23

A constant flow

Every storage has two hatches – one opens towards the street, the other towards the fleet. Thus it was possible to deliver and receive goods by cart, van and by barge. Six fleets cross the Speicherstadt. The Low-German word “Fleet” is – as one might guess – derived from the same root as “fließen”, “flow” and “Fluss”. They served as transportation route and to dump waste, were sewers and water reservoir at the same time. Unlike in artificially built canals the water level in the fleet was initially not regulated by locks but varied due to the tide. This caused considerable deposition of silt. The removal of this silt was the responsibility of the “Fleetenkieker” (lit. “fleet inspector”). They had to make sure that the depth of water was sufficient for barges and lighters. The name was later also used for those people who searched the mud at low tide for usable waste and valuables.