The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-04
TRICKERY IN OYSTERS.
Increase i'm Size by the Use of Fresh
Mater

The revelations of the fatal results OF the
practice Of the Fair Haven wholesale dealers
in oysters OF putting their oysters for twenty
four hours or more in the Quinnipiac River.
before sending them to market has greatly in
jured the oyster trade there. The same thing
is true of the effect on Hartford. When the
Times came out with the fact showing the re-
suits of the investigation by the State Board OF
Health and Professor Conn OF the mysterious
outbreak of typhoid fever among the Wesleyan
students at Middle town, aud calling attention
to the circumstances that most of the oysters
furnished for the Connecticut market came
from these Fair Haven and East Haven deal
ers, there was a sudden falling off in the call
for oysters. Some OF the Hartford dealers has
tened to advertise. the next day. that they did
not get their oysters from any OF The Fair Ha-
ven dealers, but from Baltimore direct Verv
likely other dealers will find it necessary 10
cease dealing with the Fair Haven firms; for,
even If there were public promise BY :.
the latter that they would no longer soak.
their oysters IN the foul Quinnpiac stream, the
public would still distrust all oysters coming
from the Quinnipiac region. For the temDta- :
ton to ''Soak" the shell oysters Just befOr0:~
putting them into the market is a double one; E.
first II Is profitable. for it greatly increases the
bulk of the oysters, and makes gallon OF
them when shelled measure far more than !:
would the same number freshly opened out of
salt water; and. secondly, II gives to the
opened oyster whittier, more solid and inviting
appearance. There seems to be no other avail
abe fresh water stream at or near New Haven
which could be used for this purpose, and the
fout QulDnpiac seems likely to be still used for .
oyster soaking as long as the public VIII pur- :
chase such oysters. The dealers know this =:
process OF treating the shellhSh by the phrase
''giviDg them drink"
What the "driDk" consists OF may be inferred j.
from the fact that the QuiDnipiac, where the :.
oysters are thus placed after being taken from
their sal water beds, is little else than big
open sewer. Into it empty, close to theso'
soaking places, and where the sewerage can
be carried directly TO the oysters. Two public
sewers-to say nothing OF 90 drains. One OF
the oyster s0akerS has Just had TWO cases OF
typhoid in his own family-hiS wife, who died,
and his daughter who is Ill with the disease.
"His house stands not far back from the river
aud its short drain empties into IL near the
place where the oysters are bedded Temporal.
rily."
The Investigation of the cases OF the Wes-:
leyan students indicated pretty decisively that .
It was raw" oysters that caused the typhoid;
fever outbreak there, aud also that the oysters =
had been placed for twenty-four hours IN the .
Quinnipiac before sending them TO MddeTowp.
Cooking the biyalYeS, no doubt, much dmin-
ishes but does not wholly remove, tie chances
OF getting live typhoid clli into the stomach
and as in the case OF trlchina-infested pork, :.
il is desirable, If one is willing 10 take the risk :
rather than forego the pleasure OF eating oysters
that have been swollen by Quinnlpiac juice. 10
cook them thoroughly before eating: The
oysters that were sent TO Middletown were H.
tended exclusively for raw" eating. The Far
Haven dealer who furnished them testlIylng
that he never placed in the Quinnlpiac any tnat
were not intended for that form OF use
1t Is said that salt water Kills the typhoid
,yerm However that may be. fresh water Is
needed to make the oyster grow rapidly plump.
There are uncontaminated fresb-waier streams
emptylng into Long Island Sound, and IL the
Gvsters must be given pull at fresh water :,
Eefore being marKeted such streams should be
used.
Fair Haven and its neghborhood have been
for a great many years the center or the Con.
Dectcut oyster trade, now grown TO great pro-
portions How many OF these annual Novem-
Der outbreaks OF typhoid 10 so many communi- :"
lies have been directly due 10 geTminfested
oysters from the Quinnipiac nobody can tell.
But the examination made by DR.. Lindsay and
the State Board of Health of forty or fifty
cases of typhoid in New Haven leaves no
doubt or question that this years cases are, TO :
an important extent, due to that very cause.
One greatly dslikes 10 give up the dish OF
oysters-one OF the most attractive dishes on
the tabe-but if it is supplied from Fair Haven
il must be pretty thoroughly cooked.-Hartiord
Times.