Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-09-03
TROUBLE ABOUT CHEESE.
The Strange and Awful Odor that Struck a
Western Town.

res s sun.
One day last week a shipment Of sixty
thousand pounds of Limburger cheese was
made from Monroe, Wis, to Chicago, via.
GAINESVILLE. The train arrived at James
vile at about ten o'clock in the morning of
one OF those terrible hot days The first
indication the people had that anything was
wrong was q telephone message from the
blind asylum, asking If the people in town
noticed peculiar and strange odor The
message said that dark cloud had passed
over the asylum not long before, and some
thing in the cloud must have broke, as
deadly, sicbening door prevailed the asylum,
and many of the inmates were complaining
that their breakfast did not set well. The
message was received by DR.. Whiting, one
of the trustees of the asylum, and he went
out on the front steps OF the house, which is
in the highest part Of town, and took
long sniff. He did not smell anything at
first, but the second time be drew in his
breath he thought something had crawled
into the air and died. His horse was at
the door, and hastily leaving orders to
burn rag in the house, he drove down
town with the wind from the arriving
train in his face. How he ever lived to
get down town be does not know, but he
got there and called upon several mem
bers Of the board of health. They had al
snelled the strange odor, and felt that
something should be done, so they held a
meeting The Mayor, Mr.. Winans, came
in with his handkerchief to his nose aud
asked what was to be done. he said he
had been a Democrat for forty years, had
been in Congress and had attended eau
cuses, but that smell beat anything he ever
encountered Dr. Palmer said the smell
evidently came from cholera germs or
microbes, that had been blown from
cholera infected Spain, and the only thing
to do was to disinfect, aud not get scared.
He said fright killed more people in cholera
time than the disease itself. Mr.. Van Kirk,
prominent business man, said he was not
scared. He wouldn't have anybody think
b. was scared, but q smell that would enter
a store and stop clock aud coffee grind
ing machine, and cause Norwegian butter to
turn pale, was something that needed stten-
ton atonce and he was in favor of burning
tar in the streets aud creating smudge.
Mr.. BostwieS, another merchant, said in
times OF battle and epidemic the first thing
was to send the women and children away,
and he was in favor Of the mayor issuing
proclamation. The mayor said procls-
nation wouldn't make first payment on
that smell He wanted the Board of Health
10 act. The President of the Board of
Health said they couldn't act intelligently
until they found where the smell
came from, and he suggested that Mr.
Meyers, who used to be butcher, and own
q slsughler,house, disappointed a committee
10 discover where the smell came from. Mr..
Meyers said in the course Of his career he
bad smelled good many bad smells, but
this held over anything in bis experience,
and be had no theory in regard to its origin.
Mr.. Wilson came in, holding his hsndker-
chief to his nose, aud said that when he was
.aking the census, there was q place down
towards Monterey that sRelled something
ike this, and his theory was that lightning
had struck the place. Colonel Britton said
hat he had had good deal Of experience
Is undertaken, and he had noticed such an
odor frequently when the deceased had been
\ tramp that had lain in the woods for
ime after death, and it was his
opinion tlhl lue hOClS were Iull |
II EN-, that needed burying. The COM
nittee decided TO 20 out and walk around
OVID, and see If they could not fathom the |
mystery, so they went, examined the river |
10 see if the fish were not dying, examined
he drain pipes and everything, Merchants
we're on the sidewalks discussing the phe- |
1omenoD, and many had closed their stores !
n 90 hSme and die The com mittee stood |
IN the bridge across the river, drinking in |
he terrible odor, and wondering how long |
people could live in such an atmosphere,
when Tom Croft agent Of the c., NJ. X St.
Paul railroad, came driving down from the !
'epot, with three men in his Democrat way |
N, pale and sick. The committee stopped |
him and asked what they should do !
10 be saved. He told them that
hree brakemeu had come in on that |
Limburger cheese train from Monroe, and |
hat they were almost dead, and ne wanted
something done for them. In the mean
me be said be had hired new Sal of |
auds for the train, and started it en- its !
way for Chicago via Milwaukee, and the |
,ity was saved. The board of heakh went !
about iss business, merchants reopened |
heir STOKES, and in short time everything
vas moving along the same as usual But |
z about two hours dispatch came 10 Croft
rom the agent at Whitewater, wanting to
know what on earth was in that train that
,toppei at his station for wood and water.
Those whose duty it is to ship train loads OF
,bst cheese ought to send it through the
~