The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1947-06-20
New Fish Meal Plant AT Moss Point
Unloads Vessels With Suction Pump

HaAAJ q hCW Va(o11Aa t0AtfNy
dustry employing $50 people and
set up to do a gross business rum
ming into hundreds of thousands
of dollars annually, is moving
into full scale production this
month following shipment Of the
first carload OF fish meal on May
20 to a feed house in Auroa, Mis-
souri,.
The plant is situated On Esca-
tawpa river about four miles
from Moss Point, and is equip
ped with the most modern types
of fish processing machinery, in
Guiding a condenser which e
moves the fish odor from the dis
charged water vapor.
In addition to the factory,
whose value is estimated by its
owner, H. r. Humphreys, at
$3.50, 900, the enterprise includ-
es six PISTON pogie boats and
a number of smaller perch
boats" Most of this equipment
was built at the Arnold Walker
shipyard in Pascagoula.
Holds Patents
Mr.. Humphreys also operates
a pogie plant at Whitestone, Va,
and runs two machine shops in
connection with his business. He
is a designer and manufacturers
of a number Of modern develop
ments in fish processing machin-
cry. on which he holds patents.
One outstanding feature OF the
new plant is the method Of an
loading the boats by flooding the
holds with water and sucking
out the fish and water together
In q tremendous rubber hose,
which picks them up ito the last
fish Mr.. Humphreys said.
The older method of removing
cargoes bv elevator mechanism
damaged some of the cargo, he
said. aud required as high as a
score Of men to operate the me
chanism, while the pumping me-
thod requires only two.
From the arrival of the boats
at the dock, to the final process
of sewing up the sacks of pull
verified fish meal. the fish are
handled in a continuous mechan-
ical process: pumping out the
cargo, cooking the fish, pressing
them. drying, grinding and bag
ging.
Halt of the value of the pro
duct consists of clear brown fish
oil, which is used by Proctor and
Gamble and other companies in
the manufacture of soap, and by
paint companies. and for the
tempering of steel. The other
product is the highly nutritious
meal which is made from the
ground remnants of the fish and
which is used for feed for all
kinds of livestock and poultry.
Two Buildings
The factory consists of two
main plants, with cement floor
ing, an office building. mess hall,
ten dormitory cabins for crews.
and two 100000 gallon storage
tanks. with another soon to be
added. The boats operated by the
company are the Skippv, Novelty
Francis, Aggie and Mile, Bea-
trice, and Captain Yves Robin
son.
Mr. Humphreys said the fish
ing has been rather poor thu
far this season, but on average
yield over a period of years he
believes that Gulf menhader
fishing is more productive thar
Atlantic fishing His plant az
present is shipping out several
carloads each week. II has a spur
from the Mississippi Export
Railroad.
All but a very few of the of
flee force are Jackson county
employees. Experienced fishing
crews were brought in to work
with and train local crews Mr.
Humphreys said that he expects
very soon to turn over anape
ment of the local plant to his
son, w. L. Humphreys.
Still another company, The
Fish Meal Company, owned bv
]. Howard Smith of New York.
is building a large pogie plant
on Escatawpa river Immediately
adjoining the Humphrey proper
". This is a steel-frame building
and will be the largest opera
ton of this kind on the Gulf
coast. The parent company are
the biggest concern in the fish
meal business, and have numer-
aus other plants. This building
will not be finished for several
months.