The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-06
FISH.
Fast Growth OF an Important Industry

Perhaps there is no one feature of Portland's
trade that impresses the citizen, who chooses
to lock the matter up, so forcibly as the growth
of the fish business. In 1878 the fish trade was
almost at stand still. Almost everybody was
discouraged, and it was feared that Portland
would lose what it had gained by the hard
work of years, and that she would sink to the
level of q fifth class port. Since then. however
the trade has revived, and now Portland takes
rank among the leading fish ports Of the coun-
try. The business that formerly belonged to
Salem Beverly, Newburyport, Cape Cod, East
port, Swanboro and many of the ports east.
has been absorbed here, and the dealers have
been compelled to seek additional room Tor
their largely increased and daily growing trade.
Perhaps one thing in relation to this trade that
strikes the observer more forcibly than another
Is the gradual taking up of unused Swharf prop
erty. The firm of G. A. Dyer on Custom
House wharf, is an example .of the growth of
the business Mr.. Dyer is comparatively, a
young man. He was a cooper, but wanted to
go into the fish bushes. His father tried to
dissuade him and would not advance him any
money. Dyer had $500, and lent 100 OF that
capital to somebody else to go into business.
With the 5000 he started fish packing on
small scale, and now his buildings on Custom
House Wharf occupy some 500 feet of land in
length and 30 feet in breadth. Last year he
packed $4,000 barrels Of mackerel, and probab-
iy will far exceed that number this year. which
will end in November. His feet of fishing
vessels number sixty sail, with crews averaging
eight to ninh nh ic coiJ fh:c
firm does half as much business as Gloucester,
Mass. Besides their mackerel packing in bar
rels their canning factory is a great institution
and the pay roll of the canning factory alone
is $500 week. One order for their mackerel
was placed in New York last week amounting
to $4,000 in value. This fish finds ready sale
at the west where there is a great demand for
it. The Nova Scotia fishermen send most of
their catch now over the Intercolonial road,
west, and not via Boston.
The firm Of Charles D. Themes & Co., have
lately given up their old quarters on CONNER
clal wharf, and taken the three large stores,
unoccupied we believe since sthe fire on the
wharf some years ago-for their business Of
fish packing. They pack some 5000 or 1000
barrels. Their old quarters have been taken
Ny eno NTH VI II. u. w lilard % Co., IN addltlon
to their spacious buildings on the same wharf.
The sales Of fish by this firm this last year
would probably amount to $750,000. Then
there are the firms of w. S. Dana g. c., Lewis,
Chase and Whitten, Chase g. Cushing, Ed
ward Fl. Chase and many others we could mon
ton. The aggregate business probably
amounts to nearly, if not quite, three million
dollars year.
In connection with the fish business is that
Of fisherman's outfits, supplied by W. S. .Jor-
dan q Co., Perley, Russell & Co., Sargent,
Lord q Skillin, amounting to at least half a
million dollars year more. 1t can thus be
seen that the ocean affords Portland enc Of its
most important branches of industry.