The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-29
Supply OF High Grade Fish Is
Scarce and Trade Is Much
Disturbed.
MAS A FAIR ALASKA PACK
Last Years Output in Alaska Was
About 100000 Cases, Compared
With 2,554,423 Cases in 1902 and
2,o34,ee5 Gases in 1901.

HlOnS IHe rivers ana lllelS along the
Pacific coast a few years age, salmon
tlas become one of the important food
products of the world.
All army and navy rations include it
and there probably is not a family in
America or England which does not use
1T to some extent. Formerly the fish
were taken by hand and only in small
quantities. Now elaborate machinery is
used in their capture. and millions Of
Hollars are invested in plants for TAX
ing and canning.
Within a few years a new factor has
entered the salmon Countrywide cold
storage men. A company was organized
tn Boston about two years age to take
and freeze salmon.
Immense cold storage plants were es-
tablished along the Columbia river and
along the coast where the best salmon
abound, but the Columbia River Chin
ook fish Is the one most wanted.
The warehouses were supplemented
with specially constructed cars to con-
Wey the frozen fish across the continent.
Now perfectly fresh Columbia river
salmon carl be laid down anywhere in
the country at any season of the year.
80 great q d~elicacy is fresh Columbia
river salmon considered, n so profit
able is the business that fortunes are
made in a single season.
Last season it was estimated that
fold storage men took at least one
third of the fish caught on the Column
bia river. They pay higher prices than
Planners do, and consequently obtain all
the best fish.
Al the close of the packing season on
the Columbia river this year the total
output was estimated at SOC, 600 cases,
compared with 367.241 the previous
year. a case mean t~wenty-four one
pound cans, whether tall or flat. Sc
great has been the demand that the
catch is now practically exhausted, and
FIRST hands quote UP to $2.10 per case,
which means Is to 20 cents per can
ht retail, a figure too high for the av-
eraBe consumer to pay. Jobbers have
small stocks, but they amount to very
little as compared with the previous
liberal supplies, and are not wanted at
present prices.
Poor Sockeye Season.
The Puget sound region packs the
bulk Of he red fish which is packed
outside of Alaska. But when the sea-
son closed last summer it was called a
complete failure. Arrangements were
made to deliver 800, 900 to LOCO, 900
bases of seckeye salmon, but not over
100000 cases rewarded the packers
efforts. Probably 100000 cases would
include all the humpbacks and chums,
q poorer and cheaper grade. Last year
the pack of sockeye on the sound was
;343,O00 cases, which a called a fail
nre until a worse one confronted the
packers thls year. IN 1901 the sockeye
pack on Puget sound was called good,
h~s5rregating 1,111,0 600 cases. AS a re-
Suil of the succession of poor years
so9kcye salmon is out of the market.
Me- York jobbers withdrew their quo
ta.!ons weeks ago.
What complicates the situation more
n lN.H "a .,,-f .,,-u L..
1850 'iist,lils else IS me fact mat next
tai - tne regular snort season for
oeM,sss, ana II me output IS relatively
'HSd1 L9he VIII pc acked Some can
pes fnTe already declared that they
WI lot open their plants unless the
pl0,PSGt ~ more favorable IMAM seems
i'.pnapis'
~ tns very smal quantity OF sockeyes
PACKED thls year fully so per cent. were
sshlpped 10 England n Australia.
Somle PACKERS were compelled to pay
earse sums IN cash settlement OF con-
Riacts entered INTO early in the season.
~ was estimated by experts that aggre-
Sate losses during the past season, due
wholly to failure of the packs, were
FS.oVo,o0o.
Britlsh has become an i'm
Iortant factor in salmon canning, but
even though the annual aVerage pack
pr @oekeyes IS up~ard OF 100000 cases,
ana d total output or ol0,0o0,o00 cases
ELhis year, practcaliy none comes to
Fhls country european markets take
~ al. Inc pnlk OF the British Column
pm PACK IS put up In fancy Shapes,
sucn as oyals ana squats.. rms year
eocksye salmon was bought by English
E~is.Iipu.ors resafaless or price, which
a. az ilsta5tces Mus liiuci nisnef IMAM
Ei,eiicaa uistiiputors "ould or could
p"s 80. .,..-
a. r''asAa raek'
lnis years pack IN Alaska was
apeut a'1ou,ooo cases. compared with
E,ooa,8sS oa aS MI ~ lsol ana 2'o54,S95
49, ~ aao1' e.o ne Ne season pack OF red
NJ has Sar, maa .'Toe,o9u Eases, lot iar from
naek np tba n hse Se sra any !nls years
Easas arainst a of mas aao'ooo
cases last wear Tha rrn 20 19o,uvo
Kinks Vas evtremalu haa " Aiaska
kyas the onlv cannin.- dIst,ic+ a.
importance that mao. anvwbar ~ any
An average pack, and was fhe on1v neai
tion that produced enough salmon tLis
year to be of any Importance in the
worlds supply.
The consumption of red salmon, com
|prising soekeyes and Alaska red sal
mon, was phenomenal. 1t was esti-
mated at $500, 600 cases. This enormous
consumption, taken in conjunction with
the worlds shortage, caused an up