﻿i4. 
  MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  

  

  alewives 
  and 
  perch 
  handled 
  ; 
  neither 
  is 
  the 
  oil 
  and 
  scrap 
  thus 
  derived 
  

   kept 
  separate 
  from 
  that 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  menhaden. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  stated, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  bulletin 
  as 
  

   ''scrap 
  fish 
  and 
  alewife 
  cuttings" 
  was 
  the 
  latter. 
  Some 
  sea 
  robins, 
  

   sweMsh, 
  and 
  skates 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  poimd 
  nets 
  fished 
  near 
  Promised 
  

   Land, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  and 
  sold 
  to 
  menhaden 
  factories 
  at 
  that 
  place; 
  they 
  are 
  

   called 
  "evilfish" 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  regarded 
  as 
  being 
  edible, 
  though 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  sometimes 
  "saddle" 
  the 
  skates 
  by 
  removing 
  the 
  pectoral 
  fins, 
  

   which 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  Fulton 
  Market, 
  New 
  York, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  sold 
  

   chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  foreign 
  trade. 
  These 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  especially 
  desired 
  at 
  

   the 
  factories, 
  for 
  several 
  reasons; 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  caught 
  in 
  sufficient 
  

   quantities 
  to 
  render 
  handhng 
  them 
  remiuierative 
  ; 
  they 
  produce 
  very 
  

   little 
  oil, 
  and 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  pass 
  freely 
  through 
  the 
  modern 
  machinery 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  bone 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  robins 
  and 
  the 
  cartilaginous 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  skates, 
  which 
  when 
  cooked 
  become 
  so 
  viscous 
  that 
  they 
  stick 
  

   in 
  the 
  presses. 
  

  

  No 
  special 
  effort 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  to 
  

   catch 
  dogfish, 
  but 
  many 
  are 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  trawl 
  Unes 
  and 
  thrown 
  

   overboard; 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  profitabls 
  for 
  the 
  

   menhaden 
  factories 
  to 
  work 
  them 
  up 
  into 
  scrap, 
  but 
  considering 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  fish 
  required 
  for 
  making 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  scrap 
  and 
  the 
  price 
  re- 
  

   ceived 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  the 
  factories 
  could 
  afford 
  to 
  pay 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  enough 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  remunerative. 
  

  

  Very 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  menhaden 
  factory 
  operators 
  about 
  

   handUng 
  dogfish 
  and 
  other 
  sharks 
  and 
  the 
  machinery 
  as 
  now 
  used 
  

   is 
  not 
  adapted 
  to 
  this 
  purpose. 
  Some 
  sharks 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  purse 
  

   seines 
  fished 
  in 
  Florida 
  waters, 
  chiefly 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  

   June. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  cooked 
  nor 
  cut 
  into 
  small^ieces, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  

   shark 
  is 
  thrown 
  on 
  the 
  acidulated 
  scrap 
  heap, 
  where 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  

   the 
  acid 
  will 
  in 
  time 
  disintegrate 
  it. 
  

  

  UNLOADING 
  AND 
  WEIGHING 
  OR 
  MEASURING. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  years 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  aU 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  vessel 
  hold 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  tubs 
  each 
  having 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  500 
  fish. 
  Wliile 
  this 
  method 
  

   is 
  now 
  regarded 
  as 
  antiquated, 
  it 
  is 
  yet 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   factories. 
  The 
  tubs 
  are 
  filled 
  by 
  hand 
  and 
  raised 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  block 
  

   and 
  tackle 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  dumped 
  into 
  bins 
  or 
  small 
  cars 
  which 
  

   convey 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  factory. 
  All 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  best-equipped 
  

   factories 
  now 
  use 
  a 
  bucket 
  elevator 
  for 
  removing 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  

   vessel. 
  This 
  is 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  grain 
  elevators 
  and 
  has 
  

   proved 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  in 
  fish 
  factories. 
  The 
  elevator 
  is 
  so 
  arranged 
  

   that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  lowered 
  into 
  the 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  where 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  

   fed 
  into 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  ''fish 
  gang," 
  consisting 
  of 
  four 
  or 
  more 
  men, 
  and 
  

   carried 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  weighing 
  or 
  measuring 
  device. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  eleva- 
  

   tors 
  can 
  handle 
  1,000 
  barrels 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  an 
  hour 
  with 
  an 
  engine 
  of 
  

   20 
  to 
  25 
  horsepower. 
  

  

  