﻿584 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Contracts 
  with 
  tlie 
  Chinese 
  usually 
  call 
  for 
  the 
  packing 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  cases, 
  of 
  48 
  pounds 
  each, 
  at 
  prices 
  ranging 
  from 
  30 
  

   to 
  40 
  cents 
  a 
  case 
  for 
  1-pound 
  cans, 
  and 
  higher 
  for 
  half 
  pound, 
  oval, 
  or 
  

   other 
  special 
  cans. 
  

  

  A 
  working 
  gang 
  of 
  from 
  30 
  to 
  75 
  Chinese, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  a 
  native 
  

   expert 
  foreman, 
  is 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  cannery 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  

   the 
  season. 
  The 
  men 
  are 
  constantly 
  under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  

   foreman, 
  and 
  he 
  in 
  turn 
  is 
  under 
  the 
  supervision 
  of 
  the 
  superintendent. 
  

   The 
  foreman 
  divides 
  up 
  the 
  duties, 
  assigning 
  a 
  gang 
  for 
  each 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  work 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  landed 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  cased 
  for 
  

   shipment. 
  These 
  gangs 
  follow 
  their 
  particular 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  all 
  

   through 
  the 
  season, 
  only 
  in 
  exceptional 
  cases 
  being 
  called 
  to 
  any 
  branch 
  

   except 
  their 
  own. 
  The 
  receiving 
  and 
  dressing 
  gang, 
  being 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  

   begin, 
  are 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  finish 
  their 
  labor, 
  while 
  the 
  packers 
  are 
  the 
  last 
  

   to 
  begin 
  and 
  end 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  If 
  fish 
  are 
  plentiful 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   men 
  work 
  from 
  about 
  7 
  a. 
  m. 
  to 
  6 
  p. 
  m., 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  stop 
  for 
  the 
  midday 
  

   meal. 
  If 
  salmon 
  are 
  scarce, 
  the 
  men 
  may 
  have 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  hours' 
  work. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  any 
  gang, 
  the 
  men 
  must, 
  before 
  

   leaving, 
  thoroughly 
  clean 
  their 
  section 
  ; 
  in 
  doing 
  so 
  a 
  hose 
  is 
  used, 
  with 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  water, 
  brooms, 
  and 
  scrubbing-brushes, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  day's 
  

   work 
  is 
  over 
  the 
  interior, 
  platforms, 
  and 
  wharves 
  are 
  left 
  scrupulously 
  

   clean 
  and 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  day. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  fishermen 
  arrive, 
  their 
  catch 
  is 
  thrown 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  wharf, 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  and 
  carried 
  inside 
  the 
  cannery 
  and 
  

   thrown 
  into 
  boxes 
  on 
  the 
  scales. 
  Having 
  been 
  weighed, 
  a 
  receipt 
  is 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  begin 
  their 
  journey 
  throngli 
  the 
  

   cannery, 
  that 
  only 
  ends 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  canned, 
  cooked, 
  packed, 
  

   and 
  cased 
  ready 
  for 
  shipjnent. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  weighing 
  scales 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  thrown 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  fioor 
  and 
  

   receive 
  their 
  first 
  washing 
  from 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  water 
  that 
  is 
  played 
  on 
  them 
  

   from 
  a 
  hose, 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  turned 
  over 
  with' 
  a 
  pitchfork, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  nec- 
  

   essary, 
  to 
  thoroughly 
  remove 
  all 
  gurry 
  and 
  dirt. 
  In 
  some 
  instances, 
  

   where 
  fish 
  are 
  received 
  fiister 
  than 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  immediately 
  handled, 
  

   they 
  are 
  kept 
  cool 
  and 
  fresh 
  by 
  having, 
  as 
  needed, 
  a 
  fine 
  spray 
  of 
  ice- 
  

   cold 
  water 
  thrown 
  over 
  them 
  from 
  an 
  overhead 
  revolving 
  pipe. 
  The 
  

   first 
  gang 
  receive 
  the 
  fisli 
  on 
  the 
  dressing 
  tables, 
  which 
  are 
  near 
  the 
  

   door. 
  Here 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  begins, 
  and 
  to 
  follow 
  it 
  through 
  from 
  

   its 
  entrance 
  to 
  its 
  exit, 
  canned 
  and 
  cased, 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  sight 
  to 
  

   thousands 
  of 
  visitors 
  during 
  the 
  packing 
  season. 
  The 
  first 
  operator 
  

   seizes 
  fish 
  after 
  fish, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  quick 
  strokes 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  butcher 
  

   knife 
  severs 
  head, 
  fins, 
  and 
  tail. 
  The 
  next 
  man 
  opens 
  the 
  fish, 
  removes 
  

   the 
  viscera, 
  and 
  scrapes 
  the 
  carcass 
  inside 
  and 
  out. 
  Through 
  an 
  open- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  fioor 
  all 
  offal 
  and 
  waste 
  are 
  at 
  once 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   quickly 
  consumed 
  by 
  schools 
  of 
  scavenger 
  fish 
  or 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   gulls 
  that 
  hover 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  waiting 
  for 
  their 
  food. 
  At 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   canneries 
  near 
  Astoria 
  receptacles 
  for 
  waste 
  are 
  provided 
  by 
  those 
  

   interested 
  in 
  oil 
  and 
  fertilizer 
  factories. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  is 
  then 
  s^hoved 
  along 
  to 
  tlie 
  man 
  standing 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  

  

  