Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-24
A VALUABLE INDUSTRY.
The Milan Canning Company and
Its Importance.
An Isstitutsen the value OF which h
Perhaps Not Fully Realized as Yet
---lts Process and Something or the
works

not fully realized as yet as IL has been run
ming but few days. 1t is the new Milan
canning factory, and while descriptions
OF II have from time to time appeared in
the ARGUS. il had to get into fair running
operation before the public could acquire
an idea Of what might be expected Of 1t.
An ARGUS representative who visited
Milan yesterday. is obliged to confess
great surprise at what he saw, when
shown through the works by Manager /,
V. McCsgg. II is a veritable scene of
industry and enterprise
The institution has been running only
little over week. and there
are forty hands already employed,
and the number will be increased
to seventy>flve as soon as they can be
had, and to one hundred before the sea-
son ends. Inspection OF the machinery
Is In itself an interesting study to one
who enjoys mechanical novelty and gen,
ius. IL Is of the latest improved and
labor-saving inventions. and such as has
proved the most successful in putting up
goods, including a Springfield gas ma
chine OF the most modern make, and the
latest devices for Gaping. steamine an 4
corn cutting, and the only successful
process kettle. For instance. the corn
passes from the shed to the process ket
tie without being touched by hand. going
through all the various stages OF prepar-
alton by machinery. Tomatoes pass
through dry steam exhaust, and no
water is permitted to touch them after |
the scalding operation which is neces-
sary TO remove the skin, and at the same |
time take away everything but the sweet |
natural flavor. The tomato cans are
then filed by girls by hand. and
as long as the can will hold.
There is, as n consequence, no water in
the can, and the lucious vegetable is
canned solely in its own Juice.
Corn is pat up IN its young tender
state and canned strictly in its own milk, |
thus retaining all its sweetness and fine |
flavor. Everything is cooked in the can |
after the seal, leaving 1t only necessary |
for the consumer to heat and season TO |
taste. Thus far only corn and tomatoes
have been canned, but the works are |
equipped to put up peas. baked beans.
pumpkins and asparagus and other veg
etables. and these branches will be en-
barked ir in due time. The present |
capacity of the works is twenty-five to |
thirty-five thousand cans of corn daily,
and five to fifteen thousand cans of toma-
toes, entsiling consumption OF twenty
I'VE to forty tons of corn day and five
hundred bushels of tomatoes.
The brands Of canned goods so far
manufactured are BLACK Hawk Sugar
Corn" and the Great Rock Island" and
Pride Of Milan" brands of tomatoes.
Manager McCagg opened can each of
the corn and tomatoes yesterday and
permitted the reporter to judge for
himself as to their merits. The /
taste was delicious and the corn
especially had been so carefully and
thoroughly scraped and pulped that a
person without teeth could have enjoyed
It as well as the tomatoes. On the label
of the can used for the BLACK Hawk"
brand of corn is this fitting inscription,
1.-The lands of Rock Island county were
selected by the great Indian chief, Black |
Hawk, as the best in the northwest for
growing corn. This sugar corn was
grown on these lands, and is put I'D in |
its own milk retaining all it's sweetness
and fine flavor" There is great deal |
in the quality of the grain, vegetable
or fruit to be canned" said Mr..
McCsgg, land in this connection
l may explain that this is one of the rea-
sons why we located here. 1t is be.
cause Of the grain and vegetables in their
natural state. The soil seems to be pro
ductive Of superior quality Our label
on the can explains our opinion OF
the corn. The tomatoes on the bluffs
in and about Rock Island, Moline and
Milan are the best in this country. They
are the biggest. best. and composed of
the most sound and solid meat.
These are the reasons we sold out in Da-
yenport and located here. We want to
be near the best product"
The works, Of course, do strictly Job
bling business, selling no less quantity
than carload lots. and already have re-
ceived great demands for the exclusive
handling of their goods from firms in
Chicago and elsewhere in the northwest.
MIR. A. @. Dart, who ought to be pref
ty good jsdge OF canned goods, states
that he never saw such tomatoes, and
never had better corn in his house than
the Milan Canning company puts up.
The officers Of the company are l. V.
McCagg president and manager; G. Fl.
Dibbern. vice president; J. F. Mathews
secretary and treasurer. G. II. Plummer,
who has always been in a canning facto-
ry and understands the business as thor
oughly as man can, is professor. The
works are supplied with water from two
wells and pipes running to .the main
channel of Rock river, from which water
Is pumped for cooking and for steam |
which is used in charging the cans with |
salt brine. Hose are distributed at con, |
venient distance throughout the nicely ar.
ranged building and the floors are thor
oughly washed and scrubbed every night,