The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-07
Columbia River Salmon Trade.

realize the extent OF the salmon can
ming industry upon this river. The
first cannery was established in 1868 by
a Mr.. Hume, who journeyed from
Maine to California and started a
cannery on the Sacramento river,
whence he transported his enterprise
to the banks of the Columbia, attracted
by the superiority both in number and
quality of the Oregon fish. There are
now twenty-eight large canneries upon
the river, more than two-thirds of
which are at Astoria.
The catch of salmon last season
reached the large number of 100000
fish, averaging about twenty-three
pounds; the fish are taken in nets, and
upwards of forty miles length of
these nets are set out every fine night.
The boats start out about four p. M,
and a very pretty sight it is to see five
to six hundred of them starting in a
brisk breeze and beating down toward
the bar, about twelve miles below
Astoria. The catch greatly varies, the
highest number this season being little
over l., 1000, on the Doth of May. The
prize fish of that great catch weighed
siXty-two pounds. The fishermen earn
an average of five dollars day through
the season. the canneries furnishing
the nets and boats. The canneries are
immense wooden buildings, upon piles,
On the arrival of the boats in the
morning the fish are taken in hand by
the cleaners, who are skilled Cinnamon,
and who polish off fish and pass it ON
to the cutting machines in wonderfully
quick time. From the cutting ma
chimes the pieces are carried indoors to
the packers, who fill the cans and pass
them on to the cappers, who quickly
put tops on them and send them along
to the cooking tanks. Before finally
closing the cans, each one is carefully
tested by an expert, and if the slight
est leak is detected, the can is put
aside for examination, the leak is found
and the can closed up. The cans are
then vanished, labelled and packe d in
cases holding four dozen one-pound
or two dozen two-pOund cans;
the cases are branded, and the fish are
ready for shipment. The whole oper-
alton of cleaning, canning and cook
ing is done by Cinnamon, and must be
performed with great celebrity, particu-
larly when the nights catch has been
heavy, as no fish are allowed to remain
over to another day. The large can
neries have sometimes to 60 through
as many as 5000 fish, filling $4,000
cans, in one day. The upper floors of
the buildings are filled with busy en-
ployes making cans, nearly 100000
cans being required by the Astoria cam
neries for their seasons work, which
lasts about 100 days.
The twenty-eight canneries on the
river put up 450,0 cases, containing
100000 pounds of salmon, last sea-
son, though they complain that fish are
getting scarcer each year; but if the
number of fish passing up the river is
diminishing, the nets and fishermen
are increasing, and there is real dan
ger that all the salmon that come into
the river will be destroyed.
The cost of fish has risen with the
demand and the multiplication of can
neries, from ten to fifty cents per fish,
and the profits are proportionately less
ened. The following is, l believe, a
correct estimate of the cost of four
dozen can case to the cannery at this
seasons prices: Cans, AZ at 3 cents,
81. "A; fish, 3! at so cents, $1.75; labels,
10 cents; cases, Is cents; lead and tin,
II cents; labor and fuel, SO cents; total,
S4.39; worth, at 1925 per dozen, So;
leaving but 81 cents margin to cover
rent, interest, insurance and repairs to
buildings, boats and nets. The can
neries in British Columbia and Alaska
get their fish for five cents each, and
thus save $1.57 per case, a saving
which must make the Northern rivers
formidable competitors to the Columbia
in the canning business. 1t is obvious
that the industry here has reached its
maximum, and that it cannot be kept
up at its present rate without rapidly
eXhausting the supply of fish.
The Columbia River salmon is
splendid fish, fully equal in flavor to
the best Scotch salmon, and superior to
the salmon taken in the waters of Maine
and Canada.