A LITTLE JOURNEY TO A CAN FACTORY BY H. G. STIBBS That part of Washington lying west of the Cascade Mountains has grown so fast within the last few years that very few people have been able to keep track of the various industries. The purpose of this short article will be to tell you of an institution of which there has been little written, even though it employs approximately 300 people, men and women, and the finished product is sent to practically every country bordering the Pacific Ocean. Milk produced in the fertile valleys of Western Washington has found its way to the markets in all parts of the world. In practically every commercial report you will see that evaporated milk is exported in enormous quantities. When war was declared, our army and navy departments were responsible for practically commandeering the larger part of the output of the condenseries packing evaporated milk. It is not only a necessity in the rations of the soldiers and sailors, but the housewives of America have learned to know the convenience of using evaporated milk. The foundation of the evaporated milk industry now existing in Western Washington, was formed just previous to the Klondike rush, and about the time of the Spanish-American war. Suitable quantities of milk were needed for the men going into regions where fresh milk could not be had, and this helped the industry greatly. Even though a good quantity of fresh milk was produced in the state of Washington, it was necessary to have good containers, or cans, in which to carry this milk to its destination. Not only must the cans be good, but the quantity must be sufficient to meet the production needs, as milk must be handled the same day it is received if the quality is to be retained. To be without cans would be most serious. Thus, to be absolutely sure of the quantity as well as the quality of cans necessary to pack the milk (which later became known the world over as the brand "from contented cows"), the Carnation Milk Products Co. established its own can factory at Kent, Wash. Judging from the interest and surprise exhibited by visitors who have had the privilege of going through this factory, no doubt others would be interested in knowing how cans for evaporated milk are made. The first thing that impresses a visitor to this plant is its scope and area. Row upon row of mystifying machinery and great overhead carriers upon which the endless processions of tops, bottoms, and finished cans are constantly traveling, is an example of the highest perfection of modern manufacturing machinery. It is well ventilated and absolutely spotless. Everything in the plant is done by machinery. The metal is pressed, slit and cut by automatic foot- and gang-presses in the press room; and it travels on automatic carriers to the various soldering, testing and loading machines. Even the loading into cars for transportation is accomplished without a human hand touching the cans. Electric power is used throughout the plant, because of the economy, convenience and cleanliness. The plant is lighted with electric arc and drop lights, so that there is not a dark spot in the place. Five twenty horse-power motors are used for power. All electricity is supplied by the Puget Sound Light & Power Company. Tin plate used in the making of cans is shipped in carload lots from Eastern mills, all packed in clean hardwood boxes; an immense storehouse is practically filled all the time with tin plate, consisting of thousands and thousands of cases. The storing of such a large quantity is made necessary in order to insure against delay in transportation across the continent. A standing order for tin plate with the sheet tin mills keeps several carloads of tin plate en route to the Kent factory all the time. In addition to the immense quantities of boxed tin plate, one section of the big warehouse is for the storing of pig tin and pig lead piled in massive stacks like bullion in a government mint. At the time that this article is being written, there is waiting to be unloaded a carload of pig tin containing 630 bars of 130 lbs. each, a total of 81,900 lbs. These have been transported from the docks in Seattle, having come originally from the South Sea Islands. This will give an idea of the vastness of purchases for this department. Let us now proceed through the press room. This room consists of automatic foot- and gang-presses. The plate which is received from the tin plate mills is prepared for the presses by clipping or shearing into strips to suit machine. The clipping of tin for the various presses, as well as the other machines in the factory, is done by gang slitters. After the sheets are cut |