﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  455 
  

  

  shed 
  for 
  pickling 
  auti 
  salting 
  herring, 
  a 
  shop 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  smoked- 
  

   herring 
  boxes 
  are 
  made 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  packed, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  a 
  cooper 
  shop 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  making 
  herring 
  barrels. 
  The 
  build- 
  

   ings 
  are 
  usually 
  located 
  on 
  a 
  wharf 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  shore 
  for 
  convenience 
  

   in 
  landing 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  boats. 
  The 
  frame 
  of 
  the 
  smoke-house 
  is 
  

   covered 
  with 
  boards 
  and 
  made 
  sufficiently 
  tight 
  to 
  i)revent 
  the 
  smoke 
  

   from 
  escaping. 
  There 
  are 
  board 
  windows 
  in 
  either 
  side 
  and 
  ventila- 
  

   tors 
  in 
  the 
  roof. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  provided 
  by 
  arranging 
  the 
  boards 
  on 
  

   either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge-pole, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  raised 
  or 
  lowered 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  cords 
  attached 
  to 
  levers. 
  The 
  building 
  is 
  entered 
  by 
  large 
  

   doors 
  in 
  the 
  end. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  including 
  the 
  sheds 
  

   and 
  equipments, 
  varies 
  from 
  $60 
  to 
  $3,500 
  each; 
  for 
  an 
  entire 
  stand 
  of 
  

   buildings 
  the 
  average 
  value 
  is 
  from 
  about 
  $200 
  to 
  $500. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  the 
  smoke-houses 
  were 
  very 
  inex- 
  

   pensive, 
  being 
  built 
  of 
  slabs 
  obtained 
  at 
  small 
  cost 
  from 
  the 
  sawmills 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  A 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  primitive 
  structures, 
  now 
  almost 
  

   a 
  century 
  old, 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  use, 
  but 
  in 
  most 
  instances 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   replaced 
  by 
  better 
  ones. 
  As 
  the 
  business 
  increased 
  larger 
  smoke- 
  

   houses 
  were 
  built 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  greater 
  

   demand 
  for 
  the 
  product. 
  The 
  largest 
  one 
  now 
  in 
  use 
  is 
  at 
  Lubec. 
  The 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  is 
  231 
  feet, 
  115 
  feet 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  

   smoke 
  house, 
  and 
  116 
  feet 
  in 
  sheds 
  of 
  various 
  kinds. 
  The 
  width 
  is 
  

   25 
  feet, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  posts 
  16 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  ridge-pole 
  29 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  smoke-house 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  compartments, 
  each 
  having 
  

   10 
  "bays" 
  or 
  spaces 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  hang 
  herring, 
  and 
  its 
  capacity 
  is 
  about 
  

   45,000 
  boxes 
  of 
  medium 
  or 
  60,000 
  boxes 
  of 
  large 
  herring. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  large 
  

   as 
  three 
  smoke-houses 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  size. 
  The 
  smoke-houses 
  have 
  no 
  

   floors, 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  fires. 
  The 
  interior 
  is 
  arranged 
  

   with 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  vertical 
  rows 
  of 
  2 
  by 
  4 
  inch 
  scantlings. 
  The 
  spaces 
  

   between 
  the 
  rows 
  are 
  termed 
  "bays," 
  and 
  are 
  38 
  inches 
  in 
  width. 
  The 
  

   scantlings 
  in 
  each 
  row 
  begin 
  near 
  the 
  ridge-pole 
  and 
  extend 
  horizontjilly 
  

   crosswise 
  of 
  the 
  building, 
  each 
  one 
  being 
  placed 
  from 
  13 
  to 
  14 
  inches 
  

   below 
  the 
  other, 
  to 
  within 
  6 
  or 
  8 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  smoke-houses 
  

   of 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  there 
  are 
  usually 
  10 
  "bays," 
  and 
  the 
  capacity 
  is 
  

   about 
  15,000 
  boxes 
  of 
  medium 
  or 
  20,000 
  boxes 
  of 
  large 
  herring. 
  

  

  Equipment.— 
  T\xQ 
  only 
  equipment 
  used 
  exclusively 
  in 
  a 
  smoke-house 
  

   are 
  the 
  herring 
  sticks. 
  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  necessary 
  in 
  the 
  

   larger 
  houses, 
  as 
  it 
  requires 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  about 
  two 
  sticks 
  to 
  each 
  

   box 
  of 
  herring. 
  The 
  sticks 
  are 
  prepared 
  at 
  the 
  sawmills 
  in 
  long 
  strips. 
  

   The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  sticks 
  as 
  they 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  mill 
  is 
  one-half 
  inch 
  square 
  

   for 
  medium 
  and 
  five-eighths 
  inch 
  scjuare 
  for 
  large 
  herring. 
  After 
  

   being 
  cut 
  into 
  lengths 
  of 
  3 
  feet 
  4 
  inches 
  each, 
  tlie 
  edges 
  taken 
  off, 
  and 
  

   one 
  end 
  sharpened, 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  for 
  use. 
  They 
  cost 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  

   about 
  $3 
  per 
  1,000 
  at 
  the 
  mill, 
  and 
  are 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  worth 
  from 
  84 
  to 
  

   $5 
  per 
  1,000 
  after 
  being 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  smoke-house. 
  

  

  The 
  pickling 
  and 
  salting 
  shed 
  is 
  supplied 
  with 
  wooden 
  tanks 
  for 
  use 
  

   in 
  pickhng 
  the 
  herring. 
  These 
  are 
  from 
  7 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  long, 
  5 
  feet 
  wide, 
  

  

  