. Alaska and the Klondike. nches long. The loaded boats are taken to the cannery, where thefish are emptied into large bins convenient to the machin-ery employed In canning. The first process, of course, isthe cleaning, and this is nearly all done by the fish are brought on carriers from the bin they aredeposited on tables where men called butchers rapidlyand skilfully cut off the heads, fins and tails. A good butcher can handle 250 to 300 salmon an hour. Theypass from this table on belt carriers to a machine whichtreats the fish a good deal as a corn-sheller treats the corn-cob,
. Alaska and the Klondike. nches long. The loaded boats are taken to the cannery, where thefish are emptied into large bins convenient to the machin-ery employed In canning. The first process, of course, isthe cleaning, and this is nearly all done by the fish are brought on carriers from the bin they aredeposited on tables where men called butchers rapidlyand skilfully cut off the heads, fins and tails. A good butcher can handle 250 to 300 salmon an hour. Theypass from this table on belt carriers to a machine whichtreats the fish a good deal as a corn-sheller treats the corn-cob, except that it not only removes the scales, but cuts thefish open and removes the entrails. A strong stream ofwater is thrown upon the fish in this process so as to washit out thoroughly, but to make sure of a clean job, and thatno fish unfit for market are packed, the fish go next to thehands of cleaners, w^ho inspect them and finish them upready for the cutting machine. From the cleaner they are carried to machines where. _3 2o6 ALASKA AND THE KLONDIKE the fish is laid crosswise on an ascending belt, or a seriesof parallel belts, travelling side by side. Between thesebelts knives revolve rapidly, and as the fish are carriedup on the belts they are cut in sections the length of thecans in which they are packed. They come from the cut-ting machine to another ingenious contrivance which car-ries the cans one at a time to a point opposite a rammer,which forces the fish into the can in sufficient quantity tofill it at one stroke, after which the lid is placed in positionby machinery and the head end of the can rolled throughmolten solder in such a way as to seal it. All this processof cutting the fish, filling the can, putting on the cap andsoldering it is done by machinery at the rate of 50 to 60cans a minute. The fish are packed raw. The cans are placed in largesteam cooking tanks, w^here they are heated to a tempera-ture of 212 degrees. Here they remain for forty-fiveminutes to
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidalaskak, booksubjectalaska
