The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-04-19
AN IMPORTANT
LOCAL INDUSTRY
MAKING STRAWBERRY CRATES
Hood River Box Factory Now Busy
Turning Out Straw berry Crates
for the Coming Crop.

One of the important industries of
the city are the departments OF the
Davidson Fruit Co. in making crates
for the berries, boxes for apples, and
ice for icing the cars, as well as for
cooling the cold storage rooms. Per-
haps but few of the residents OF the
city realize the extent and Importance
of this work. 1t gives employment to
a good many people, besides the con-
venience of furnishing these articles
at home.
The Hood River Box Factory is now
busy getting out $4,000 strawberry
crates. The company have just in
stalled 50 horse power Westinghouse
electric motor, which displaces the old
steam power. A new band saw has
also been installed, which is minia-
ture saw mill in itself, doing great
variety of work, and is much superior
to the circle saw for many purposes.
1t takes a saw inches wide and a
length of nearly q feet. An ingen-
ious arrangement for filing the saw
has been fitted up, so that a machine
when started in motion will hle the
saw automatically.
The factory is turning out l,5Oo
crates per day, with only half crew,
the capacity of the saving department
being 5000 per day. The lumber used
| is larch and white fir, selected on ac-
count of its white color and principally
on account of being free from odor,
| which would taint fruit. Pine or the
yellow FIR is not used on the account
| Of its strong odor, the pitch in the
| wood being a serious objection. Most
| of this larch and white fir can be OBJ
tained in Hood River valley, although
some of it has been shipped in on ac-
count of the two saw mills being so
behind with their orders
In the assembling department, men
do the mailing, putting in 30 nails IN
each hox, and two men will nail about
800 per day. The hallocks are made
| from veneer woods which is cut up in
strips the right size, scored at the
joints, and then stitched on wire
stitching machines These machines
are usually operated by girls, two at a
machine, one to bend the hallock Ill
ST ape and the other stitching 1t
They become very aael in short
tine and each machine will turn 4,UOO
6,00O rer day. In this department.
AK work by the piece.
The ice plant il now turning out
three to four tons OF pure spring water
ice per day, In nice, elem 2O0 pound
cak, s, ana have a large SUI lrs stock
on hand for icing oil cats, as well az
for local consumption. lhe arrange
ment of the new plant is very conven
lent aud modern, and was built Will
tho view of having 1t as complete al
possible.
The old arrangement of having pipes
| in the various chill rooms has been
done away with, and the cold air IL
now supplied by means of fans which
force the cold air through wooden
pipes, forming perfect circulation,
and avoiding the dampuess caused by
ice melting from cooling pipes in the
rooms. There is storage capacity fol
several carloads of fruit, and will bt
especially desirable for perishablf
fruit which occasionally arrives toe
late for shipment on the day it is re
ceived.
In one of the rooms are several
thousand sacks of potatoes, which are
= now in as good condition as when put
: in last fall. They are firm and show
g no signs of decay or sprouts. They
. can be placed on the market q little
+ later when most of the old surplus
: stock has been worked off, and viii
!, bring much better prices for being
first grade stock.
All Of the machinery in the two
:. plants is operated by electric motors
: : power being transmitted from the "a
y y hour service of the Hood River Elec
y trio Light & Power Co.
The latter company have now Ian g
amount of surplus power, and the ser
- vice is equal to any of the large cities
y :, There is still plenty Of idle powe
% % for manufacturing, and Hood Rive
- offers exceptional opportunities 10
10 manufacturing, especially small indus
- tries who are looking for cheap power
70 ~ desirable residence locations for EN-
y ployes, good transportation facilities
= and other essentials to the economi
y y cal operation of their business.