After they are thus dried in the sun, they are received
by the vessels, and brought down to the depot at San Diego. The
vessels land them, and leave them in large piles near the houses.
Then begins the hide-curer's duty. The first thing is to put them in
soak. This is done by carrying them down at low tide, and making
them fast, in small piles, by ropes, and letting the tide come up
and cover them. Every day we put in soak twenty-five for each man,
which, with us, made an hundred and fifty. There they lie
forty-eight hours, when they are taken out, and rolled up, in
wheelbarrows, and thrown into the vats. These vats contain brine, made
very strong; being sea-water, with great quantities of salt thrown in.
This pickles the hides, and in this they lie forty-eight hours; the
use of the sea-water, into which they are first put, being merely to
soften and clean them. From these vats, they are taken, and lie on a
platform twenty-four hours, and then are spread upon the ground, and
carefully stretched and staked out, so that they may dry smooth. After
they were staked, and while yet wet and soft, we used to go upon
them with our knives, and carefully cut off all the bad parts:- the
pieces of meat and fat, which would corrupt and infect the whole if
stowed away in a vessel for many months, the large flippers, the ears,
and all other parts which would prevent close stowage.
Pages:
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269