236 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The spee of the fillers, running at an average rate and in such a manner that 
the handlers aro not crowded beyond their capacity, is 52 to 58 per minute, though it is 
claimed the ma. ines, when well adjusted, will run at a speed of 80 to 90. At this rate 
the pack can not be handled unless the filling tables are very differently arranged. 
A good average for the can-makers is 50 per minute. All cans are made at the 
cannery, of 100-pound tin for bodies and 95-pound for tops, of which 50 per cent is 
imported; 1 pound of solder is used to the case. 
Transportation is by the vessels of the company and chartered vessels, and they 
usually make several trips during a season. If idle for any length of time, they are 
moored at Larsen Cove, a branch of Uyak Bay. 
The Chinese contract was 12^ cents per case for machine-filled and 47i cents for 
hand-packed, with the usual conditions. Fishermen’s contract was $25 per month 
from the time fishing commenced until it ceased and 18 cents per case, divided equally 
amongst all; $10 per month from the time the vessel arrived until fishing commenced 
and from the time fishing ceased until the day of departure; full board from the time 
of signing until paid off', except the Italian crew, who boarded themselves and 
received 35 cents per day commutation. There are two classes of fishermen; one 
consists of Scandinavians, who operate on the Spit, and the other of Italians, who 
operate the Tanglefoot Bay side. 
The streams and vicinity, together with the species, times of the runs, and other 
matters relating to Karluk, were fully described in my former report. It need only 
be said that the pack made here is essentially of redfish, all other species being inci- 
dental. Occasionally, after long intervals, there is an enormous run of humpbacks. 
There was such a run in 1890, and this season they were again very plentiful around 
the whole island. During our visit the seines were choked with them, and, as pre- 
viously mentioned, at Ayakulik fishing for redfish ceased on account of the great 
number of humpbacks present. There are usually a few scattering king salmon 
around Karluk beach, most abundant in June, when a pack of from 500 to 1,000 cases 
is sometimes made. A few cohoes and dog salmon also occur, but the small pack 
usually made of the former comes from Sturgeon River. Steelheads are taken, com- 
mencing early in August and increasing during the latter part of the month, but 
never in sufficient numbers to utilize; thirty or forty may lie taken one day and the 
next few days only three or four, or possibly none. Cod are abundant. Halibut 
are not plentiful, and neither shad nor sturgeon have been seen. Usually there are 
many trout, but this year they were very scarce. 
The Karluk canneries this year fished the Spit and adjacent waters, Ayakulik, 
Uganuk, Little River, Eagle Harbor, and Kiliuda Bay, though the yield from the last 
two places was not over 9,000 fish. There seemed to be no contention this year over 
the fishing rights in this vicinity. 
The fisheries at Karluk during the seasons of 1898 and 1899 were considered a 
failure, as only about 65 per cent of the general average of the past ten years was 
made. The canneries at Karluk, Uganuk, and Uyak combined have, for the ten 
years ending with 1897, made an average pack of over 200,000 cases per year, and at 
no time during this period has the pack fallen as low as for the years of 1898 and 
1899. Some cannerymen claim that these slack runs are only temporary; others 
believe that they indicate the first sign of decline, and that while some years there 
