Milford chronicle., 1914-06-05
Fish FACTORY STARTS
WORK FOR The SEASON

The large fish oil factory of the Mil
ford Fish Oil Company started operations
last week when a large number of south
ern negroes were brought here to man
the steamer Caroline Vineyard, which is
now fishing for the company. This com
pany, the stock in which is owned prin-
cipally by Milford people, started opera
tons last year very late. but even then
it was able to more than pay operating
expenses.
The first catch of manhaden fish made
for this plant was caught on Wednesday
afternoon last when the captain in com
mand of the steamer made two hauls IN
the bay just off the fishing plant. The
third haul, purse-line broke and allowed
several barrels of fish to escape.
The plant, located at Sand Point at the
mouth of the Mispillion. is one of the
best equipped plants with labor saving
divices on the Atlantic Coast. In fact,
it is probably the best equipped. A new
grinder and machine for working up king
crabs has just been installed, and there
are now about two hundred thousand of
the crabs in the bins drying to be worked
into fertilizer For the drying of the
crabs, a special dry room which IS
heated by forcing dry air through the
room, is provided. This particular branch
of the business is new to the company,
it never having been tried before.
The main building of the plants 6Oxl4O
feet and is built of iron the boiler house
is 24x30 feet, and the elevator house IS
lsx2O feet and 40 feet high. To operate
the plant three 80 horse power boilers
are provided, but much of the steam Is
needed in cooking the fish.
II is indeed an interesting process to
watch the manner in which the hsh are
worked up into fertilizer and oil. AS
soon as a steamer arrives at the wharf
an elevator-leg is lowered from the plant
to the hole of the boat and the tlsh are
carried by an endless chain arrangement
to a measuring Wheel which holds
1000 fish. or three barrels. 1t IS IN this
manner that the number of fish caught
are reckoned. After they are measured
thew are dumped into an elevator which
works on the screw principal and from
which thew are taken to the cooker.
This is a cylinder arrangement. IN the
/ bottom of which a large number OF small
steam pipes are inserted. The hsh are
carried through the entire forty feet OF
its length by screw arrangement and
when they have travelled the entire
length of the cooker they are entirely
cooked. If the fish are not needed al
the time that the boat docks, a large
raw box" or bin is provided wnlcf
holds 1000 barrels of fish. This Is only
used in case of an emergency, however
From the cooker, the fish are carried
bv a bucket elevator to the large press
the construction of which is unique
The fish arefed in at one end of the press
and a powerful tapering screw carried
them through to the other end. In thi
press every bit of oil and water Is press
ed from the fish and it falls from tn
bottom to a ''oil and water well from
which it is carried by novel elevate
arrangement to the large cooking watts
four in number. The cooking is start
ed in the first vat, and when a certall
temperature is reached the oil flows Z
the next vat. and so on until the last on
is reached. after which 1t IS drawn oil
into a larger tank. 1t is pumped iron
there to the large storage tank wnlc
holds 25OO barrels. The scrap hsn Wne
it comes from the press is taken oy a
elevator arrangement to the storag
bins and dumped. 1t IS perfectly or
after the process is finished.
From a barrel Of fish, it IS estimate
that about 81 90 worth of oil and scra
can be secured. The company now ma
another fishing boat on the way ner
from the south. and the prospects ar
excellent for a banner season.