Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05

most primitive facilities, these gentlemen.
who had learned the business in Scotland.
put up several hundred cases each year,
and sold them to the miners In the neigh
borhood. In 1866 they dissolved partner
ship, Mr.. Hapgood remaining on the Sacra-
mento and the two Humes moving up to
Eagle Cliff, on the Columbia river Wmch
has since proved to be the most promo sal
mon stream in the world. 1t has yielded
Is, 100000 cases. as / have already told you.
The biggest yield was $4,000 cases In 1884.
There now twenty-one cannerles IN
operation on the river, nine being independ,
ent and twelve organized into what we cali
a trust.
Salmon Pay for Alaska.
Salmon were discovered in the rivers OF
Alaska at a very early date, the cold wa
tiers of that latitude giving the fsh nrm
flesh and a fine flavor AS an argument In
favor of expansion it might be mentioned
that the salmon catch has more than PAID
the cost of the territory several times
over. Last year the total value OF canned
salmon shipped from Alaska. as reported
by the canneries for taxation, was $o,-
926. 1877, or $1,273,S33 less than secretary
Seward paid the Emperor OF Russia Ior
the entire territory. During the previous
year the pack was assessed at $6.21s,oot'
and that was little below the average
A more accurate estimate OF the vaIue OF
the product would make the annual aver
Alaska territory
The first cannery was built near sitka
in 1879. BY 1884 enterprising gentlemen
had set traps far above the polar circle,
and the number Of canneries has been in
creasng year after year, until now there
are fifty-flve establishments, turning out
1 800 900 cases every year. The record
year was 1902, when 100000 cases were
shipped to market. The total output since
the beginning of the trade has been about
$4,000, 600 cases. which. at an average OF
81 a case, was worth $72.000.0O0. or nearly
ten times as much as was paid for Alaska.
Owned by Two Combinations.
Most of the canneries belong to two big
combinations-the Alaska Packers As
ISOLATION, which has twenty-five plants,
worth 81, 500000 1t has capitalization of
So OOO. 900. The Pacific Packing and Navi-
CATION Company has nineteen concerns,
worth S1,243,0OO; its capital is 2.50o,
600 Altogether between $11.000,000 and
S120OO,0O0 are invested in buildings,
boats machinery, tackle traps and other
facilities for fishing and packing.
The Alaska Packers Association, for
example, whose headquarters are at San
Francisco, has twenty nine steamers, six
teen ships, eleven banks, two schooners.
twenty eight tugs and numerous other
bargeS, fiatboatS and other floating things.
Last year it paid 81, 32O,645 for wages and
81 0S2 ,997 for tin. Altogether II, 636 per-
sons are employed in the Alaska fisheries,
including 1854 whites, 2,3SS natives and
1864 Cinnamon, and the total shipping
employed in the industry includes 10
steamers, 50 sailing vessels and LIT
lighters and boats.
Last year 81 ,630, $50 salmon of all varie-
ties were taken and packed.
Next to the salmon the Goldfish is of the
greatest commercial Importance. Either OF
the interests Is as important as gold min
ing. Between forty and fifty vessels are
engaged in cod fishing along the coast. and
the supply of fish Is practically inexhaust-
ible.
The canneries of British Columbia are
controlled by a trust There are altogether
forty-four establishments, but since the
consolidation more than half of them have
been closed down.
The Largest Cannery in the World.
The Pacific American cannery at Belling-
ham is understood to be the largest In the
world. It's main building Is 27O by $50 feet
in size, and contains eight complete plants
of machinery. giving a daily capacity OF
10000 cases for forty-eight cans each, or al
most half a million cans a day. When 1t
is running to its full capacity 600 people are
employed, but everything is done by ma
chinery and by automatic processes, except
the placing of the meat in the cans. No
continuance has ever been invented to per-
form that office, but there are several diff
ferent machines qualified to fulfill the rest
of the job, and every machine will do the
work of twenty or thirty men. The cans
are all made In the spring before the run of
salmon begins, and are piled up 10. 600 900 at
a time in the lofts over the cannery. The
cans are all made by machinery. The tin Is
cut by automatic shears and passed through
slitters and rollers which hold it in form
until lock seam attachment curls over
the tin, presses the edges together and SOL
derS them at the rate of 2, 500 an hour
Nearly all the help in the canneries are
women and Chinese AS the work is done
in the summer, it affords employment for
school teachers, students and others who
are otherwise engaged in the winter, and
are thus able to assist in the payment OF
their expenses. The most skillful hands
can realize 81 to s. day.
Chinese are employed to do the butcher
Ing and other dirty work 1t would be DIFF
f1cult to employ white labor for such jobs,
and the canneries could not afford to pay
the wages that would be demanded. Labor
is very scarce and workmen are in the
habit of picking their jobs.