304 
[December, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
WASHINGTON MARKET, NEW-YORK CITY— The “Babel” op the Western Continent. 
(Sketched and Engravedfor the American Agriculturist.') 
Of all the noteworthy “ sights ” in this city, 
few will afford more food for thought, or 
better repay a visit, than some of the Markets. 
In one sense, New-York itself is a great market; 
its long lines of wholesale warehouses, and the 
crowded shops of retailers, are, so to speak, the 
stalls, into which the mart is divided. But there 
are a few great centers to which all imports 
flow, and from which radiate the minor streams 
of trade, that carry supplies to every house¬ 
hold. Thus: Wall-street is the money center, 
the pocket of the city; Broadway and a few 
streets emptying into it, are the headquarters of 
the dry goods trade, the ward/robe; the printing 
establishments cluster in Park-Row and Nassau- 
street, and they are the two lobes of the brain 
of New-York. 
Of the provision markets, the larders of the 
metropolis, there are several, located in different 
sections of the city—the principal one being 
Washington Market ^a sketch of which is given 
above. It is situated in the lower part of the 
city, between Fulton and Yesey streets, and ex¬ 
tends from Hudson River to Washington-street, 
covering an area of about 12 acres. One 
unacquainted with New-York, would naturally 
expect to find such an establishment not only 
large, but convenient, well regulated, affording 
eveiy facility for the immense business trans¬ 
acted, and, perhaps, of some architectural pre¬ 
tension. A glance at the picture will at once re¬ 
move such an impression, though no engraving 
can do justice to the shabby, ill-arranged, dilap¬ 
idated wooden sheds there huddled together. 
Only the main building is here shown, from a 
point on the corner of West and Vesey streets. 
West of this, nearer the river, is a large collec¬ 
tion of one-story board shanties, newly con¬ 
structed, the former hovels having been recently 
burned. The whole collection of buildings is 
divided and subdivided into stalls, averaging ten 
or twelve feet square, each of which is, in most 
instances, rented by a single individual or a firm. 
The establishment of a market had its origin 
quite early in the history of the city. In the year 
1656 the following resolution was putin force: 
“ Whereas, Divers articles, such as meats, pork, 
butter, cheese, turnips, cabbages, and other 
country produce, are from time to time 
brought here for sale by the people living in 
the country, and oftentimes wait at the strand 
(foot of Whitehall-street) without the people 
living out of that immediate neighborhood know¬ 
ing that such things are for sale in town: There¬ 
fore, Saturday of each week is fixed as a 
market day, and the articles are to be brought 
on the beach near Hans Kiersted’s house, of 
which all shall take notice.” 
This was called the “ Oswego Market,” and 
was located near the Battery. As the city ex¬ 
tended farther north, the location was changed 
to the present quarters, and the building erected 
was named “Bear Market” — a bear having been 
slaughtered at the opening celebration—but it 
has since been called Washington market, from 
the street on which it stands. As trade increas¬ 
ed, temporary sheds were added to the original 
structure, which became permanent fixtures, re¬ 
sulting in the present heterogeneous mass of 
hovels.” According to the “World,” from which 
we gather some items here noted, the whole num¬ 
ber of stalls rented is 474, occupied as follows : 
Butchers.100 
Vegetable dealers. 50 
Poultry and game dealers.. 14 
Fish dealers. 16 
Oyster Dealers . 10 
Grocers, hucksters, eating stands, etc.284 
Total ..474 
In addition to these, the streets adjacent to 
the Market, are crowded with vehicles, bringing 
in produce from the surrounding country, which 
is sold direct from the wagons. Frequently, 
lines of wagons extend more than two miles in 
length ! Every available space in and around 
the market is occupied. Retailers of small 
wares, pins, needles and tape, crockery, baskets, 
cigars, confectionery, brooms, trinkets, in short 
of every thing eatable, drinkable, wearable, or 
usable, crowd every nook and corner, until the 
narrowest possible passages are left for the 
struggling crowd that daily throng these pre¬ 
cincts. 
During every hour of the day and night, the 
roar and tumult of business is heard here. Early 
in the evening, the market gardeners, from all 
points within ten to twenty miles of the city, be¬ 
gin to take up their stations for the following 
morning’s trade; by midnight the adjacent 
streets are crowded with their loaded wagons. 
By one o’clock in the morning, meat men are 
astir, bringing in and arranging dressed carcases 
of beef, mutton and pork. An hour later, the 
grocers and retail butchers are thronging in to 
purchase supplies, and the Babel commences. 
There is racing, and crowding, and jamming, to 
secure favorable positions; buyers and sellers, 
