The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-06-30

III mas TcdCHeu tncn ny DelnS
III shipped around Cape Horn In
stead OF being sent by rail to
Chicago. Not all Pacific coast salmon
is sent in this way. but enough is to
make this method Of long distance
shipment noticeable and to set one
wondering about freight rates.
II Is said that last year the large
packing establishments on the Column
bia river sent their cans east by tramp
and regular steamers, around the
Horn to Atlantic ports. where the cans
were sent by rail into the interior.
One reason for shipping by water in.
stead OF rail is that the vans can be
loaded directly on to the boats In
Alaska and on the Columbia. and not
taken of until they reach the Atlantic
seaboard. whereas II they are sent by
rail they must be stored In Seattle
or some other large point and then
reloaded on to the cars. So great has
been the effect Of this water shipment
that II has reduced the freight rates
on salmon from the Pacific to eastern
points.
No one can realize the extent OF
the salmon industry and the figure II
cuts in trade. unless he has visited
the salmon canneries on the Column
b!a, Puget sound and in Alaska. On
the Columbia the salmon is taken up
In places with wheels. but at the
mouth the Firms are adept at collect.
Ing them In nets. In Alaska nets are
extensively used and 1t is common
thing to get us many as 10000 I'm
seine. The seines are usually set ut
the mouth Of river, for the fish al.
ways seek fresh water in which TO
spawn. A net ten feet or so wide.
and many thousand feet long, is load.
cd on a tug, which pays out the net so
that 1t protects a large area. Then
one end OF the seine is made fast,
while the other end Is attached to a
windlass and drawn slowly in to shore
When the seine fills II is made small,
or and smaller by the windlass and
men in boats gather up the fish with
baskets. At length the net Is drawn
ashore and the remainder Of the fish
are collected, The salmon are taken
in immense quantities to the can.
neries, whore the fish are placed upon
the floor. AS many as $4,000 have
been taken at one time, so there is
always danger of much waste. The
process OF canning is rapid, and con
sists in cleaning. cutting, putting in
cans and boiling. Then It Ia labeled,
Grated and ready for shipment. Much
Of the work is done by Chinese and In.
dams. Many well-equipped canneries
make their own cans and get the
crates ready to ship in bond to foreign
ports.
The red salmon is generally consId
cred the best and Il Is found album.
dainty in the cold waters of the
north. Wherever there are streams
running inland on the northwest coast
on the Pacific there may be salmon.
The salmon have been known TO jump
over huge barriers to reach fresh wa.
ter. and they often choke the mouth
OF stream. They are valueless for
food after they have spawned, and sci.
dom find their way back TO salt wa.
ter. usually dying where they lay
their eggs. Because they come in
such vast quantities 1t is n small trick
to catch them. and such waste goes
on that the government is trying In |
some manner to stop t..
Not all salmon is canned. japan
and China take much sailed salmon, |
other kinds are dried The Indians |
are fond OF dried salmon and open the |
fish. bone II and slash the flesh be. !
fore hanging II up in the sun to dry. |
After II is exposed In this way for a !
week It IL smoked and in the winter |
lime dipped in oil and fried. But these |
are crude methods OF preparing |
salmon compared with the canning |
process. So expeditions are salmon |
Gamers that they can over 60 cans a
minute. All the cans are subjected to
Intense heat and If tapping dlscloses
that one ia not air tight II Is imme.
iiately rejected.
NdllhOh inhAhh is SUM /
ner business, June, July and August
ire the months when the salmon rush
or fresh water streams from their
home in the ocean. II is necessary to
work fast to accomplish In that short
ime what every salmon factory own.
,r desires-namely. to make as much
money he can and at the same time
comply with government regulations
There is usually an overseer at the
actories and the workers get often
1900, shelter and food, for the three
months they are employed. 1t is no.
.iceable that salmon catching fuc-
uates. some seasons being better than
,thers. but 30 far there has been no
.dequate solution of the reason. In
act, the salmon is a sort OF q mys.
cry. The fish goes out to salt water
hortiy after II is born and returns
o fresh water to spawn. This Is