Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-12
ONE OF HIS TRICKS.
HOW JOHN cHiNAMAN SOMETIMES
ADuLTERAIEs TEA.
Schemes That Are Very Well Laid, but Not
Deep Enough to Work Every Time These
Days-A Chat With the Inspector nj the
Port OF New York.

you nave slpped the more or less fragrant
and cheering beverage, you find a dark
pastelike sediment, charge it up to the
ways that are dark of 1.-THE heather Chi
nee" The sediment is mud-plain, every
day Chinese blue mud, and it was put
there by your Celestial with intent to de-
fraud the purchaser of the crop.
Perhaps there issno sediment, but that
does not argue that you have escaped
Johns wiles. If the tea is bitter and rank
to the taste, it is because that with the
leaves OF the tea plant there have been
mixed all the way from 90 to 60 per cent
OF the leaves of willow or of a plant that
Is known as the sloe, both of which grow
wherever tea is grown, just as cheat or
tares grow alongside of wheat
Again, if your tea is neither muddy nor
rank, but is weak and without either flavor
or fragrance, it is because the leaves have
already done full duty in some faraway
teabouse, have been gathered up from the
Kitchens, rcdricd and then colored with
prussian blue and soapstone and shipped
to dear, gullible America.
The adulteration of tea and the substi-
tuition of spurious and exhausted leaves is
mammoth and monstrous evil To such
proportions had it grown that in Novem-
Der, 1883, congress passed an act for the
protection OF importers and created the
ONCE OF tea inspector in connection with
the custom houses in New York, Chicago
and san Francisco. Tea is admitted free
OF duty, but not one chest of it can be
landed until the inspector certifics that it
Is free OF adulteration or spurious substi
tutes.
When reporter called at the United
States appraisers great workhouse, on
Laight and Hudson streets, recently, Isaac
McGay, the inspector for the port of New
York, sat before a circular table, upon
which were placed in neat array dozen
dainty china cups and saucers, each Of
which was filled nearly to the brim with
the infusions which he had but recently
made. A bright copper kettle steamed
cheerily at his elbow. Mr. McGay had just
completed task, and he leaned back in
his tilted armchair with an amused smile
upon his CHEEKY and rudy countenance.
You have come in good time" he said
to the reporter, who asked for some infor-
nation about government tea inspection.
These cups represent samples from q car
go Of 60, 600 packages of tea, every pound
of which has got to go back
ITO China?'
II can't answer that question. Maybe
to Canada or England, but it cannot come
through the port of New York. That is
great deal of tea to condemn, but that is
what L am here for. do not believe that
within the IL years l have been in this
department, during the last four of which
have been the inspector, have ever ex-
amincd shipment in which all the Gle
ments of fraud were SO unblushingly COM
bined. In the first place, 40 per cent Of
the weight of this tea is dirt mean COM
mon earth that costs only the price of the
labor involved to dig it.
This earth, ground to an impalpable
powder, is mixed with paste made of
rice water and known as congee. This is
adroitly done, the paste uniting the par
ticles of dirt into the perfect semblancc of
small, curled tea leaves As the tea proper
is being packed into the chests work
man stands by with the congce and casts
it with sweeping motion of the hand in
thin layers into the box.
SIN a cargo of CO. 600 chests Of tea, each
weighing 60 pounds, or a total of 3, 600,-
600 pounds, matter of ], 440, 600 pounds
of mud, paid for as tea, is quite a little
item if the scheme goes through.
In this instance l have no doubt what
ever of Il carefully planned fraud, for the
firm which exported this cargo stands very
high in China and has for years been con
sidcred beyond rcproach. l have never
had occasion before to refuse any of their
tea admission to this port.
but have not told all. In addition
to the adulteration with clay find this
cargo contains large percentage of will
low and sloe leaves and an easily traced
proportion of marlowc."
''What Is marlowc?'
''That is the name in the trade for tea
leaves that have been exhausted and re-
dried. In Hong Kong the principal tea
gardens arc located on Marlowe street. A
regular wagon, familiar to all foreigners,
makes u daily collection of the leaves from
which the tea of the previous "a hours has
been drawn. This system of collection is
in operation all over the empire, imag-
inc, from the amount of the stuff that was
formerly foistcd upon this market. 1t Ger
tainly obtains in all the large citics.''
Mr.. McGay here called attention to the
cups before him. With spoon he dug up
the muddy sediment from the bottom. He
then nattcned out u number of the infused
leaves. Tho difference between the will
low, sloe and tea leaves is apparent to tho
eye. He explained the system of inspec-
ton. The ship containing the invoice is
visited. From each line of 60 to 100 boxes
a sample is taken at random. These arc
mixed together. Then they are examined
under powerful magnifying glasses for oc-
ular evidence of fraud.
Then Mr. McGay has little tea party.
Cups arc set for from 10 to 20, but he is
the only guest. He never gives o'clock
teas, but at any time from 10 a. m to 1
p. IN. he can be found tasting and splitting
out the beverage he brews, or with his
nose down close to the steaming cups in
haling their fumes. The penalty of this
part of the process is an occasional vertigo
or dizzy feeling, accompanied by split
ting headache. When this comes on, he is
forced to strike work for the day and walk
in the open air.-New York World.
A Slandercd City.