New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-02
V1ITING FOE PORGIES.
ny,y FIVE THOUSAND BARRELS TAKEN AS

poothbay IIarbor Nc, July 90 (SpeciaD.-
,h in the seventies one of the greatest industries
an this part of the country was the pofg' fisheries.
The converting of those fat FISH into oil and Tat
yery odorerous though by means fragrant substance
Known as chum" gave labor. and paying labor too to
hundreds OF men. The oil sold then Il, high as
a, n GALLON. and the chum was also in neat demand.
II was 50 profitable business that factories spi'ng
nm all along the coast ana result o. The great
slaughter of their number. the porrcs held some sort
q, an assembly and resolved to boycott the coast II
yew England for a while. This resolve they kept
until the summer of 1sso, when small schools came
North Ia see what had become OF their oil desroycrs
They found most Of the factories rotten, tumledown
old buildings the steamers turned into tugboatS and
the majority of III, owners bankrupt hy their
porgyshps' frecxcout. Evidently those porgies thas
visited Maine lSss satisfied that they were
forgotten in these parts. foy last year they came IN
such numbers that il seemed a. if the whole porsy
kingdom had come down To Maine to spend the summSr
and swim around in the waters where so many Of
their grandparents had lost their lives.
As soon as the first shiny school came in lSSS.
Church, Halfway IL Co. began TO build over and
fit up one or two monstrou, factories at Linchn'S
Neck, formerly owned by the Gallup brothers. They
did not get into shape to do mach that summer he
for the weather got frosty for the porCies
fort and they started south again. Last year they
did considerable business, but their works not
completed until this spring. Now everything has
been prepared and gotten into perfect trim t. give
those pOrges who visit these waters this summer
the warmest kind of a reception. Eighty men arc
employed in the factory, not counting the carpenters
and men who are sin building and repairing.
Three steamers and one sailing vessel, each with
twenty two board, by the company.
besides the countless other crafts which 60 "aporSy
ing their own hook" But with all this feet after
tem the fish are not forthcoming and there is capa-
city 10 use up 600 1900 barrels Of fish daily. but
as vet only 5000 barrels have been used This is. T.
be sure rather early ia the season, but fishermen say
along the coast that there not nearly many
fish this year there last year, and what there
are are very wild.
The process of changing the handsome FISH into oil
and chum is very simple. They are carried from
the wharf 10 the top Of the factory. where they
boiled, and then pressed with 1OOton pressure The
oil and water are run of together, ard BY paSsu.
like flight of stairs the oil :" skins itself" is
said When. az the bottom Of the factory, the oil i
drawn of from the last into barrels, IL looks for
all the world like maple syrup. Ihr oil Is used
great deal by tanners and soap makers, ana some
lines for paints II Is worth from twenty 20 thirty
cents per gallon. After the oil and wafer have been
pressed and the Chum or scrap, As II j. sometimes
called is burned with suiphuric acid then II il ready
for shipment. The Old process for drying Chum !,
done aWat with, and one OF the greatest Causes OF
that unearthly stencil Of the factories Of dozen
years ago has been removed, The ClUm j, worth
Sl4 ton and is sold 10 manufactures, OF fertilizers.
There will he no dsagrecablc OdOr about the works
this year. They say the only thing beside, the
former factories waste water, of Of which the oil
had been drawn.