The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-04-29

in but one retort.
 The rig is simply an oblong box, usually of metal, a little over can high in the clear. It varies in size, but was generally planned by 20 feet, or 4 by 40 feet. Anyway the principle was to have it of such di- mensions that the cans moving a back and forth route through it oc. cupied a full fourth of an hour en- route. The cans are passed along at rate of 90 or so per minute, and come to the steamers hot and free from air and gas. On the bot tom of the box light track guiding a conveyor with accompanying metal brackets and turning sheaves at the box ends, furnished all the necessary mechanism. But this appliance, al though a big time, and something of a labor, saver. is very recently improved on. The new machine is called a steam box. but there is nothing of box about it. Really it is large and lengthy metal pipe in which is another pipe of small enough dimensions to allow a space around it or between it and the outer casing. The inner pipe is perforated at measured points its entire length, and is fitted on its interior with a narrow track. Between the inner pipe and outer casing is a flow of live steam under boiler pressure. A salmon can filled with cold water at the receiving end of the box will require 90 seconds to travel the box length to outlet. and will come out with contents boiling. It cuts off quite few minutes in time travel of can of fish, is far more clean than the oblong exhaust box and al lows more floor space for other pur- poses. The inventor and patentee of this great improvement in sani tary salmon canning is W. A. Swan son, or Seattle.
 Detail descriptions of can making machines. the filler and its salting device and the different methods of conveyors. elevators and other time and labor saving and sanitary appli- ances would require not only a deal of space, but in even a general way would be so technical that they couldn't be readily understood
 The iron cnink-so named because it took the places of several Chinese salmon splitters in nearly every can nery where yellow men were em- ployed for this duty-is, in appear ance, seemingly a large iron disk with axle and necessary bearings. In detail, however, it is much more. In fact. it is rather complicated and difficult to describe. In general way it might be said that its work ing parts consist of a series of small disk cutters, small toothed saws, cleaning brushes and retaining, or holding needles, ranged around the rim of tle main disk proper. These smaller appliances are worked by suitable attachments as the whole revolves, and the speed the rig turns out at determines the number of salmon cleaned per minute. Usually, however, it is part of the line to the filler, the seamer, the exhaust box and the retort, all of which combined make up what is known as a single line of a cannery. Of course there are water and pump lines, steam lines and the usual paraphernalia that go towards fire protection and. above all. cleanli- ness. It isn't policy to pack fish that are too long out of water, or that have been sun exposed for any length of time. It has been tried by few would-be profiteers in times past. and the results were financial ruin and a boycott of the brands. No amount of camouflage can turn tainted fish into even halfway re- spectacle food. So it stands now adays to get the captured salmon in his tin jacket just as quick as mod ern methods make it possible. Care and inspection are worked overtime along every line in a salmon can nery. Even fish of off color; that is. fish of pinkish meat rather than red. are segregated and dropped out of the superior grades to the lower and cheaper brands of "tules," hump ies," "dogs," and "chums." It is often. that a big, fine appearing royal chinook" drops Nthusly and loses caste. albeit he cost his packer four or five times as much. He be- comes a losing bargain because his flesh wasn't up to the standard in color. All salmon meat pales more CT less in cooking, and fish slightly pale when raw are scaled down to inferior grades.
 Still. although the money needed to equip, start and operate an up-to- date packing outfit is large of amount and sounds next to prohibitive, one