The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-11
FOOD AND FLOWERS CHEAP.
Vast Supplies Wasted Day After the
Kings Illness Began.
London Mail.

Thousands and thousands Of extra tons
OF food were brought into London yester-
day for the opening of the coronation feS-
tivities but long before the vast supply ar
rived IL was known that It was not wanted.
Not only the outsider, but the dealer him
self has been wondering. and wonders still
what Is to become OF it all.
Yesterday as much as possible OF IL was
sold at the most ridiculous prices on record;
the rest was stored for the night, and with
more heavy supplies coming in to-day the
markets are in an absolutely chaotic state
The fate of most of the food and flowers
is simple destruction.
Smithheld emerged from the ordeal with
something approaching satisfaction but
Covent Garden and Billingsgate were very
hard hit and in several cases IL will take
a strong nerve and deep pocket TO sur
vive the shock. Food and flowers had been
ordered for millions OF visitors to London
anxious to spend their money. Now they
are not wanted and they are on the hands
of the wholesale merchants.
The first thing that suggested itself yes
terday morning was, OF course, TO sell at
any price possible, whether they were ridic-
ulous or not, and this led TO extraordinary
results. Take the flower market for eX-
ample. Such a well-known Covent Gar
den dealer as MIR. Page sadly declared that
the havoc wrought by yesterdays slump
was at least ten times as bad as the next
worst he had known In his long experience.
phs morning post brought each dealer
mail bags full OF Cancelled orders, and the
upshOt was that dealers who could dispose
u portion OF tflGlT STOCK dL a UItn OF
sixth of its value thought themselves lucky.
After a while flowers could be had at prac-
tically any price that was bid for them.
Special lilies OF the valley which at the be-
ginning of the week were sold for 10 shll
ings the dozen punches, now only yielded
half crown and three shillings. The
choicest roses, which two days before were
worth II Shillings dozen punches, whole
sale, were jOyfully parted with for Is pence
In anticipation of the coronation there
has been an enormous demand for scarlet
H..
fatal announcement they were worth
II to Is shillings a dozen anywhere. Yes
terday they were down TO Is pence and 2
shilings, with few buyers. Pink carna-
tons, grown by many a humble cottager
instead of cabbageS in this, the coronation,
year. had the same fate. There were some
places where the most beautiful and valu-
able orchids were freely given away 10
any one who called and asked for them.
They are all valueless. valueless,"
lamented Mr.. Rockford, one of the biggest
florists in the trade, when ne surveyed his
huge stock of these and lilies doomed to
wither in their boxes. There were magni-
ticent Cattleva orchids, easily worth Is
shillings the dozen blooms, which had
found few purchasers during the day at
to shillings.
The finest lilies, Extra Excelsiors, were
sold at pence the bunch, when they ought
to have been sold al half a crown. Even
if we could have sold at these prices 1t
would have been something" said MIR.
Rockford, but see here" And in his cellar
were plleu up scores OF cases OF the IilltSl
lilies of the valley which the Berlin grow
ers could send TO King Edwards corona
tion-all 10 die.
The tale of the fruiterers was sorry one,
consumption, especially in what il classes
as best fruit" such as peaches, nectar
ines, grapes, pineapples, and so forth The
slump in such popular varieties as straw
berries and cherries was bad enough
In many cases the strawberry market
was paralyzed and the fruit could not De
sold at all, while cherries were at hait
price, or about half a guinea the half
busheL But the case of the valuable
peaches ana nectarines was the most heart
breaking 10 the dealer. The finest OF the
former which could be produced, and which
usually sold for shillings apiece, were
parted with for shllings the dozen. And
so on all along the lines.
Mr. Irwin, one of the biggest dealers,
declared that quite half the market supply
had come To be destroyed. and that the to-
tai loss must be thousands of pounds-how
many thousands no one could guess.
Bilingsgate was frenZied, for yesterday
was the blacklist day in Billingsgate his
tory. Ice was as valuable as the best fish
the ice with which all the enormous over
supply was put away last night in the fee
BILE hope that something might turn up and
make a sale possible. Business was so
much at a discount at the very outset that
the West End buyers were there Offering TO
sell the fish they had already bought to the
wholesalers For the rest, prices were
down about a half, except in the case of
haddOckS, the price or winch almost dlSap-
Deared altogether. Plaice could be had for
2 shillings a stone and less, the best salmon
in the market was only 10 pence a pound,
and so on.
Each of these markets is glutted. but this
morning fresh supplies. and heavy ones,
too, will be poured in among the unlucky
wholesalers. who are simply dazed. and
have no notion of what they will do with
them.
\ Smithfeld dealer said that under all
the circumstances Smithfield had no cause
| to grumble. 1t was true that prices in
| many cases had come down from a farthing
| to a halfpenny a pound. but not more than
| that, and, though there was a lot of meat
| in the market and lot was unsold, the
| markets are after all to be open to-day and
| tomorrow.