Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-18
CRUSADE is
CONTINUED
INSPECTION REVEALS MORE BAD
RESTAURANTS
CONDITIONS MENACE PuBLIc's
HEALTH
system of Supervision Is Gradually
Bringing About Better State
Of Affairs In Eating
Houses

More dirt and filth in downtown res
taurants were unearthed by City Restau-
rant Inspector H. w. Wright yesterday
The conditions existing in some of these
restaurants are so revolving that the
public, sitting innocently in the front
consuming rehash and old "comebacks,"
would be sickened IL they could see the
places In which the food is kept.
Two restaurants on San Fernando
street, in the railway yards district be-
tween Fourteenth and Eighteenth streets,
were visited yesterday. The cause of the
inspection was the repeated complaints of
railway men who have been forced to
eat there. when railway men begin to
kick conditions must be pretty bad" said
Inspector Wright. So they proved to be-
The first restaurant entered looked
fairly decent in the front room, where
patrons were being served at the lunch
counter. But the inspector did not stop
here. He dove at once into the rear
of the building the source of supplies.
Into a room where a man was cutting
I'D meat he plunged. The man held a
piece In his hands. What are you go
ing to do with that?" said the inspector,
taking the meat from his hand. The
meat was green and the stencil from 1t
was frightful.
Several other pieces of meat, green
and putrid, were lying around. The room
was dark and musty and the walls COW
cred with dust and dirt.
Ice Box Water Soaked
In another small back room was an
old water-soaked refrigerator with a
dozen rotten, moldy lemons on top, halr
buried in dust. In the refrigerator were
he and cooked meats. "A
large dish of dried-up roast was In the
lower compartment. The water from the
ice had leaked through on 1t, forming
a nasty pink liquid in the bottom OF the
dish. -,
In this gravy swan ants, bugs and other
queer bugs. From the chunk OF orieo'
bug-covered meat several pieces had peen
recently cut to serve customers. In an
other dish were the "comebacks," old,
dried pieces of tasteless stuff that pat
rons had refused to eat and that mad
been returned to be served again.
stale sickly stencil filled the room.
Pulling aside the old ice box the source
of this stencil was revealed. In place OF
having a pan under the box to eaten the
overflow from the ice hole had been
cut in the floor and the water was al
lowed to drain through this into nqie
in the ground that was filled with Shiny
mud and alive with creepy, wiggley
worms and other filthy forms of animal
life.
The stencil that arose from this stag
nant hole from which there was no out
let or drain, was enough to cause all the
helpers in the restaurant to take typnoio
fever. And all the fumes from TINS
stencil hole arose directly into and
nassed through the ice box where the
cooked meats were kept.
DIRECTLY across from this supply room
and opening into the hall that led into
the main dining room was the toilet
the door wide OPEN
Gives Warning
After throwing out some of the filthy
food and warning the proprietor TO nave
the place cleaned up and a spring put
on the toilet door. the inspector left the
place promising to return at an early
date to see that his instructions had been
carried out.
The second place visited was board
ing house dining room. Here all the cook
ing was done in the room where the sup
niles were kept The floor of this room
was sloppy and filthy. Onion peelings
and vegetable scraps were lying all
around. Flies by the, thousands filled the
place.
On Inc stove were some old, greasy
fried potatoes in a frying pan ready to
be cooked. lneSe Ildu heouS pSSii
cooked and recooked until they were
black tough and greasy. Old, moldy
grease was found in another frying pan.
The huge coffee pot was full OF stale.
black fluid Reaches and ants crawled
over the food which lay around on the
tables.
In this place the proprietor objected to
the inspection and the inspector had to
force his way into the room.
The conditions revealed In some res
taurants by the inspectors are criminal.
If the public only knew the conditions
that prevail they would see that to pat
ronize them was almost voluntary sui
eide. The present rigorous system OF
SUPERVISION is doing much to reform this
state of things.
Restaurants are visited and, warning
is given to clean up and quit feeding
the public rotten and decaying foods.
The inspector returns in few days, and
If the warning has not been regarded the
proprietors are fined. If he continues
to show contempt for public health he Is
given a heavier fine. This system is kept
M until careless restaurant keepers are
forced to clean up or go out of business
How any city could get along without
inspection of restaurants or some system
Of public control is difficult to under
stand. %