THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 497 



another washing are spread upon wire frames and placed on a revolving frame in a large oven, where 

 they are allowed to remain until they are well broiled. They are then packed in large oval cans, 

 holding about 3 pounds each, and covered with a sauce of tomatoes and spices. They next go to 

 the sealers and later to the "bathing-room," after which they are labeled 'as "fresh broiled mack- 

 erel " and packed in wooden cases for shipment. These fish are far superior to any of the brands 

 of sardines on account of the delicate flavor of the mackerel. From the first the demand was 

 greater than the supply, and at the close of the busy season the firm began looking for a more suit- 

 able location for the erection of a larger cannery They at length selected Gloucester, Mass., and 

 in the spring of 1881 made extensive preparations in the way of buildings and apparatus, and 

 during that season employed upwards of one hundred and fifty hands in the work. 



For many years the mackerel fleet have been catching great quantities of fish which, on account 

 of their size, are usually rejected by the fresh-fish dealers, and for the same reason are nearly 

 worthless for salting. For lack of a market these fish were formerly thrown away after they had 

 been taken. For canning, the small fish are preferred, and should the business become as exten- 

 sive as present indications would lead us to believe, a market will soon be found for these fish. 

 This will result in a great saving to the fishermen and will be a benefit to the masses, as it will 

 render available for food small-sized mackerel which the fishermen have usually turned back into 

 the sea.* 



2. LOCATION Of THE CANNERIES. 



EASTPORT AND VICINITY. Eastport was the only American town engaged in the packing or 

 canning of small herring, under the name of sardines, prior to 1880. The fish selected for ascer- 

 taining whether herring could be utilized in the manufacture of " Russian sardines," were purchased 

 at Eastport and shipped to New York, where the experiments were made. When it was found 

 that they could be made to answer the purpose the business was at once transferred to Eastport. 

 There were several reasons that necessitated this change: In the first place, it was found that her- 

 ring salted in the ordinary way for shipment were not all that could be desired for making a 

 superior article, and it was therefore desirable to buy the fish fresh, and to prepare them expressly 

 for this trade; it was also found that fish of a certain size and quality were best suited for the pur- 

 pose, and these could only be secured by making the selection before they were salted ; again, the 

 saving in freights by the shipment of the manufactured article instead of the raw material, was 

 an important item, and the saving in rent and labor was considerable. 



When the preparation of sardines in oil began there was another and more important reason 

 why the canneries should be located in the vicinity of the fisheries. Only the small fish can be used 

 to advantage for canning, and these are so delicate that they must be used within a few hours, at 

 most, after they are taken from the water. When sailing vessels are employed, as is usually the 

 case at present, the fishery cannot be prosecuted at a distance much exceeding 8 or 10 miles from 

 the cannery, and it often happens during the calm warm weather of mid-summer that the fish are 

 spoiled on the passage. Steamers have recently been employed in towing the sardine boats to the 

 cannery, or in gathering and transporting the catch, and in this way the distance to which the fish 

 may be carried is proportionately increased. The first parties to use the steamboat for this work 

 were Messrs. Wolff & Reesaing, of Eastport, who, in the summer of 1879, bought a small tug for 

 towing the fish-boats. 



OCCURRENCE OF SMALL HERRING IN DIFFERENT LOCALITIES. The fact that the business 



* Since the above was written (in 1881) mackerel-canning factories have been established at Boston and at sev- 

 eral places on the coast of Maine, and the industry has greatly increased. A. H. CLARK. 



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