Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-17
GLOUCESTER.
How Fish Are Packed in the Atlantic
Seaport.

How Fish Are Packed in the Atlanti.
Seaport.
81 want you to 60 through one of the
fish curing and packing establish.
ments." said a citizen of Gloucester to
a reporter few days since. Il doub,
if you have any idea of the work that is
done in one of them. Great changes
have been made in the business. Years
ago curing fish was synonymous with
dirt and offensive smells All that has
been done away with, and the curing
and packing of fish is done with as
much regard to cleanliness as is the
grinding of wheat and packing of
flour"
Where shall we go?" asked the
Journalist.
Anywhere, into any of them; in all
of them the processes are clean and
wholesome" Being near the estab-
'lishment of Messrs. John Pew & Son,
the representative asked the proprie-
tors to show him about, which they
kindly did. The establishment covers
two or three acres. The first thing
which attracts ones attention IS
a huge reservoir which is filled from an
artesian well by power furnished by a
windmill. I'VE are obliged to
have an abundance of pure wa
ter" sad Mr.. Pew. because
thorough washing is of the utmost
Importance in this business. At the
wharves of the company were two
ships unloading salt. That ship"
pointing to one of them, lis one of the
last of the famous feet built by Nc
Kay" The salt used is of the cleanest
and best quality. great care being taken
to get the best and to remove from it
all impurities. A cargo Of mackerel
was lust in, and crew of men in one
building were at work repacking them.
Where they are caught they are put
into barrels with little salt and regard
ess of size. In the curing establish
ment they are all taken out, classified,
barrels and kits. Large houses were
filled with hogsheads of cod and other
fish in pickle. These fish are not sold
in that form. but cargoes are usually
kept in that condition as the most con-
venient and safest prior to drying.
The fish are dried on frames, those of
this firm covering half or two-thirds of
an acre, and one dare not say how
many thousand pounds of fish can be
cured at one time thereon. The pack
ing of dry fish is comparatively new
industry. In days of yore the dry fish
was thrown down in most any place in
the retail store where it would not dry
up or lose anything in weight.
All this has been changed by the in
PRODUCTION of packing and boxing. 1t
is also great saving. Heretofore it was
difficult to sell the small fish; now that
the skin and the bones are removed
the small ones are just as good as the
larger On the second floor of one
building were over tn rty men, women
d boys engaged in cutting. curing
ami packing dry fish. 1t was model
kroom. light, with the cool breezeS
from the ocean coming in at the win
dows. From a pile OF the fish men
with strong hands took the fish and re-
moved the bones in less time than it
takes one to tell it. Others seize it and
pull of the skin. Another gang cut
them nto pieces about two and one-half
by Sax inches. This is done on large
tables divided into squares. through
which the knives are run. Girls next
put the pieces into packages weighing
two pounds or more. These packages
are next passed along to men who put
them into presses and reduce them to
the smallest space possible. Then girls
take them and put Irvine about them.
The punches are then carefully sailed
and put into boxes. which in turn are
nailed up and carried out. The
Gloucester houses pack fish for special
customers to all parts of the country,
putting their brand on the packages:
The wood for the boxes is pine. of
small dimensions, and comes largely
from New Hampshire. all pre-
prepa to be nailed together.