﻿THE 
  MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  

  

  By 
  Rob 
  Leon 
  Greek. 
  

  

  HISTORY 
  AND 
  EXTENT 
  OF 
  THE 
  MENHADEN 
  FISHERY, 
  

  

  The 
  taking 
  of 
  menhaden 
  for 
  fertihzing 
  purposes 
  dates 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  

   early 
  settlers 
  who 
  first 
  placed 
  them 
  on 
  their 
  ground 
  as 
  whole 
  fish; 
  

   later, 
  when 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  was 
  discovered, 
  it 
  was 
  extracted 
  by 
  

   placing 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  casks, 
  covering 
  them 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  compressing 
  

   with 
  weighted 
  boards. 
  In 
  this 
  process, 
  the 
  fish 
  soon 
  became 
  putre- 
  

   fied, 
  the 
  oil 
  cells 
  disintegrated, 
  and 
  the 
  oil 
  floated 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  

   was 
  skimmed 
  off 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  The 
  first 
  process 
  of 
  cooking 
  was 
  

   by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  kettles 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  boiled 
  ; 
  the 
  mass 
  was 
  then 
  

   placed 
  in 
  casks 
  and 
  treated 
  as 
  above, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  much 
  more 
  

   oil 
  was 
  secured 
  than 
  before. 
  The 
  residue 
  was 
  then 
  used 
  as 
  fertihzer. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  advancement 
  in 
  the 
  industry, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  of 
  little 
  

   importance 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  time, 
  was 
  when 
  steam 
  cooking 
  superseded 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  kettles. 
  The 
  first 
  steam 
  factory 
  was 
  established 
  in 
  Rhode 
  

   Island; 
  others 
  were 
  subsequently 
  erected 
  on 
  Shelter 
  Island, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  

   and 
  in 
  Connecticut 
  and 
  Maine. 
  In 
  December, 
  1866, 
  the 
  steamer 
  

   Ranger, 
  hailing 
  from 
  Greenport, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  Virginia. 
  She 
  

   was 
  equipped 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  apparatus 
  for 
  cooking 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  

   extracting 
  the 
  oil 
  on 
  board, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  floating 
  

   factory. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  purse 
  seines 
  operated 
  from 
  sailing 
  

   vessels. 
  She 
  remained 
  there 
  only 
  about 
  11 
  days 
  during 
  that 
  year, 
  

   but 
  returned 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  succeeding 
  years. 
  The 
  first 
  factories 
  

   built 
  in 
  Virginia 
  were 
  estabhshed 
  by 
  northern 
  companies 
  in 
  1868; 
  one 
  

   was 
  on 
  Tanners 
  Creek 
  and 
  another 
  on 
  Back 
  River, 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   until 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  at 
  ReedviUe, 
  in 
  

   Northumberland 
  County, 
  which 
  place 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   fish-scrap 
  center 
  on 
  the 
  coast. 
  The 
  first 
  menhaden 
  factory 
  in 
  North 
  

   Carolina 
  was 
  built 
  on 
  Harkers 
  Island, 
  in 
  Core 
  Sound, 
  in 
  1865. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  1912 
  there 
  were 
  48 
  menhaden 
  factories 
  on 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast, 
  having 
  a 
  total 
  valuation 
  of 
  $3,625,983, 
  distributed 
  by 
  

   States 
  as 
  follows: 
  Maine, 
  1; 
  Connecticut, 
  2; 
  New 
  York, 
  5, 
  including 
  

   one 
  floating 
  factory; 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  5; 
  Delaware, 
  2; 
  Maryland, 
  1; 
  

   Virginia, 
  19; 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  12; 
  and 
  Florida, 
  1. 
  The 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  fishing 
  for 
  menhaden 
  for 
  these 
  factories 
  numbered 
  147, 
  valued 
  at 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  