The Portland daily press., 1873-07-30
The Oil Business in BristO' /.
Extent of the ssPorgie dip Business-The
Process of Manufacture, etc. f,.t.7

ROUND POND HARBoR, July 2S, 1873.
To the Editor of the Press
Perhaps your readers would be interested
in some facts concerning the menhaGen or
porgy business, which really constitutes the
principal occupation at this place this season
of the year. The following are some of the
largest porgy oil factories in this county: b.
F. Brightman runs two large factories in
volving capital of 100000; Church Broth
ers have one factory involving a capital of
$4,000, and Round Pond factory with cap
ital of $4,000; the Muscongus factory; the
Tarr factory and several smaller ones. In all,
about $3.50, 900 are invested in this business.
Sixteen steamers arc employed in transport
ing the fish from the grounds to the factories.
A large feet of smaller vessels are employed in
doing the seining work. These vessels are of
from one to two hundred tons burden. Fifty
gangs of men are employed in catching the
fish, They go out in the smaller vessels and
sleep aboard the steamer. About 1000 men
are in all, both on the water and on the shore,
employed in this business, and during the
catching season which is now at its height,
this place is very lively. At the factories, all
the work is done by steam power. The steam
ers discharge the fish at tramways on the
wharf, into cars which run up an inclined
plane to the upper story of the buildings which
are from three to four stories high, where the
fish are let down through the bottom of the
car, into large trough that will hold one
hundred hogsheads. These are the reservoirs
from whence supplies are drawn as needed
below. In the story below these troughs, are
large watts into which the fish are dropped
from the receptacle above. Here they are
steamed for half hour when they are let
down into cylinder containing hydraulic
pressure of so ton power which is worked by
steam. This pressure eXudes the oil which
flows into cutters from whence it runs into
pipes when it is boiled. This boiling process
requires the incest judgment for the quality
of the oil depends upon it. When sufficient
ly boiled, it is drawn off into series of tanks,
so that as one fills, the oil overfows it and
runs into the second, and from that into the
third in the same way, until all are full. The
last tank contains the purest oil and the quail
ty becomes poorer towards the first tank. The
oil is then drawn off into barrels and marked
according to its quality. Before barreling,
however, the oil is exposed to the sun for a
short time, as it is supposed to allow an ex-
halation of some of the obnoxious qualities
and tone down the strong fishy smell. Quite
number of vessels are employed in convey
ing it to market, which is at Boston and New
York. The present season these companies
will ship over $300, 900 worth of oil The oil
brings, on an average, 45 cents gallon. The
refuse left after the oil is pressed out, is called
''chum,' and is sold for fertiliz:ng purposes at
S12 ton. The porges appear to have an
ancient spawning and feeding ground of our
coast at this point, as they are found more
abundant here than elsewhere off the coast
of Maine. B.