Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-11-18
The Process 10 N~ecessnrily q napid,
One, AZ the sardine Dies Instantly
ON BeiDE Taken From the Water
and Spoils In . Few Hours.

FeSASS&
sional fishermen on board; the others arc
men of all trades. The outfit consists ex-
clusivcly Of nets with very small meshss.
and their length 4s from 100 to 500 meters.
The upper parts Of the nets are kept upon
the surface of the water by corks, and this
entire machine is held rigid by pieces OF
lead at the bottom. The nets are all
stained a sort Of sea green color to render
them less visible.
When the first school Of sardines is no.
ticed, the boats all run to tho fishing
grounds. The exact presence Of the fish is
determined by ri oily substance On the
surface of the water and also by a consid-
cradle quantity of little scales, which give
the water Q metallic appearance. In calm
weather, as soon as the captain has his
boat Immediately over the shoal, he low
ers his ncts, and two men Of the crew,
with great oars, work steadily to keep the
the nets. Standing at the stern Of the
boat, the captain throws the ohum over
board. This chum is o bait made of the
eggs Of the Goldfish, and it keeps the fish
in tho desired place. A spot that is we'll
baited in this way is called Harden in
French, and the casting of the chum Is
called q bailcr.
In q few moments, If tho fish are plenti-
full, new quantities of scales float upon the
surface, and the net itself ia agitated by
tho struggles Of the immense number of
fish. Then 1t is lifted, and whilc the sails
are again hoisted and the boat. pointed for
shore the men Of the crew shake tho nets
and toss the fish upon the deck.
A curious thing about this kind of fish.
Ing Is that n rarely sees o living sardine
out of the water. Tho fish make u little
squeak when taken from the water and
die instantly. OF tho $50 or 300 fishing
boats lifted out ut Belle Isle about 200 be-
long to Palais and tho others to Snuzon.
1t Is In these two ports TINT the fishermen
sell their fish. An ordinary catch of sar-
dimes gives to each boat from 5000 to TO-
900 fish, and the price is regulated by the
quantity brought In by tho first comers.
Upon tho docks the representatives of the
great preserving establishments hail the
fishermen, who tell them that they alone
caught enough worth mentioning and that
tho other boats caught nothing. Then
they enter into u discussion regarding the
price.
"How many thousand have you. Jan.
nicq"
About $1,000"
"Thon l will give you 2 francs per
1,0O0."
"Oh, no; TINT / snot enough. I cannot
sell at that price,"
But as tho rest of the fotilln appear all
tho first Corners consent to sell their fish
ct 2 francs por 1000, and in an hour after
ward the later arrivals can get only so
confines per 1000, and sometimes they
can get no snlo whatever for their catches
| orf oro 0h1{ro1 IN thrpxr, %hs. corf1{, ,oo 0S.on
board, because the little fish remain fresh
for only two or three hours ut most.
On the other hand, II the run is not ex-
c%eptionally numerous, all the fish are
bought at from 80 to 40 francs per 1000,
and sometimes even ut IS francs per 1000.
When tho sardines arc sold on the docks,
they are taken in basket to the cannery.
Each busket contains 200 fish. In addi-
tion to the price, which Is Immediately
paid to him on the dock, the captain usu-
ally gets about half q gallon of wine for
himself and his crew.
During tho sardine season about 300
women and so men anxiously await the
arrival Of the first boats. When tho news
arrives that tho boats have their welcome
cargoes, the women in their picturesque
costumes rush to the cannery, and each
takes her place In the great room where
the fish undergo their first preparation.
Here the snrdihes are spread upon the table
and sprlnkled with salt. Then they are
cleaned, and when that operation Is fin
ished they are sorted by little boys accord
ing to thcir size and carried into another
part Of the establishments. where they are
put in pickle.
The length of time required by this
operation varies according to the size Of
the fish. After this the fish are washed
and placed, one by one, with great care
upon wire nets, called girls and put out
to dry in the open Dir. II tho weather Is
wet or even foggy this operation becomes
impossible, and the fish spoil and become
worthless except for fertilizing.
This serious Inconvenience has been
avoided lately by the construction of a
mechanical drler, q sort Of immense VEN
tilator run by powerful machinery. For q
few moments the sardines arc exposed. to
q strong current of dir, and Immediately
afterward, while still upon the girls, they
are plunged into tanksof boiling olive oil.
This bath lasts from three to five minutes,
according to tho size Of the fish. After this
cooking the sardines, still upon the girls,
are left to cool, and when cold the work Of
placing them In boxes Is begun. That
work Is done by special female employees.
The boxes aro carried to tho oiling room,
where the last manipulation consists of
filing them with oil. 1t is in this part Of
the establishment that the tomato sauce
and the spices are placed in the boxes
which give to the French preparation of
sardines their universal renown. Then
the boxes are closed. Little wagons rum
ming on tralnways bring the boxes to the
soldering room, where about 30 WOrkmens