EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 153 



taken. Where 30 or 40 boats are engaged in fishing, the boat's account 

 and that of the cannery do not always agree, and frequently long and 

 heated arguments ensue. This difficult}^ is partially overcome by a 

 device, consisting of two levers fastened to a rod acting on a self- 

 recording machine, attached to the elevator that carries the fish under 

 the rotary cutting machine, the levers hanging perpendicularl}- through 

 a slot running the whole length of the elevator, and so arranged that 

 when a fish is placed upon it and reaches a certain point, the levers 

 are forced up, thereby causing the machine to register. On being- 

 released, the levers drop through the slots, where they remain until 

 another fish forces them up. While this apparatus does not insure an 

 absolutely correct count on the part of the fishermen, it acts as a great 

 check. Daily readings from the register give the exact number of 

 fish packed, also the number of each species. 



lulling the cans. — Having passed through the cutter, the salmon are 

 now read}'^ to be received by the filling machine, which cuts the sec- 

 tions longitudinally into the required size and at tlie same time fills the 

 can. The Munn filling machine is about 7 feet high, and is built at an 

 angle. It is fed from the top into the hopper, the mouth of which is 

 the same shape as on a hand cotfee mill. The pieces of salmon fall 

 from the mouth down a chute, and are forced by two dogs into a 

 receptacle through which the plunger, or filler, passes. The plunger 

 in making a stroke cuts the salmon and at the same time fills the can 

 within a fraction of an ounce of the required weight. Generally the 

 cans overrun in weight; occasionall}" a few are weighed to see whether 

 the machine is working properly. 



Cans are led to the filler from the floor above by means of a belt, 

 attached to which are wire racks about 4 inches apart, set at an angle 

 to prevent the salt from spilling out. When a can arrives opposite 

 the filler it is caught by a clasp or hook and held in front of the 

 plunger, which is immediate!}' thrust forward through a chamber 

 filled with salmon, cutting the fish and at the same time filling the can. 

 W^hen in good working order, the machine will fill from 60 to 05 cans 

 a minute, and when running at full speed can fill as many as 80 a 

 minute. It is quite complicated in construction, but is easily kept in 

 repair, and fills a long-felt want in salmon canning, performing as it 

 does the labor of from 15 to 20 men. Its average guaranteed capacity 

 per day is 800 cases, or 38,400 cans of 1 pound each; 48,000 cans have 

 been filled b}^ one machine for several days in succession. On being 

 released by the clamp the cans roll on to a long table and are picked up 

 by a man stationed there, who strikes each one down upon a square 

 piece of lead weighing about 10 pounds, in order to settle the contents 

 to the bottom, and for the purpose of detecting an}'^ deficiency in 

 weight. So expert do these men become that the slightest variation 

 in the quantity of salmon is detected. Cans that are not up to the 



