Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29

sharp knife which Sits open the belly; then
series Of scrapers and brushes, with q
powerful flow of water, cleans 1t of all the
entrails and blood and dumps 1t into tank
moments the fish are inspected and placed
In large boxes with Slated bottoms to drip
until they are thoroughly drained.
Being dry and clean, the fish are placed
in pockets on a revolving drum and carried
around to q series of rapidly moving circu-
lar knives. which divide them into cuts OF
just the size required to fill the cans then
being used. Nine sets Of these revolving
knives are installed across the cannery. and
all are frequently running at the same
time. some cutting for tall cans, others for
one-pound flats. while still others are cut
ting for half-pound fiat cans.
Filling the Cans.
The cuts are now carried to long tables,
where they are neatly packed into the
proper sized cans. which have previously
received small amount Of SALT This work
is performed by tidy young women. Some
times as many as $50 are employed during
the rush season in July and August. The
filling is carefully watched by eight trained
inspectors. AS the cans are filled tney are
put in wooden trays carried to washing watts
and placed on belt which canveys them
at the rate of 125 minute into a machine
which covers the top tightly with disk
and then rapidly revolves them into a blast
of steam. This thoroughly cleans them
from small particles of fish or Oil, AFTER
which the cans are released on a moving
belt, which conveys them to the topping
machine. AS they are moving along small
tin disks are placed upon the fish, so that
later, when the tops of the cans are pune
tured after the first cooking to allow the
steam and gas to escape, the fish will not
clog up the hole.
AS. they approach the topper the open
cans are seized and carried around hori-
zontally and at the same time the tops,
which have been carried into the machine
from the opposite side, are accurately
placed on them at the rate OF 10 minute.
From the topping machine the cans are
discharged upon a moving belt that carries
them through an iron device which tips
them over on their sides. and as they roll
in between two steel disks the top is tightly
crimped to the body of each can Next
chain conveyor rolls them first through a
pan. where just the edge of the can top is
moistened with muriatic acid. then through
a solder machine, kept hot by gas jets be-
low, where the top Is soldered securely
down.
AS the cans leave the solder machine they
are automatically tripped back with the top
end down upon a rubber belt. which con-
veys them along a distance of fourteen feet
while the solder is cooling. AS they pass
along this belt they touch the finger or
counting machine and are registered
spray of cold water gives the solder a set
and the cans then roll down an iron chute
into fat iron crates, or coolers" as they
are called. The small vent holes In the
centers of the tops are now rapidly soldered
by hand and the coolers immersed in hot
water to test for leaky cans.
Steam the Cans.
The coolers are next loaded upon low iron
cars and run into steam boxes where they
are steamed for thirty-five minutes The
cans are then taken out and punctured
with steel point set in a wooden mallet to
let vapor and excess air escape after which
they are Immediately soldered up again.
The coolers are now run into iron retorts
and exposed to a steam heat of 200 degrees
cooks the salmon and softens the bone.
ferred to an immense warehouse, $50 by 800
in size, which adjoins the cannery. There
the cans are again thoroughly washed.
then piled up to await the varnish and la
being. The vanishing is done by new
automatic electrc-motor driven machine
which carries the cans through tank of
lacquer, after which they are conveyed
along on revolving rollers and famed with
forced air from below which evenly dis
tributes the lacquer and dries it at the same
time. Four such machines are used in the
Bellingham cannery, each of which has
capacity of $4,000 cans per day
Next the cans are labeled as desired nv
machinery and placed in the already stem
ciled cases and nailed down ready for ship
ment. The cases themselves are nailed to-
gether at the rate of $3.50 per day in the
box factory upstairs.