The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-24
A rHRIvrNG INDUSTRY.
wiImineton's Canning Factory rurniug
Out 1000 Cans of Tomatoes = Day-Oys-
tiers Canned in the Winter-Thirty Hands
Emnloyed.

Wflmington's Canning Factory Farming
Out 1000 Cans Of Tomatoes . Day Oys-
tiers Canned In the wi~nfer-Thirty Hands
Employed.
A Messenger reporter a few days ago
dropped in at the Olive Canning Fac
tory, in East Wilmington, and found
men, women and c~hildren-were as
busy as they could be. engaged in can
ming tomatoes.
This factory is owned by Mr.. H. G..
Williamson, of At. Olive. and Mr.. Sol.
]. Jones, of East Wilmington. Mr..
Jones, who was on HAND when the re-
porter called, has general supervision
OF the enterprise. while Mr. X. o. Hol-
lingsworth, an expert at the business,
is superintendent.
The factory started July 1st to can
tomatoes, and its capacity is 1000 cans
per day. The crop of tomatoes has
been fine this year, I'M the factory is
turning out a superior class of goods
that find ready sale.
The factory is located on the New
Bern road, two miles from Market
street dock, n it occupies a frame
building 40 by so feet in dimensions.
Near the building is a 200 horsepower
boiler hat is utilized to make steam
for use in the process Of canning and
to pump the water that is necessary in
the business. Iron pipes carry the
steam into the building where it is dis
tributed into two large wooden and
iron kettles and a tank used for
scaldjng the tomatoes, which is the first
step in the canning process. The to-
matoes are first dumped into a hopper
n with its contents it is immersed
fhIrfV seconds in h0ilino yvafor IT ic
then raised with the scalded tomatoes
and they are placed on a long table
where a numbe of women and girls
quickly remove the Feelings, placing
the tomatoes in large buckets. The
buckets are carried to the Gamer who
pack the tomatoes in the cans. The
cans then pass into the hands of the
sodderer who soldiers on the tops leav-
ing an orifice in the middle. The
canned tomatoes are then placed on a
device that is lowered into a large
wooden Kettle or vat of boiling water.
After 10 minutes of this treatment the
water in the tomatoes evaporates
through the small oriice in the top, and
when the cans are removed from the
kettles the Orifice is sealed. The cans
are then labeled and packed in wooden
cases for shipment. At present the
company has it's cans made in Balti-
more but it manufactures it's own pack
ing cases.
The factory is equipped for canning
corn, beans, or anything in the way Of
vegetables, oysters, etc. Last fall and
winter the establishment turned out 1900
cases Of Myrtle Grove oysters. The
tomato season lasts from six to eight
weeks, n the oyster season lasts
about six months beginning October
LIST. The goods are weighed before be-
ing put into the cases so that each
a is Of uniform weight. The factory
has a. capacity Of $500 cans of oysters
a day.
Mr.. Jones tells us hat the company
is doing a good business and finds no
difficulty in ~disposing of it's products.
1t affords a profitable market for the
farmers who find ready sale for their
tomato crop. 1t also affords them an
other money crop in the very midst of
the dull summer. The price paid this
season has been 20 cents per bushel.