Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-22
HARDLY M DANGER
That the Conee From santos Could
Have Infected Anyone With Bu-
b0nfc Plague.

That the COnee From santos CouAu
Have Infected Anyone With Blu
bonic Plague.
CHICAGO, May 21.-In regard to the
sensational statement made by Michael
G.. Murphy, president OF the Board OF
Health of New YORK, that the cargo OF
coffee brought from the bubonic plagu
infested port OF Santos, Brazil, by the
steamship Taylor last autumn, was Sc
cretly sent to Chicago, where 1T was
consumed, the Record to-day prints
the followsing:
w. F. Mclaughlin, Chicago import
er and rooster of coffee, owned and
received 1900 bags of the cargo. which
was supposed to be infected. lis mills
in this city are kept going chiefly with
coffee from Brazil, and most of it, like
the ouarantined consignment of last
November, comes green to be roasted
ard packed in his mill. He said:
1.-THE ship j. w. Taylor from the port
Of Santos, Brazil, arrived of New
York in November. The New York
health officials promptly Guaranteed
The vessel because n passenger had
lied and two had some suspicious NAL
adv. 1t was never fully determined
whether the sailors were suffering
from bubonic plague, yellow fever or
some other disease, but the cargo OF
about 10000 bags of coffee was unload
ed into lighters, while the sailors went
into quarantine and the ship was fun
igated.
''The Arbuckle Company got 10000
bags of the cargo directly into their
mills in New York, where it was roast
ed and distributed like any other cot
fee. Our consignment and that Tor
other roasters could not be roasted
there for the reason that we had no
roasters in New York. Therefore by
direction of the health authorities 1t
was placed on lighters and left expos
ed to the sun and air OF New York mar
Dor for about eight or nine weeks. The
bags were turned over every day until
finally the health officers passed on 1t
and it was shipped to US. Our 1900
bags were roasted as soon as we got
them and before the middle of last
anuar that coffee was all packed
and sold. 1t has been drunk by thls
time, | guess. Roasting destroys all
germ life and makes the berry healthy
and Clean
Health commissioner "A. H. IeSy hOAuo
announced last night that he would
thoroughly investigate the matter and
would shake things up all along the
line if he found that the city had been
imposed on and subjected to danger.
He said:
81 mean to ask the health depart
ment Of New York why it allowed a
ship load of infection to be dumped
upon Chicago without saying a word
to me about it. Mr.. Mclaughlin is al
SO to be asked to tell why he shipped
the coffee in here. l heard of the YES
sci at the time it arrived, but l re-
ceived the impression that every grain
of coffee was to be burned. If | find
the case to be as o stated will take
steps that will convince these people
that we are not to be imposed on a
second time.
The New York health department
has always been considered careful and
reliable. If it is at fault hardly think
the head officials are informed Of the
facts. I cannot believe that they
would willingly and knowingly subject
millions of people to a plague.
Il will begin to search for the de-
tails t0-mOrrOW"