The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-15

center to permit the steam to escape,
and hence that chip of tin to keep the
fish from plugging the hole at this end,
From the soldering machine the cans
roll down a long incline, the hot solder
meantime settling in the seam. There
is fascination in watching cans dodge
around the crimping machine, take a
taste of acid, struggle through the hot
solder and then chase one after the
other down the incline at the rate OF
2G0 a minute. q
At the end of the incline they run
under a spray of water to cool the hot
solder and are there caught and placed
in coolers" Now for the first test
and tests come frequently. Each cooler
is lowered into a tank of clear water.
If any can leaks the fact is betrayed
by little bubbles. Those that leak are
taken out and carried to the hand
Solderers, who are remarkably expert.
One cooler of cans is placed on another
on a small iron cart until they are
about six high. One cart after another
is loaded and they are all rolled into
steam box where the fish are given the
first cooking. This is an occasion of
surprise to many. But it is fact that
the raw fish is cooked for the hrst time
in a tightly sealed can. The tempera-
ture is about 212 degrees. After being
about an hour in this temperature the
cans are rolled out and the top OF each
can is punctured by striking 1t with
a mallet which has steel point IN It's
face. The oil and steam squirt out and
there is many merry little fountain.
AS soon as the fountains cease this
second hole is plugged with solder and
the cans rolled into the retort, thing
looking something like a boiler except
that the whole end opens to admit the
cans. Just before going INTO the retort
the cans are tested again IN a similar
i bod II
the salmon gets a second cooking at a
temperature Of about 240 degrees. When
the coolers are taken out OF the retort
they are washed in a bath OF caustlc
soda, then washed off with fresh water
and carted to the cooling floor, where
they stand until cool. Then they are
tested again, but this time they are
tanned with a little steel rod and the
sound given forth determines whether
the can is tight. Now lacquerlng comes.
This is to keep the can from ruStlnS.
Next the label is put on showing the
branO of salmon inside. Then the can
is wrapped in tissue paper then put IN
q box with forty-seven mates, ana
shipped by rail or boat.
The sockeye is not the only salmon
canned. The tyee or spring, the silver,
the humpback and the qualah, or dog,
are also packed. They are all cnoice
food ILL., but the epicurean world has
gotten accustomed to looking for the
red color in salmon and will take moth
ing else. The world needs educating,
however, in the salmon line.
At the height of the season, when 200
to 500 people are fairly jumping to pack
10000 to 10000 fish in day, the sight
about a cannery is an enliVen1ng one.
The wages paid are good, unskilled
help sometimes at filling alone earning
81 per day. On the other hand, While
the construction of cannery involves
an investment of $4,000 to $4,000, the
amount of capital to handle she product
is about SO per case; hence it may
safely be assumed that a cannery that
produces $780, 900 cases in a season must
have a working capital of about $780,
900.
At times fish have come in such num-
bers as to be drug on the market,
unstable at any price whatever down
to two cents a fish, though these times
will probably never come again. The
writer has seen 1000 fish thrown away
because they could not be handled be-
fore they spoiled; has seen fish sold at
two cents and has seen the same kind
of fish sold at rs cents each. Some
years there is rare profit in the bust
ness of canning salmon; other years the
balance is on the other side of the
ledger.
The sportsman will sigh as he thinks
of the millions of salmon caught for
commercial purposes with no regard
for his feelings. Well, all salmon are
not to be tempted into taking bait Of
any kind, but some OF the most royal
sport to be found the world over is here
on Puget Sound at certain seasons of
the year.
The steelhead salmon, which is
doubtless an ocean trout and not a sal
mon at all, is now running and will be
caught in nets during the next two
months. Probably this fish might be
allured into taking a bait. but the wet
winter months do not tempt sportsmen
out for experiments. The steelhead is
the great shipping fish for winter and
commanded during the latter days of
December rs cents a pound wholesale
in New York City.
The spring salmon will follow the
steelhead in March and will be caught