114 U. S. BUREAU or FISHERIES. 



The usual method of figuring the capacity of a salmon cannery is 

 by the number of lines or units employed. The machinery arranged 

 so that the fish pass through all the operations from filling to double 

 seaming is known as a line, and the capacity is based upon the number 

 of these lines in use in the plant. 



During the height of the salmon run, a cannery is an exceedingly 

 busy and interestmg place, and a description of the methods used at 

 the present time will show the giant strides the industry has made 

 since the days of Hapgood, Hume & Co. 



HANDLING THE SALMON. 



At conyenient spots near the fishing grounds large scows and 

 lighters are anchored and the fishing crows deliver their catches 

 aboard these, the tallyman on each scow keeping a record and giving 

 the crew a receipt. Men fishing near the cannery deliver their catch 

 alongside. Steamers and launches are used to tow out empty scows 

 and oring in those filled. In the old days the fish were pitched by 

 hand into bins on the wharves, but this laborious method has been 

 superseded by the use of an elevator, which extends from a short dis- 

 tance above the top of the wharf to the water's ed^e, provision being 

 made for raising or lowering the lower end according to the stage of 

 the tide. This elevator is slanting, and is made of an endless chain 

 operating in a shallow trough. About every 2 feet there is attached 

 to the chain a crosspiece of wood. At the top of the elevator are 

 chutes which deliver the fish at various convenient spots on the 

 cutting-room floor. 



A recent invention, which is rapidly coming into use, is the un- 

 loading scow. This is a scow^ divided by kid boards into compart- 

 ments. On the side is an opening which, when not in use, is closed 

 by planks dropped into grooves. The filled scow is run alongside an 

 elevator with a flaring mouth box at the lower end. A chute is 

 placed between the scow, opposite the door, and the elevator, the 

 door opened, and the fish allowed to slide by gravity into the box, 

 then up the elevator to the fish floor. As one compartment is emptied 

 another is attacked by removing the partition boards, and so on until 

 the scow is empty. Shoulfl the fish stick, a hose with running water 

 is run a foot or more down into the pile, which loosens the fish and 

 causes them to move freely. By the use of these scows the fish are 

 unloaded in a very short time, with but little labor, and are not 

 marked by pew holes, as under the old method. 



If the salmon have been in the scows for from 20 to 24 hours they 

 are used as soon as possible after being delivered at the cannery; 

 otherwise that length of time is usually allowed to elapse, the can- 

 nerymen claiming that if not allowed to shrink the fish will be in such 

 condition that when packed much juice will be formed, and light- 

 weight cans will be produced. The danger of canning fish j^at are 

 too fresh, however, is of minor importance as compared with the 

 tendency in the other direction. 



Before dressing the fish a stream of water is kept nlaying oyer them 

 in order to remove tl>e dirt and slime, after which men with pews 

 separate the diflerent species into piles. 



