OF their cargoes as they
carried them in the barge from the
wharf to the ship. They were ali con-
cerned in it, man, woman, and child.
They all looked upon the shipping az
a legitimate object of plumber. There
was no longer any question OF con.
science; there was no conscience left
at all. How could there be any con.
science where there was no education
no religion, not even any superstition
or course the greatest robbers were
the lightermen themselves; but the
boys were sent out in light boats,
which pulled out OF sight under the
stern OF the vessels, and received
small parcels Of value tossed to them
from the men in the ships. These
men wore leather aprons, which were
contrived as water-tight bags, which
they could fill with rum or brandy,
and they had huge pockets concealed
Dehind the aprons, which they cram
med with stuff. On shore every other
house was drinkingshop and fence
or receiving-shop. The evenings
were spent in selling the days robber-
les and drinking the proceeds. Silk,
veiyets, spices. rum, brandy, tobacco.
everything that was brought from over
the sea, became the spoil OF this YER
min. They divided the work; they
took different branches under different
names; they shielded one another II