The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-12-18
THE FISH OF BAYFIELD,.
Many FISH are Handled by the Fish Com
panies at the Harbor City.

The extent of the fish business at
Bayfield, is told in the following de-
scription Of the work of the past year
by the Bayfield, Gazette:
The herring fishing of Bayfield, for
the season of 1902 may be said to be
closed. S. L. Boutin has few
more pick-ups which will amount to
but a few tons. The Barker yester
day made the last haul of nets for
the Booth Packing company, and the
few men now on the docks are en-
gagged in cleaning up the work that
was left unfinished during the hurry
of the packing.
This industry which has been
carried on for the past three weeks,
is almost incredible in its immen-
sity-that is, to those who have not
so long been associated with it that
they have become accustomed to
sudden surprises in the way of fish
tonnage. In other localities, except
perhaps on the seacoast, fish are
spoken of in pounds. Here they so
by tons, and one ton, or a dozen
tons or even a hundred tons excite
no special wonder. The newcomers
of this year have been the special
objects of curiosity on the part of
the initiated as regards just how
they will take the news of the arrival
OF many tons of fish. The pioneers
are not astonished when the news of
big fish hauls is spread around town.
The new people are, ard justly 50.
Nearly Four Million Pounds.
The Booth Packing Company yes
terday completed their last haul,
which brought the record up to 700
tons. S. L. Bontin will not fall very
far short of this with $50 tons.
Jack Johnson, another independent
packer, has put away nearly 500
tons. This makes a total of $50
tons, or 100000 pounds for the
season-millions of pounds of fish
hauled from Lake Superior with nets
or ''seines" as they are known in
inland localities.
There were enough fish caught and
landed on the Bayfield, docks during
the past three weeks to supply every
man, woman and child in the cities of
Chicago and New York with a
pound of fish. To handle them no
less than ten tugs were engaged,
each carrying many tons. In the
business close to 300 men made their
living and more. A father and son
cleaning fish by the package plan
received ninety dollars for one weeks
work. The older hands, those who
have been identified with the bust
ness for several seasons, had become
experts in separating the herring
from their vital parts and easily
earned from IS to Sc per day,
SaidS L. Boutin yesterday: "We
were constantly handicapped for the
lack of men. I actually believe that
if we could have had the help fully
500 tons more could have been land
ed by the packers here this season.
Being shy for men we often had to
shorten the work of the tugs and
permit them to lie idle. l have
handled much more this year than
last. The supply has not diminished.
The herring seem to keep on coming
year after year, without apparent
diminution OF the supply
/ Hundred Tons in one Day.
Investigation at the docks discloses
the fact that on either the 22nd or
23rd Of November the record of the
year was attained. On that day the
6ugs dumped 100 tons of herring on
the Bayfield, docks. Thus it is ap-
Darant that the number OF tons
brought in is limited solely by the
number Of men to handle them.
There seems to be no limit on the
possible tonnage.
The package fish are sailed and
pack ed in small casks that go two to
the barreI Each man cleaning re-
ceives a brass check when he fills a
package This chip is worth 20
cents. The packed fish are sailed by
a regular corps of men who are pro-
ficient in the work.
The Booth company is the only
local packer that gives much atten-
tion to the pan freezing" process.
BY this means the fish are carefully
laid. backs uD. in shallow Galvanized