SALMON FISHERIES OF PACIFIC COAST. 47 



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 gage 

 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 under 

 side, 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. When 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, but sometimes they were in pretty bad shape. When 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, as 

 at least one-half of the seams burst, owing to the lack of experience of the 

 manager or want of good judgment. 



When the can making was well underway Mr. Hapgood then turned his at- 

 tention 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 3G inches 

 in diameter and 5 feet in depth, set in a brick furnace and fired from under- 

 neath. 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 with ropes attached and with holes cut in the 

 bottoms for drainage, a set of 5-inch blocks and tackle, with 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 running 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 opera- 

 tions of these later days. After the salmon had been cleaned by removing the 

 entrails and washing them outside the covered portion of the scow, they were 

 brought inside and placed on the table, and a man with a butcher knife in one 

 hand and a stick in the other, which had a mark showing the length of the 

 pieces desired, cut gashes in the side of the salmon as a guide, and then cut 

 the fish into sections corresponding to the length of the mark on the stick. He 

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