114 U. S. BUREAU OF 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 interesting 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 convenient spots near the fishing grounds large scows and 
lighters are anchored and the fishing crews 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 ‘bring in those filled. In the old days the fish were pitched by 
hand into bins on the wharves, but this laborious Tothotl 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superseded by the use of an elevator, which extends from a short dis- 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 edge, 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, dae 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. Should 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 phat 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 playing over them 
in order to remove the dirt and slime, after which men with pews 
separate the different species into piles. 
