The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-30


A visit 10 the cannerics Of tho Fraser
river Is sufficient 10 dispel the prejudice
50 commonly entertained against canned
fish, for everything connected with the
process Of canning IS made and kept az
clean as the contents Of a model dairy.
The whole stretch OF this noble river,
near the city Of New Westminster, Is
dotted here and there with busy fisher
men in their slliiis and boats and canoes,
whilst tho Indian encampments, with
their white tents and rugged shanties
glintmg through the foliage or stand
ing ont i'm bold outline, add life
and beauty 70 the scene. As you
spin down The river ia the golden
summer time. the forests on It's banks
show their brightest tints and the wide
extended branches Of the trees are re-
Elected in the placid water. The steam
launch gently cuts It's way through the
parting waves, and though you welcome
each view with eager admiration, ever
and anon you turn round 10 catch an
other glimpse Of those you have left be-
hind YOU. At length the little voyage l.
over and you are alongside the wharf,
where a beautiful sight awaits you. The
last boat has Just come in and IS dis
charging its shining freight, and on the
landing are carefully arranged in long
rows some 9. OOOof the finest salmon that
ever grabbed a fly or enmeshed them
selves in the gill net which the Indians
here employ 10 catch them. The COM
pany working the cannery finds the
boats, nets and all the necessary Quilt
Tho Indians catch the fish and are
paid 10 cents each for all they
bring in, large or small. When the
nbcats arrive at the wharf the
dsh are transferred to the landing
stage, thence 10 the counting platform.
from which they pass, one by one, into
the hands Of tho splitter, usually China
man, whose duty 1t is 70 split them open.
and remove the entrai3, head, tail and
fins. An expert Chinaman, II Is said,
viii slit as many as 5000 in a day. The
parts removed arc thrown into the gull
70 be washed away by the tide, whilst
the salmon pass on to the cleaning bench,
where they are received by other hands,
and subjected 20 a thorough cleansing
and rinsing BIZ clean and sparkling water,
Kept ia constant flow direct from the
spring. From here they arc passed on
to a tank containing a slight pickle,
where they are rubbed and scrubbed
with "a brush till the slime and
scales areall thoroughlyremoved They
are then transferred 10 the fish knives,
a multiple apparatus, so constructed
that q fish placed upon the bench Is
seized by number Of revolving knives,
set at distances Of four inches apart, and
by one turn cut into lengths exactly 20
lit the depth of the can. After the cans
are made up they arc tested in the weigh
ing department to see that they are prop
e1ly flied, in which case each one weighs
exactly one pound and four ounces.
Tho various processes employed in
covering, soldering and scaling the cans
are ingeniously cUntrived, and 1t IS as
tonishDg with what rapidly they are
passed on from stage 10 stage. When
sealed they are tested once moro to de-
tect any flaw In the can OF soldering. IN
case OF a flaw the can is put on one side
for inspection and remedy.
The sound cans pass on 70 the boiling
tank, where they remain for an hour and
ten minutes, at a temperature Of III
dogs. thence to the steam retorts, where
they remain for an hour and upward,
according 20 the size OF the lieh,
and till the entire contents Of the can
are thoroughly cooked. The cans are
then allowed 10 stand for twelve hours
in cooling room to settle and cool,
after which they are lacquered TO protect
them from rust They are then tested
again by sound, then labeled and boxed,
and tho whole process is over. There
are some twelve or fourteen Of these can
nerics on the Fraser river, which employ
a large amount of white labor inside.
and supply the Indians with their chief
means Of subsistence. In the season the
Indian fishermen make quite q harvest,
and / have been told that they spend as
much as $4,000 in one day in tho city
Of New Westminster.
Tho Indians Of British Columbia are
noted as the most industrious Of their
race, q fact which may be partly
accounted for by tho opportunities al
forded them in the fshcriegof tho Fraser
Those inhabiting the northwest terri
tories are, for the most part. in condi-
ton Of squalid misery, and Thousands
who are unable, now that the buffalo has
disappeared, to gain living, are sup
ported by q regular service OF rations at
the expense of the Canadian govern
ment. O'COSNOR Power.