Fresh Fish Operations at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery was built in 1894 and was one of 15 salmon canneries along this stretch of the Fraser River. Although salmon canning is what this historic site is best known for, other fishing-related operations took place here, including the packing of fresh fish on ice.
In 1926, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery was purchased by the Canadian Fishing Company (Canfisco). At that time, Canfisco operated several fish plants. Its Home Plant was, and still is, located at the foot of Gore Avenue in Vancouver. It used the Gulf of Georgia Cannery as a salmon cannery for the first four years of its ownership of the plant.
After the 1930 season, salmon was no longer canned at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery (with the exception of the 1946 season), and the Cannery became a raw fish station and net loft. Salmon continued to be collected at the Cannery, where it was put on ice, boxed and trucked to the Home Plant to be canned.
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery’s Ice House was built in 1943 to support the fresh fish operations. Ice was made at the Home Plant and delivered by trucks to the Cannery in 300 lb. blocks. The blocks of ice were stored in the cold room on the upper level on the Ice House. When ice was needed, the blocks were hoisted into a crusher, creating crushed ice that would keep the fish fresh for transport to the Home Plant.
The Ice House continued to be used in this manner until 1979, and when the Cannery’s Herring Reduction Plant shut down, the fresh fish operations also ceased.
In the late 19th century, the West Coast fishing industry supported the canned, salted and smoked fish markets. The introduction of refrigeration allowed the expansion of the processing sector with frozen and fresh fish products now hitting the markets. Refrigeration revolutionized the fishing industry, and frozen fish could now be delivered as far away as eastern North America.
The ice machine components on display are parts from one of two ammonia compressors from Canfisco’s ice making operation. The machine is believed to have originally come from a Milwaukie brewery before it was purchased by Canfisco and installed at the Home Plant around 1910.
An electric motor drove the 15’ x 19” flywheel which spun on an axis near ground level and turned in a custom divot below. A 1210’ continuous rope looped around all 12 grooves of the flywheel, connecting the motor to the compressor, which would drive the ammonia through piping to the room above. Here, water put into rectangular molds would freeze, creating the 300 lb. blocks of ice.
Details on how an ammonia compressor works are as follows:
A compressor compresses the ammonia gas, which heats up as it is pressurized. The hot, compressed vapors travel through coils — much like the ones on the back of a refrigerator — and dissipate the heat. As it cools in the coils, the gas condenses into a liquid that is still at a high pressure. This liquid flows through the expansion valve, which is similar to a small hole or port, into a low-pressure area. The drop in pressure causes the gas to immediately boil and vaporize, thereby dropping its temperature to -27° Fahrenheit (-32.8° Celsius), which creates the refrigeration effect.
An ammonia compressor may be one of three types: reciprocating, screw or helical, or scroll compressor. Reciprocating, or piston-type compressors, are generally similar to an automobile's engine system — the liquid enters the piston chamber and as the piston pushes on it, it is compressed into a vapor.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-ammonia-compressor.htm#didyouknowout
The Home Plant’s ice machine produced ice for the fishing industry until the late 1970s, and in 1985, it was moved to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. In 2017, the ice machine was installed in its current location to tell the story of the significant role refrigeration played in the West Coast fishing industry.
Enjoy your visit to historic Stevston!