30 



San Quentin. When the bulk of the catch comes in, the force on 

 the shore is increased to about sixty. At this establishment the fish 

 is not dried in bullc, and then piled, as is done upon the Atlantic 

 coast, and also in some cases on this coast, but is kept in_ pickle, in 

 tanks of redwood lumber, and dried when required. This method 

 is doubtless adopted partly on account of the limited demand caused 

 by the small population of this coast, but it is claimed that better 

 results are obtained by it. The piled up heaps of fish, however care- 

 fully dried, are liable in the more or less foggy atmosphere of our 

 coast to "sweat" or ferment, to the great detriment of the article. _ 



The tanks used to hold the.stock are of redwood three inches thick, 

 dovetailed at the angles, and without nails or any iron whatever. 

 The fish are washed before drying, and Avhen the latter process 

 is complete, are sorted into three sizes; the largest, put up into 

 wooden cases, are known as "case" fish, and fetch the highest price; 

 the next size are made into bundles; while the smallest, after hav- 

 ing been divested of skin, vertebrae, and fins, are cut in halves, 

 packed in cases, and sold as "boneless codfish." Much of the work 

 of preparing boneless cod can be done by boys. Great care is taken 

 to insure perfect cleanliness at every step of the preparation, and in 

 this respect much of the dried cod of this coast is certainly superior 

 to that of Newfoundland. 



The drying establishment of the Pacific Fish Company is situated 

 upon a small island in Richardson's Bay, opposite to Saucelito. 



The quality of preserved codfish depends, to a great extent, like 

 that of all other salted articles, upon the quality of the salt used. 

 The impurities, as they are called, of salt, are simply other ingredi- 

 ents naturally contained in sea water, and not taken out in the pro- 

 cess of salt making. Ordinary sea water contains, besides common 

 salt or chloride of sodium, sulphate of lime or gypsum (the material 

 of plaster of Paris), and sulphate of magnesia. The proportions in 

 which these enter into the composition of the solid residue, left after 

 the evaporation of the water of the sea, may be seen from the follow- 

 ing analysis : Analysis of water of San Francisco Bay, made Decem- 

 ber, 1879, by Prof. F. Gutzkow : 



Chloride of sodium 0023.756 



Chloride of potassium . 0000.470 



Chloride of magnesium 0003.030 



Sulphate of lime 0001.263 



Sulphate of magnesium (Epsom salts) 0001.837 



Bromide of magnesium  0000.025 



Total solids 0030.381 



Water 969.619 



1000.000 



The salt used in curing codfish, as well as most of that used in salt- 

 ing meats, hides, etc., is made upon the salt marshes of Alameda 

 County by the evaporation of sea water. Some makers simply evap- 

 orate, allowing all the impurities to remain, while others, knowing 

 the degree of concentration at which the objectionable substances are 

 deposited, adopt means to obtain really pure salt. AVhatever success 

 may be obtained by others, a personal examination of the works and 

 methods adopted at the Pacific Union Salt Works has convinced the 

 writer that the salt obtained by them is as nearly pure as salt can be, 

 excelling in this respect even the best Liverpool salt, and it is satis- 



