112 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



order that they might have the benefit of his knowledge of canning 

 methods. The late R. D. Hume, who worked in the original cannery 

 and later became one of the best-known canners on the coast, thus 

 describes the plant and the methods employed:'* 



Before the arrival of Mr. Ilapgood (from Maine') the Hume l)rothers had purchased 

 a large scow, on which they proposed to do the canning of salmon, and had added 

 an extension to the cabin 18 by 24 feet in area, to be used as a can-making shop. This 

 had a shed on the side next to the river for holding any cans that might be made in 

 ad\ance of the packing season. A few days after the arrival of Mr. Hapgood (Mar. 

 23, 18()-l). the tools and machinery were packed and put in position. Mr. Hapgood 

 made some stovepipe and two or three sheet-iron fire pots, and in a short time was ready 

 for can making. The following list of tools and machinery will show how primitive 

 our facilities were as compared with present methods: 1 screw hand press, 1 set cast- 

 iron top dies, 1 set cast-iron bottom dies, 1 pair squaring shears, 1 pair rotary shears, 

 1 pair bench shears, 1 pair hand shears or snips, 1 pair 24-inch rolls, 1 anvil (weight 

 50 pounds), 1 forging hammer, 1 tinner's hammer, 1 set punches for making stovepipe, 

 I rivet set. 1 grooving set, 2 iron slabs grooA'ed on one side to mold strips of solder, 1 

 iron clamp to hold bodies of cans while soldering the seams, 1 triangular piece of cast 

 iron about three-eighths of an inch in thickness and 6 inches in length, with a wooden 

 handle attached to the apex, also used for holding can bodies in place while being 

 seamed . 



The process of canning was as follows: The bodies of the cans were first cut to proper 

 size by the squaring shears, a line was then scribed with a gauge about three-sixteenths 

 of an inch from one edge, and they were next formed into cylindrical shape by the rolls. 

 They were then taken to the soldering bench and one edge lapped by the other until 

 the edge met the line that had been scribed and fastened there by being soldered a 

 small part of the length to hold them in place for the further purpose of seaming. 

 They were then placed either in the iron clamp, which had a piece of wood attached to 

 its underside, and held firmly, the clamp being closed by the operation of a treadle, 

 or were slipped on a piece of wood, which was bolted to the bench, while being held 

 in place by the triangular hand seamer, which was pressed down on the lap of the seam 

 by the left hand of the operator. \Vhen this had been done a piece of solder, which 

 had been prepared by shaking in a can together with rosin, was placed on the seam 

 and melted and rubbed lengthwise of the seam. After cooling the bodies were ready 

 for the end or bottom, which operation was brought about by first cutting out circular 

 blanks with the rotary shears, and then placing them in the cast-iron die and bringing 

 the handle of the screw press around with a swing with force enough to form up the 

 end or bottom. In this operation there were many difficulties, as the ends or bottoms 

 would many times stick to the upper part of the die and refuse to come off, and finger 

 nails were pretty short in those days. To get the ends out of the lower part of the die 

 was not so bad, as a wooden plunger operated by a treadle knocked them out, butsome- 

 times they were in pretty })ad sliape. \Vhen the bottoms or ends were ready they were 

 slipped on the bodies and the edge of the bottom rolled about in a pan of powdered 

 rosin until the seam was well dusted. A piece of solder similar in size and preparation 

 as used for the side seam was placed in the can. They were then placed on the smooth 

 side of the cast-iron slabs, and the operator, with a hot soldering copper shaped to fit 

 the circle of the can, melted the solder and by turning the can rapidly soldered the 

 full circumference. The output of this can factory was very imperfect, ae at least 

 one-half of the seams burst, owing to the lack of experience of the manager or want of 

 good judgment. 



\\'hen the can making was well underway Mr. Hapgood then turned his attention 

 to getting the apparatus for canning on board the house-boat. This in the cooking 

 department consisted of a kettle made of boiler iron about 3() inches in diameter and 

 5 feet in depth, set in a brick furnace and fired from underneath. Alongside was a 

 round-bottom, cast-iron pot holding about 60 gallons of water and heated in the same 

 manner. These kettles, with a dozen coolers or circular sheet-iron pans vdih ropes 

 attached and -vrith holes cut in the bottoms for drainage, a set of 5-inch blocks and tackle, 

 vnth a sheet-iron fire pot and a scratch awl, completed the bathroom outfit. The 

 can filling and soldering room was furnished with a table through the center, where 

 cutting the salmon in pieces to suit and the filling of the cans was done. On each side 

 of the room there was a bench riuining the full length, on the end of one of which the 

 "cans were placed to receive the pickle, which was used at that time instead of the small 

 quantity of salt that is placed in the cans during the operations of these later days 



o The First Salmon Cannery. By R. D. Hume. Pacific Fisherman, Vol II, No. 1, January, 1904, pp. 

 19-21. 



