The Columbus journal., 1884-05-14
Yankee SarnnoS,

Yankee Sar0Ines.
Mne-tenths of the sardines consumed
In the United States come from Maine
Very few of the real French fish ar
imported now. These Yankee sardine
sfe nothing but small herring put up il
boxes with gaudy labels and French in
scriptions. In Eastport there are nino
teen places where they turn out sar
dimes, beside three 1T Lubec, two Al
! Jonesp0rt, and one each at Millbridge
Lamoine and Robbinston. In 1876 q
New York firm did Q lucrative bushes.
packing .'Russian sardinesn in East
port. These were little herring packed
In small wooden kegs and preserved
with spices of different kinds. 1t &C.
CURED to one member of the firm that
these little fish might be utilized to
better advantage by cooking them and
packing them in olive oil, like the
French sardines. The experiment had
been tried several years before without
success. The difficulty was to eradicate
the taste OF the herring. This gave
rise to the couplet:
You may spice and may call it sardine If you
But the taste of the herring will cling TO II
still.
1t was easy to cook the herring, pack
them in olive oil in tin cans, and seal
them air tight, but when they were
opened they had not the rich. spicy
flavor of the regular French sardines.
After . great many experiments, one
of the manufacturers succeeded in pro-
ducing q mixture of oils and spices
which removed the difficulty.
The herring used for making sardines
are about four inches long, and are
takenin great quantities along the Maine
and New Brunswick coast. They can
be bought Of the fishermen for about IS
a hogshead. although when the fish are
scarce. As they often r in the spring,
they bring as much as S15 a hogshead.
To catch the fish small trees or brush
are thrust into the sandy bottom of the
sea, arrangedin a line running out from
the shore some Is Or 100 feet, and then
curved back like a horses shoe. Inside
this trap, is a net. When the tide is
falling the net is raised and the fish
are taken out with huge scoop nets.
The catch is always very uncertain;
sometimes only q bushel or two will be
taken. aud. often so many are caught as
to endanger the net.
There Is another way ofcapturing the
fish. Herring, like mackerel, 60 in
schools, and. for some reason. ALWAYS
follow . light. Two Orthree fishermen
provide themselves with torches made
Of cotton batting saturated with kero-
sene, and or dark nights row along
the shores with q torch in the bow Of
the boat. When q school is found the
herring dart after the boat, coming so
close that they are dipped up in nets
attached to short poles.
After being captured the fish are
taken Immediately to the factory and
laid in heaps upon long tables. The
first thing is to decapitate and clean the
fish. The dexterity with which this op-
Grafton is performed by the children
who are employed is remarkable. On
an average seventy-five fish are cleaned
and decapitated every minute by each
child. Both operations are performed
with one stroke of a sharp knife. A
box holding about a bushel lies at the
feet of each operator, and as the clean
ing is completed the fish slides into this
box. Thepay for this work is ten cents
per box, and some of the children make
a dollar and half a day.
After being washed the herring are
picked for half an hour and are then
laid upon trays and placed in a largo
room heated by steam. After
the fish arc dry they are thrown into
large shallow pans of oil and thor
cooked. They are then packed
in tin boxes by girls and women. and
each box is poured a quantity OF the
patent mixture of oils and spices.
Covers are then fitted to the boxes and
sealed on by lei As air must be ex-
the cans, when sealed, are
placed in a tank of boiling water,
they remain half an hour, and
are then removed and placed on an
inclined plane so that the air
rushes to a corner of
the box. This corner is punctured with
an awl. the hot air escapes and the can
is made air-tight by a drop of solder. The
boxes are then ornamented with attrac- !
tive French labels, stating that the en-
are Sardines q la Francaise;"
are labeled "a rhnttle d'Olire. "The
oil used is cottonseed oil, such as is made
in South Carolina. 1t is not always the
best quality of oil. The best oil is used,
however, for the fish sold Is prime"
There I prepared at these factories
other varieties of fish known As anus.
'.maranees," and ''sea trout"
The mustards are prepared like the
'ardines until they are put in the cans.
They are packed in a preparation made
If mustard, vinegar and oil, with a soup
ON of spice. The mustards are larger
ish than the sardines. The maranees
ire packed in a sauce made of vinegar,
spices, lemon and sugar, and the sea
;rout are large herring put up in oval
boxes with still another sauce.
Almost the entire product of these
factories is shipped to New York.
whence it is sold to retailers all through
he country. One of the Lubec houses
prepares about 4, 200 boxes a day. The
Ictual cost per box, including expenses,
3 about five cents. The profit made by
he packers is from five to seven cents.