14 SALMON FISHERIES OF PACIFIC COAST. 



River on one of her regular trips and dropped anchor near what is 

 now known as St. Helens. While waiting several months for a re- 

 turn cargo the captain salted a number of barrels of chinook salmon, 

 using old Jamaica rum kegs for the purpose. This is the first record 

 of the export of this toothsome fish. 



In 1861, H. N. Rice and Jotham Reed began packing salted salmon 

 in barrels at Oak Point, 60 miles below Portland. The first season's 

 pack amounted to 600 barrels. The venture proved fairly profitable 

 and was soon participated in by others. 



In the spring of 1866 William Hume, who had assisted in starting 

 the first salmon cannery in the United States, on the Sacramento 

 River, in 1864, finding the run of fish in the latter stream rather dis- 

 appointing, started a cannery on the Columbia at Eagle Cliff, Wash., 

 about 40 miles above Astoria. Then the river literally swarmed 

 with salmon, and the cannery had no trouble in packing 4,000 cases, 

 which it increased to 18,000 the next year and to 28,000 cases in 

 1868. In 1867 a crude cannery on a scow was started by S. W. 

 Aldrich, who did all the work, from fishing to canning, himself. In 

 1868 a cannery was built near Eagle Cliff by one of the Humes, and 

 from this time on for a* number of years the industry grew by leaps 

 and bounds. 



The banner year in the canning industry was 1884, when 620,000 

 cases of chinook salmon were marketed. At this time the runs were 

 so enormous that tons and tons of salmon were thrown overboard 

 by the fishermen because the canneries were unable to handle them. 



At the present time (1910) there are 10 canneries in operation 

 on the river, while large quantities of salmon are also frozen, mild 

 cured, pickled, smoked, and sold fresh in the markets of the world. 



Commercial fishing is carried on mainly between the mouth of the 

 Columbia and Celilo, a distance of about 200 miles, and in the Wil- 

 lamette River. The most of it is in the lower part of the river, 

 within about 40 miles of its mouth. Bakers Bay, on the Washington 

 or north side, and just within the river's mouth, is the favorite 

 ground for pound-net fishing. The principal gill-net drifting 

 ground is from the river's mouth to about 20 miles above Astoria, 

 but drifting is done wherever convenient reaches are found much 

 farther up the river. Most of the drag seines are hauled on the sandy 

 bars in the river near Astoria, which are uncovered at low water. 

 Wlieels are operated in the upper river above the junction of the 

 Willamette with the main river. 



Astoria is the principal center for all branches of the industry, but 

 more especially for canning. Other places in addition to Astoria 

 at which canneries are located are Ilwaco, Eagle Cliff, Altoona, 

 Brookfield, Pillar Rock, Cathlamet, on the Washington shore, and 

 at Warrendale, Rooster Rock, and Seuferts, on the Oregon shore. 



