| Miss Piggott And Her Gambling Parlour |
|
 Pablo Edronkin
|
An entrepreneur who had a bar, a gambling establishment and something more. Harbours are always dubious urban zones where things that are at least questionable usually take place every day: prostitution, illegal gambling, smuggling, wholesale drunkness and street fighting are commonplace even today. But up to the end of the nineteenth century there was yet another problem: the abduction of people who were then enlisted as "volunteers" among the crew of many ships sailing around the globe. The old fashioned ships with sails required larger crews than more modern, steam engine vessels, and sailing was a job that not many were prepared to accept, no matter what the pay was. So, centuries ago a particular market emerged that died only when ships with propellers began to appear, hence diminishing the demand for yet more men that, by the way, had a rather high mortality rate in that particular industry. But until that happened at the turn of the century, when steam boats became more numerous than the old style ships, people like Miss Piggott made fortunes. She had during the last decades of the nineteenth century a hostel, complete with brothel, bar and a gambling saloon in San Francisco. Men were naturally attracted to Miss Piggott's den and they adored the strong beverages that they served there, but sometimes, the drinks were a little bit stronger, or cigars came with a dose of opium inside. The brothel and the gambling activities associated to her establishment gave her a healthy income, but acting as a job agent looking for volunteers was even better: whenever a captain came asking for a new crew member, she always chose with an expert's eye, doped the "volunteer," kept him in a state of semi consciousness until the customers came to pick him up and then received a few hundred dollars. The particular product that she sold made her a fortune, but soon the voice of advice around was not to go there. The "volunteer" in every cas finally woke up on a ship that already had left port and would sail for months until the next dock, somewhere but not there. |
|
Suggested Readings
| More |
| Articles | Directory | Blogs | Forum |
|
Outdoor sports, adventure, nature and exploration at © Andinia.com LLC |