Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-06-23
SALMON PUT UP IN CANS.


An Industry That win Eventually m.
terminate Very Valuable irish.
When one comes to think of IL Il
seems wonderful that one should he
able to buy O pound of salmon In q
can from the Pacific Coast for %
cents. The frozen fish costs 40 cents
q pound at least, while the unfrOzen
article ranges In Eastern markets
from 81 up Besides the manner IN
which eacn can Is made to contain o
segment Of Salmon perfectly fitted
into 1t appears most surprising, the
bones, even to the larger vertebra,
melting In the mouth without re.
quiring so much as a crunch between
the teeth and the red flesh ssparat.
ing In beautiful, clean flakes.
Yet salmon would be very much
cheaper than at presently IL not
that the great Gamers Of Alaska have
formed q combination to restrict the
p. Oduct This Is unfortunate for
consumers perhaps, but lucky Ger.
tainly for the fish, which would be
wiped out altogether within five years
at the most II the companies en-.
gagged In their capture had market
for all they could produce ut prOfita.
ble rates. The methods employed
are the most dest ructive conceivable,
inasmuch as the fishermen stretch
seines across the mouths OF the rivers
and take the fish which ATE going up
the stream to spawn. There Is u law
against this sort Of thing but 1t Ia
not enforced. Eventually, doubtless,
the supply OF this valuable tInny
game will run out and artificial pro.
pIRatiOn Will have to he resOrted tn.
Thus far the United States Fish
Commission has not extended its
operations with respect tn the arti.
fetal breeding Of salmon into Alaska.
Its attempts In this line have been
limited to the Columb ia and Sacra.
mento rivers. In those streams the
supply has been successfully main.
taincd. and when the time arrives
there Is no doubt that similar meth.
eds will be applied with equally
favorable results to the preservation
Of the fish In Alaskan Territory.
Ono Of the most astonishing dis.
coveries achieved by civilized man Is
the simple process by which he Is
able to effectively create myriads OF
hshes, which otherwise would not
have lived, out Of u few handfrls Of
roe.
The salmon caught In the seines
and gill nets are brought to the can.
merry wharf, counted and thrown into
heaps Chinese, their labor being
cheaper, are mostly cE ployed for sub.
sequent operations. They take each
tsh, cut oil the head, tail, aud fins,
remove the cntrails and throw the
rest Of the animal into a big tub.
Next the fish Is washed and placed In
a trough. where several knives, act.
Ing after the manner Of u fced.cutter,
slice II into sections exactly Us long
a. the height OF can. Y'hese sec.
lions are set on end and split into
three lieges each-one piece large
enough to I'LL the can, whilc tho
others arc smaller The fragments
are then placed on tables and the
Chinese 1T them into cana Next
the covers are put ON tho cans aud
s0ldcred.
After being soldered the cans arc
put into hot water and watched, In
order To see II any bubbles rise. In.
dicating leaks Those which endure
this test successfully are placed IN an
iron tank abd boiled In SAT- wat,r.
Salt wuter Is used In preference tu
fresh. because II can be raised to q
higher temperature. After boiling
for one hour and q quarter each eau
"vented." This means that q hole
Is punched Into its top to permit the
expanded air to escape Then the
hole 10 soldered up and the cooking
~ finished by further boiling In salt
water Tor an hour and half II
they were not "vcnted" this sec.
Ond cooking would burst the cans.
Finally each can IL test d by tap.
ping II on the head with big nail.
II leaky, 1t will usually give hack u
"tinny" sound. Great care 10 taken
to avoid leaky cans, because any
which are not Theoretically sealed
will inevitably burst. the meat de-.
Gays, pushing up to the top Of the
Gun. One 80 affected Is called u
'swell.head." II II bursts It Is
likely to ruin the whole case. Thre /.
salmon will ordinarily MI forty.eight
one. p0und cans, making one case.
Tho cans are made ON the premises
out OF sheet tin.
Scala and sea lions are great
nuisance to the salmon fishermen.
At the mouth NJ the Columbia hiver
they watch the gill nets and grab
the caught salmon by the threats,
dcvOurinK those parts which they re-.
gard especially US tidtits. Bears are
very fond Of salinOn and catch u great
many or them In the streams. They
eat only the heads DE gustlbus-
you know the rest. Chinese are for.
hidden to fish for salmon In the Co!
lumbia River on penalty OF being
shot on sight. Therefore they do
not fsh.
COunterfeit Money.
So much ingenuity Is re luired to
a