Any chance it might say 'tørfisk'? In the 1890's, before cooling, fish would usually be dried, smoked or salted for preservation. Tørrfisk would be sides of (usually) cod off the bone, tied by the tail fin and hung outside across racks to dry. When dried, it would have almost unlimited shelf life - and could be used as currency. Under Danish influence, iit would be spelled with one r at the time.