Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-02-06

NHiNco 81 arranged by machinery that as tho
fish fly in one knife cuts off the head, and at
the same time another chops off the tail As
the hsh moves third knife rips up the belly
and other knives take off the fms
AT the end the fish has been split and tho
backbone taken out. The blood has been
removed and the salmon is ready for the can.
1t is carefully inspected, however before
being put into the can by men who watch
the stream Of fish as they make their way on
over endless belts to the chopper.
The chopper is second machine that
automatically cuts the fish into pieces of tho
right size for the can, and this in such way
that each can gets its own share of the sew
eral parts of the fish It must have some
from the back and some from the belly In
order to supply the streak Of lean and the
streak OF fat, which, like bacon is necessary
to make the of salmon Just right Tho
machine puts in just 10 ounces, which fills
the can to the top. AS the cans move on
ward they pass through an automatic weigh
ing machine, and if any are of light weight
the machine drops them out
After this the cover of the can is fitted ON
by machinery in such a way that it will allow
the steam to escape, and the cans travel on
into a furnace or exhaust box where the
temperature is 212 degrees. After this an
other machine makes the tops tight, without
acid or solder and the cans are moved on
into great retorts, where they are cooked in
a heat of 254 degrees for an hour and half
When they come out they are ready to be
labeled and packed in boxes for shipment to
all parts of the world.
This, in brief, is the way salmon are pre-
pared for the market. The business goes on
at all of the fishing centers of Alaska during
two or three months OF the summer when
continuous stream of fish flows from the
waters through the machinery and on in to
the ships that carry them south to Seattle
and San Francisco, from where they GO by
ships and trains to the great markets at
home and abroad
Catching the salmon and bringing them
to the canneries is another great industry.
There are certain weeks or months of tho
year during which these fish come from the
ocean into the fresh waters Of the rivers to
spawn. They are born in fresh water, and
the spawning grounds are often thousand
miles or more inland from the sea. l have
seen them fighting their way up the Yukon
1000 miles from its mouth at Boring strait,
and they may be found in great numbers
climbing over the rocks Of the streams that
flow down the mountains of the coast into
the Pacific
The fish come In such hordes that they
can be caught in traps both stationary and
floating, in nets fastened to posts and stakes
in the rivers, and in seines which ara
brought from the beaches and the boats.
They are also caught by fish wheels moved
by the currents of the river in such way
that the network of wire or cord on the ends
of the wheels scoop up the fish as they swim
against the current and fairly shovel them
down into the boats Fish wheels of this
kind are to be seen here and there along the
coast, and there are hundreds of them
owned by the Indians along the Kuskokwim
and Yukon rivers There are about 100
great fish traps in southeastern Alaska, and
some also in Bristol bay and along Bering
sea- The fish caught in Bristol bay last year
were more than twenty million in number.
and they all went into cans.
The war in Europe has seriously affected
one branch Of the salmon industry. This is
that of the mild-curing plants which are
scattered here and there throughout south
eastern Alaska. In mild-curing the fish are
caught and cleaned and then sailed and
packed up in tierces or hogsheads. 1t takes
about so whole fish to fill tierce and when
full the fierce weighs over eight hundred
pounds. The fish for this purpose are usual
ly king salmon, one of the best varieties and