Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-06-23
fnE SALEh '.NNERY.
A New Industry for habOrer and Fai p
crS.

A New Industry for labOrer and Fai =
crS.
A JOURNAL REPRESENTATIVE IN
THE CANNERY.
a JOURNAL reporter while wait
ing for a delayed train finds little
time to take a run through Salem's
new fruit canuery. The season has
just begun and only few hands are
at work yet, but in the fruit season
there will be about a hundred of
Salem's people lind employment in
this establishment, comprising men,
women, boys and girls. There is an
abundance of machinery, much of
which is not yet in use. Among the
first pieces ofodd looking machinery
to attract the attention was pea
shelter, which will be started as soon
as peas are in the market in suti-
cient quantity to can. The next
apparatus to draw the notice of the
observer was what he at first
thought to be II tanning mill, but an
inquiry and closer examination
found it to BE- "corn shuCker' and
near by it was a can filler. A trip
through the boiler and engine room
showed a 100 horse power boiler,
attached to a 10 horse power engine,
with Chas. Cook as engineer, Il gen.
tleman who talked freely in showing
everything in that department. Tie
boilers are of the McGregor patent,
made in Detroit, Mich. The engine
is the Taylor, of Chambersburg, Pa.
The heavy boiler is used for furnish
ing heat in the cooking room of the
cannery. Mr.. Cook has manage
ment of the machinery of the can
merry and evaporator, and has been
in the employ of the company for
two years.
THE PROCESS.
The process is substantially as fol-
lows, in cherries, the fruit now be-
ing used. The cherries are received
fresh from the trees, and are first
"stemmed," which is done by hand
and by girls as they are apter at
such work than boys. They are
then put into the cans and the sweet
ening put in, which is sugar syrup
made there, and the quantity of
sweetening is governed by the con-
dition of the fruit and the kind of
fruit used, and the ripper the fruit
the less sweetening is required.
They are then soldered air tight and
put in n reservoir and steam from the
boiler applied to cook them, which
is only the first step. They are not
here cooked, but when thoroughly
heated are taken out and clipped"
by punching holes in the center
of the tops of the cans to let the
air out, they are again soldered up
air tight while hot, They are now
ready for the "retort process"
which Is done in Il large cylinder
about ten feet long and
three and a half feet in diameter.
They are run into this on car,
ton or twoat IA time, and here re-
ceive the final cooking. After the
car containing the cans is safely
in the retort the door is shut, which
is so accurately adjusted as to be
steam tight; the steam is then
turned on from the big hundred
horse power boiler in the engine
room. The fruit here receives
thorough cooking at a temperature
of about 25Oo Far. The time required
to cook depends much on the kind
of fruit and also the degree of ripe
ness. The sweetening in the fruit,
as is sometimes believed, has moth
ing to do with the keeping quail
ties; but it does depend somewhat
on the condition of the fruit used
and much on the knowledge Of how
to handle the fruit before it goes to
the solder-men.
Every thing in the cannery is
neat and clean and carried on in an
orderly manner. Mr.. \. Bird, who
has had "a great deal of experience
in fruit canning in the east, is man
ager Of the Salem cannery and thor
oughly understands his duties, and
the reporter found him to be very
courteous and willing to explain
the workings in that part IF
This is one of the
best equipped cannerles on the Pa
ciiic coast for working economically
and yet doing "a big lot Of work,
Salem hereafter will be able to use
fresh canned fruit and vegetables Of
her own production and know that
they are Of the best quality that the
market can afford This is one Of
the industries which 20 To- make a
great city. The best way 10 make a
city prosperous is to develop her
natural resources, and this, Salem is
fast doing.