P52 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
at Fairhaven, Wash., removes the head, tail, and fins, and opens and 
thoroughly cleans the fish ready to cut into pieces for the cans. Fish 
that are dressed by the cleaning machine require less inspection than 
those cleaned by hand. 
Cuiting the jish.—Uaving undergone examination to insure cleauli- 
ness, the fish are pitched upon a tabie, attached to which is a machine 
that cuts them into proper lengths to fit the cans. This apparatus 
consists of a number of knife blades semicircular in form, with 
the sharp part on the convex side. The blades are set in a wooden 
roller or axle, and so arranged that they can be set at any desired dis- 
tance apart, thus cutting the salmon into lengths to fit either ‘‘talls” 
or ‘‘flats,” as the case may be. A fish is placed under the row of 
knives and the handle attached is brought down with a quick stroke, 
which cuts the fish transversely into pieces corresponding to the num- 
ber of knives. In canneries where full lines of machinery are installed, 
this method has given way to the rotary cutting machine, which con- 
sists of gang knives set in an iron axle or cylinder kept in motion by 
belt and pulley. The cylinder is attached to the top of an elevator, 
the same power running both. As the fish come from the third wash- 
ing, they are carried to and under the revolving knives by the elevator. 
In many instances the ‘‘ butcher” room is situated some little dis- 
tance from the main building, and the fish, after being dressed, are 
taken to the elevator in push carts. Some canneries have iron tracks 
leading to the cutting machine, and small hand cars are run for carry- 
ing the fish. 
The introduction of cutting and filling machines has greatly increased 
the capacity of canneries; combined, they take the place of about 25 
men. Formerly, after leaving the gang knives, the fish were cut into 
proper sizes to fit the cans by means of a long knife wielded by a 
Chinaman who stood at a regular butcher’s block and with quick 
strokes cut the sections of salmon in uniform sizes. From 2 to 4 men 
were thus employed. The pieces were either dropped into a basket or 
thrown into a wooden bin. 
The tail piece is rejected by the rotary cutter and falls into a chute 
leading away from that into which the other portions are dropped. 
The very large tail pieces are utilized to some extent, but by far the 
greater number are thrown away. If salmon were less plentiful in 
Alaskan waters, it is very probable than only a small part of a fish 
would be rejected, but the tail portion is of small value as compared to 
the middle and head sections, and could not very well be placed in the 
same can without injuring the sale of the product. If packed undera 
distinct and separate label, however, there seems to be no reason 
why the tails should not be put on the market. 
Counting the fish.—Some canneries pay the fishermen a monthly sal- 
ary, others pay a certain price, according to the species, for each fish 
