Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-08-29
AIULTERATED TEA.
Seizure of q Large Amount of Adulterated
Tea by New York Inspector--Analy-
sis demonstrates that Active PofsOns
are Used for AduIterating Purposes.

New YORK, August 23.-The most
important seizure of teas at this port
since the passage of the act of March 2,
1888, prohibiting the importation of
adulterated teas into this country, was
made yesterday by Mr.. James A.
Davies, inspector of teas at this port.
The invoices rejected as unstable COM
p1ised about 700 half-chests OF
what are known to the trade as
japanese tea-dust. There were twelve
invoices, which arrived on the
steamers Pembrokeshire, Mosser,
and City of Toxic. By the standard
adopted by the government chemist,
Prof. Buttershall, the teas condemned
were very much below what they should
be, and an analysis showed the samples
to be much adulterated and utterly unfit
for use, Some facts relative to the adul-
iteration of teas have come to light in con-
nection with the examination of teas, I'M
der the recent act, 10y Prof. Buttershall
and DR.. J. F. Davies, which may
well put people on their guard as to the
kinds of tea they use as a beverage
The Japan tea-dust, even in the coarsest
grades, has hardly O semblance OF leaf
in it. 1T is generally a powder having
in its unadulterated state the color of
the genuine leaf. It is the siftings that
fall through the sieve when the leaf
tea is being prepared for ship
ment. When adulterated the powder
and the leaf, too, assume pale-green
hue, and have a distinct luster
very like that on bit of silk or satin.
Tea-buyers may always safely assume
that any tea with a pale-green color is
al adulterated or "faced tea, as it is
known to the trade. Wishing to ascer-
tain the material used in the coloring of
tea, Mr.. Davies secured from one of the
largest houses in this city engaged in
the importation of Japan teas samples of
the materials used for analysis; three
boxes of fine powders IN their pure state
and two of the powders mixed ready
for use were given to the chemist for
analysis. Two of the unmixed powders
of pure white proved to be gypsum and
sOapstone respectively. The third, a
deep blue powder, was Prussian blue,
which is an active poison, and which
the importer before an analysis was
made claimed was not Prussian blue,
but blue powder the composition of
WHICH, WIS q S6cf6U WIFI Gu0 UdpduSS6y
an illusion quickly dispelled when the
chemical tests were made. One of the
mixed powders contained 5 per
cent. of this active poison, and
the other 10 per cent. These powders,
pale blue in color, are the material used
IN giving to tea the pale green color
which SO many tea buyers enormously
consider mark of good tea, and with
out their use that color cannot be OBJ
tanned. Tea so colored and adulterated
was the tea rejected by Mr.. Davies
to-day. There are now five firms In
this city known to be engaged in the
coloring of tea after importation, using
the materials described. Mr.. Davies
received for examination samples of in
voices of adulterated teas from the col
lectors of the ports of Detroit, Chicago,
Ogdensburg and Plattsburg, at each
of which places the teas had been
rejected, and asking for his opinion:
The government chemists have tested
nearly 400 samples of tea since the tea
law went into effect the LIST of April.
They have found, in addition to other
facts, that green teas are converted into
black teas by the use of iron, and that
black teas are converted into green's by
the use of the Prussian blue compound.