520 V. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



the gang knives. The latter are circular, fixed on an axle at the 

 proper distances apart, and revolve at the highest point reached by 

 the carrier and independently of the latter. The carrier and gang 

 knives are set in motion, each revolving on its own shaft. As a rest 

 on the carrier comes to a horizontal position, men stationed at the 

 fish bins la}' a fish on each ledge as it passes. Thence it is conveyed 

 to the revolving gang knives and, after being di^dded, passes through 

 on the downward course, sliding oft" the rest into the filling chute. 

 The knives in these machines are so arranged as to cut the fish 

 transversely in sections the exact length of the cans to be filled. 



The rotary cutter shunts the tail pieces to one side, and these are 

 carried by means of a chute to baskets. The tail pieces are generally 

 canned separately. As the tail portion is much smaller, with less 

 meat, it can not be placed hi the cans with the middle and head 

 sections A\-ithout detracting from their value, but if packed under a 

 distinct and separate label, as is now done, there is no reason why 

 the tails should not supply the demand for a cheap grade of fish. 



In some of the smaller canneries, especially in those packing flat 

 cans, the gang knives are worked by hand. In this case, the knives 

 are not circular, but elongated or semicu'cular in shape, tapering at 

 the outer ends. They are mounted on an axle having a large iron 

 lever at one end, and when this lever is raised the ends of the gang 

 knives are thrown up and back. The fish is then placed in position 

 imder them and the lever pulled forward, the Imives, wdth a scimitar- 

 like movement, dividing the fish. 



The original method of cutting was by means of a long knife 

 wielded by a Chinaman who stood at a regular butcher's block. 

 iVlthough his strokes were incredibly quick, the rotary cutting 

 machine is a vast improvement over the old way. 



SALTING 



Every can of salmon is seasoned with one-fourth of an ounce of 

 salt, which, to insure imiformit}^, is added by mechanical means. A 

 table is used, in the top of which are holes equal distances apart. 

 On the imderside of the top is a sheet-iron plate, with an equal 

 number of holes, which slides in a groove at the sides, and is worked 

 either by a hand or foot lever. Just below is an open space large 

 enough to accommodate a tray holding 36 or 48 cans. A workman 

 stands in front of the table and slides a tray of cans into the open 

 space. He then throws a quantity of salt upon the table and im- 

 mediately scrapes this oft" with a thin piece of wood, each hole being 

 filled in the operation, and the salt being prevented from falling 

 through b}^ the iron plate underneath. The lever is then pressed, the 

 iron plate moves forward until the holes in it are directly under the 

 holes in the table top, when the salt drops through into the cans. 

 This operation can be repeated four or five times in a minute. Most 

 canneries now use a small Salter attach3d to the filling machine and 

 this deposits the required amount in the can as it is passing by on 

 its way to be filled. 



FILLING THE CANS 



Most canneries now use filling machines for all sizes of cans, al- 

 though a few, more particularly those packing flat and odd-sized 

 cans, still fill by hand. 



