﻿MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  7 
  

  

  a 
  roof 
  to 
  protect 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  weather. 
  Tlie 
  presses 
  are 
  generally 
  

   placed 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  floor 
  and 
  the 
  oil 
  tanks 
  are 
  at 
  a 
  lower 
  level, 
  so 
  

   that 
  the 
  oil 
  and 
  water 
  flowing 
  from 
  the 
  presses 
  reach 
  them 
  without 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  pump; 
  these 
  tanks 
  are 
  frequently 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  

   of 
  the 
  building 
  with 
  no 
  covering, 
  though 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  plants 
  

   they 
  are 
  under 
  roof. 
  The 
  drier 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  floor, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  

   building 
  or 
  under 
  a 
  shed. 
  The 
  equipment 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  factory, 
  

   therefore, 
  consists 
  of 
  an 
  elevator, 
  measuring 
  device, 
  raw 
  box, 
  cooker, 
  

   press, 
  drier, 
  and 
  oil 
  tanks, 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  bucket, 
  chain, 
  or 
  screw 
  

   conveyors 
  for 
  moving 
  the 
  material 
  from 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  to 
  

   another. 
  

  

  The 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  boilers 
  and 
  engines 
  naturally 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  

   equipment 
  of 
  the 
  factory; 
  two 
  125-horsepower 
  boilers, 
  costing 
  about 
  

   $1,500 
  each, 
  are 
  sufficient 
  for 
  a 
  plant 
  having 
  one 
  cooker, 
  two 
  presses, 
  

   and 
  one 
  drier; 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  equipment 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  plant 
  is 
  

   approximately 
  $24,000 
  and 
  the 
  capacity 
  is 
  about 
  600,000 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  

   day 
  of 
  12 
  hours. 
  The 
  largest 
  factory 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  has 
  a 
  daily 
  capacity 
  

   of 
  about 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  milMons 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  employs 
  upward 
  of 
  200 
  

   men. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  factory 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  other 
  buildings 
  

   set 
  apart; 
  these 
  mclude 
  the 
  office, 
  the 
  ''scrap 
  room," 
  m 
  which 
  the 
  

   scrap 
  is 
  bagged 
  and 
  stored 
  until 
  such 
  time 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  shipped, 
  the 
  

   mess 
  house, 
  and 
  the 
  sleeping 
  quarters 
  for 
  the 
  men. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  

   factories 
  built 
  during 
  recent 
  years 
  have 
  cement 
  floors, 
  this 
  material 
  

   having 
  found 
  favor 
  among 
  the 
  operators 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  durable 
  

   and 
  also 
  more 
  easily 
  kept 
  clean 
  than 
  wood; 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   Ughted 
  by 
  electricity 
  generated 
  on 
  the 
  premises, 
  one 
  havmg 
  mstalled, 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  plant 
  for 
  lighting, 
  electric 
  motors 
  for 
  operating 
  the 
  

   machinery. 
  

  

  VESSELS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  menhaden 
  fishmg 
  the 
  vessels 
  were 
  all 
  schooners 
  

   and 
  sloops 
  ; 
  steamers 
  were 
  introduced 
  some 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  seventies, 
  

   but 
  the 
  sailboats 
  were 
  also 
  employed 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  

   advent 
  of 
  the 
  steamers. 
  The 
  present-day 
  steamers 
  are 
  built 
  some- 
  

   what 
  on 
  the 
  tug 
  model, 
  with 
  an 
  extra 
  high 
  bow, 
  which 
  serves 
  a 
  two- 
  

   fold 
  purpose, 
  that 
  of 
  rendering 
  them 
  more 
  seaworthy 
  and 
  givmg 
  the 
  

   pilot 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  sea.. 
  The 
  quarters 
  

   are 
  forward 
  and 
  the 
  engine, 
  boilers, 
  and 
  bunkers 
  toward 
  the 
  stern, 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  hold 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  where 
  the 
  deck 
  is 
  low 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  facilitate 
  the 
  transfer 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  net. 
  The 
  auxiliary 
  

   schooners, 
  which 
  are 
  aU 
  owned 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  

   of 
  two 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  Maryland, 
  have 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  

   arrangement. 
  While 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  now 
  employed 
  in 
  

   this 
  industry 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  some 
  previous 
  reports 
  have 
  shown, 
  the 
  

  

  