Middletown transcript., 1878-12-07

that centers here, and the handsome
residences Of several Of the merchants !
show them to be financially well fixed.
Two neat and well stocked drug stores |
Zone of them. presided over by pleas
ant and communicative gentleman
who believes in enterprise and rail
roads, supply the community with
pills, powders, castor oil, etc. Some
of the buildings here show that they
have passed through many changing
seasons, and there are many evidences
that the village belongs to the long
list Of Delaware's early settlements.
Recently, however, it has been improv-
ing at quite healthy rate, among the
recent Improvements being a hand
some brick Methodist Church and
number Of commodious dwellings on
The street that leads toward the
bridge"
Frederica's industrial enterprises are
quite noteworthy Here is a phos-
phate factory where many tons Of fer
tilizer are annually turned out, fac
tory for preparing husks for mattresses,
ship-vard where not only old hulls
are put in seaworthy condition but
where trim and staunch new vessels
are built and launched on the bosom
Of the Murderkill ;2but Gchief among
the enterprises Of the village, and per
haps the most important Of them all, IS
the canning factory of Mr.. S. W.
Hall, where no less than $4,000 BIB.
cans Of tamatoes and many thousand
cans Of peaches, corn and apples were
put up during the past season.
The whole process Of putting up
fruits and vegetables in air-tight cans
is very simple, and, outside of the
manufacture of the cans, requires
very little machinery. "Here," said
Mr.. Hall, as we stepped upon a large
f,laattern in front Of the factory, "is
where the tomatoes are received from
the wagons and weighed, then just
here at the entrance Of one wing Of
the factory they are poured into scald-
ers, after which they are skinned and
cored by women who stand in front Of
these long troughs. Next, the water
is carefully strained from them, they
are dipped into the cans piled around
the operators ready to receive them
and carefully capped and soldered up.
Now comes the bath-an immersion in
boiling water. This is done by placing
the cans in large racks and sinking
them in tubs Of water-kept constantly
boiling by steam pipes. For tomatoes
from ten to fifteen minutes is consid'
cred long enough for the bath, while
corn requires about three hours boil
ing"
After the bath the cans are low.
cred to the testing room and carefully
examained by an expert who can tel
} a leaky can Just as you would test q
watermelon before pulling it-by a
simple tap. The testor does this with
a little stick, and those cans that dc
not have the right ring" are sent tc
the soldering room, carefully exam.
; ined and the leak stopped. Now the
cans are ready for labelling and box.
ing,which is done by boys who handle
the cans and labels like chain light
; ming. In the tin room Of Mr.. Halls
factory are 10 be seen all the most ap
: proved machinery for the manufacture
of cans. Here the several parts corl.
prising a can are cut out at single
! blow, and the soldering done with the
I. greatest rapidity. The cans are made
, up during the winter, and last season
+ 5000 boxes of tin were used in thi:
department. Mr. Hall contracts fol
his tomatoes in the fall, giving ou
: about 800 acres to be planted. Las
t season he paid forty cents per hundred
Y pounds, and as the average crop pei
\ acre is 10000 lbs. the reader viii SsetG
that tomatoes pay much better thar
corR-does at 40 cents a bushel. In tht
: height Of the season two hundred
e hands are employed in the factory
: and turn out 81 600 cans of fruit Oh
o vegetables per day. The annual dis
tribution of money directly from thi:
: factory must be considerable, and, Al
n it mostly goes among the farmers anC
e laboring people, it may be safely sale
# that it is put where twill do the mos
. good. Such a factory as Mr.. Hal
has in Frederica you should by al
9 mans have in Middletown.
r This canning factory, an enterpris
# of which Frederica is justly proud
h was established by Mr.. Hall about 81,
; years ago, and the proprietor, thougI
= putting up other goods, has made
s. leader Of tomatoes and earned a repu
8 tation for his goods second to none ii
is the country. His brands are now to b
N found upon almost every grocer
= shelves and when the can is opened an
: the contep Is poured into dish they loo
1t and taste like fresh tomatoes from th
vine. The factory stands close by tn
bank of the Murderkill, and the shil
ping is done exclusively by waite
The cases are sawed at Salisbury, r.
ceived in "shucks," and nailed togetl
er at the factory as needed. AT ii
m time Of our visit to the factory lot
a 2-lb. corn was being labeled an
c, packed ready for shipment to a Mair
of firm. the brand of which was on Il
d label.
le It is perhaps unnecessary for me
a. tell your readers that S. W. Hall
y the son of our next Governor, wi
IS will be inaugurated at Dover, on Il
IS 18th instant The Governor can
It here as a clerk in store, and, as tht
u say out west, grew up with Il
to place and is universally beloved al
at respected by his friends and neighbol
ne We understand that an effort is
err be made to get railroad from Dov
es- to Milford, distance Of seventies
miles, passing through this place, al
ng as here are to be found many live bu