The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-01-21
JEW MARKET IN NEW YORK,
CLAMOROUS B4RGdTNERS WHO STRIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Strange Looking Types.

Peck Slip is the fish market for He
 brew merchants who live within a radi
 us of fifty miles of Manhattan. To this
 point come peddlers from beyond Bay
 onne and New Brunswick, N. J., store
 Keepers from Westchester's towns
 push-ca men from the "red-light
 district, and mongers from Mulberry
 Bend. Strange looking people they are
 and dirty-Russian, Polish and -Aus-
 trian Jews, some in the pleasant garh
 of their native lands; others, longer
 here, in greasy brown overalls and
 jumpers. Most of them wear thei
 hair long, and the more recent arrivals
 have their feet incased in odd black
 hip-boots with high heels. The men
 with the boots wear long military
 set rakishly on one side of the head.
 Each day they assemble and secure
 posts of vantage near the market
 place before five o'clock in the morn-
 ing, so that they cau be ready when the
 call of the auctioneer is sounded.
 The sales are made by boxes, each
 one of which contains about one hun
 dred and fifty pounds of fresh fish di- rect from the great lakes. As fast as
 each consignment arrives by truck from the railroad terminals, the boxes
 are auctioned off on the curb, and so fast are the sales made that each box is sold almost before it touches the pavement in the process of unloading. the curb cleared of it's noisy, pushing thong, but in those few hours of busi- ness the total sales of the three or four
 auctioneers amount to more than those of any other business conducted in Full ton market.
 The auctioneers are usually the fore men of the markets that have fish to sell; brawny, big men, well able to- qui- ct the outbreaks that not infrequently arise among their buyers. They make their appearance each morning, with their heavy ulsters incased in enormous white aprons, and stalk up and down the sidewalks, hatchet in hand, waiting for the fish.
 When the first truck pulls into sight, they rap loudly with their hatchets on the water-pipes in front of heir stores The sharp, resonant sound can be heard for blocks, and in answer to the call the Hebrews come tumbling from all direc- tions in a mad rush to get as near as possible to the boxes as they are un- loaded. They pull, haul and shove each other and even jostle the big auc- tioneer who fetches the nearest offend CT a slap on the head with as much unconcern as though he were striking at a box of fish. The truckman pitches the first box down among the clamor- ing ones. It may be filled with pike, perch, whitefsh carp or white bass. With clip of the hatchet off comes the head of the box, and the buyers crowd and push, craning their necks to set a look at the vendible. Those on the out side lean upon the shoulders of those in front; all who can, reach in and feel of the fish.
 "How much am I offered?" calls the auctioneer.
 Ugh, no good" grunts one merchant. skinny" says another. "Too much ice, very little f1sh'' protests third, 1 stretching out his hand infront of the i, auctioneer.
 Mail 1t up and jerk it inside, orders the man with the hatchet. Do you | think I'm giving 1t away"
 The boys with the hammers start to fasten down the cover with great | show of disgust.
 'I'll give you fifty cents" shouts Polack on the outside. T give you a dollar" excitedly answers a big man with his hands still in the box, pulling as though to take it. Fifty cents more' from the Polack. who is not try ing in vain to push his way in.
 "Dog!" mutters the big man, glaring over the bobbing heads at his rival. But the bidding is started, and the price is run up to s6.60 amid groans and jeere.
 "One hundred and forty pounds of perch, to Yankel, the killer, at six-six- ty," shouts the auctioneer to his book keeper, who Is inside the store. The box is nailed up and chalked- marked for "Yankel the killer,' and set one side, while the same wrangle goes on over each succeeding box that is of- tered. Hickey -Pockey," an odd little man, with limp, who peddles candy and ,ake in the summer and fish and coal n the winter, buys the next two boxes. 'Lippey, from Newark" supposed to be he richest merchant in his quarter, but ( who doesn't look it, gets the next three. { Then Ida, the queen," a woman mer- ,hant, who does commission business, { pushes into the group, fighting her way f o the auctioneer, where she buys seve- z al boxes. Thus, the sale goes on, un- ! Il the load is exhausted, and then the s Hebrews draw off in groups, where , hey fight the battle over again. chat , ering away at each other like lot of l. parrows. c Marketmen, who speak and under r tand the Yiddish tongue, say that in f hese excited discussions the Hebrew V merchants accuse each other of all " inds of sharp practice, rake up old Q ales about each others business, and f orm combinations among themselves | " 0 fight each other over the next load v f fish that is sold under the hammer. " When the last load has been sold, the a collect their mornings pur- S hocpc Thny nile thair hoypS tocath her [ ,