FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 101 



being packed, but this is not thought to be necessary. The boxes are 

 hoisted to the second floor by a steam -elevator, from which they are 

 transferred to little flat hand-cars, which run on parallel tracks across the 

 room over the refrigerating apartments. The boxes are lowered through 

 the hatches into the rooms below by means of a tackle suspended from 

 the roof. Each room will hold seventy to eighty boxes when corded. 

 Sturgeon and individual fish of other species, which happen to be too 

 large for the pans, are not treated at all in the bins, but are hung up 

 instead upon large meat-hooks in these refrigerating-rooms to be frozen, 

 after which they are piled up like cordwood. The temperature of the 

 rooms is usually about 14° Fahr. When the room has been emptied 

 of its fish the ice is knocked from the tanks, upon the surface of which 

 it accumulates to the thickness of an inch or two, and by means of a 

 salamander stove, using gas-coke as fuel, the room is thoroughly dried 

 out, and afterwards whitewashed and renovated. 



The boxes in which the fish are ultimately shipped cost 35 cents, and 

 2 cents additional for making. All the boxes which go to Chicago are 

 returned, except when a dealer has some special reason for wishing to 

 retain them. 



Most of the fish are frozen round, but the trout are always cleaned, 

 as they spoil if the viscera are allowed to remain in them. The sturgeou 

 are always dressed, but the skin is left on; the fishermen are required 

 to remove the heads, collar bones, fins, and tails before they are ac- 

 cepted by the buyer. The dories find their way mostly to the Jewish 

 trade, which requires them in a round state. 



Dories and perch and some black bass begin to be put in the freezer 

 the first of the spring, and are followed by sturgeon and No. 2 white- 

 fish in June, July, and August. Towards the end of October round 

 whitefish and all the common species find their way to the freezer. 



The period of time during which the fish remain in the freezer varies 

 considerably. Sturgeon are frequently allowed to remain for a whole 

 year, but other fish as a rule are only held for four or five months, al- 

 though it has happened that whitefish have been kept for nineteen 

 months. The sturgeon are smoked in Chicago before being placed 

 upon the market. 



Statistics of frozen fish. — In 1884 there were frozen 196,941 pounds of 

 No. 1 whitefish, 78,101 pounds of No. 2 whitefish, 07,890 pounds of trout, 

 93,079 pounds of dories, 6,449 pounds of bass, 17,958 pounds of perch, 

 71,475 pounds of herring, and 27,769 pounds of sturgeon, making a total 

 of 559,622 pounds, all of which were frozen round, with the exception of 

 the sturgeon, the trout, and 51,743 pounds of No. 1 whitefish. 



In 1885 the quantity was much smaller, amounting to only 26,003 

 pounds of No. 1 round whitefish, 19,443 pounds of No. 2 round white- 

 fish, 27,107 pounds of dressed whitefish, 165,835 pounds of dressed trout, 

 20,763 pounds of dories, 3,073 pounds of bass, 18,869 pounds of perch, 

 100,114 pounds of herriug, and 36,432 pounds of dressed sturgeon. It 



