The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-23
The Most
Remark
able
Scientific Detective Feat
Ever Accomplished d--with
the United States Gov
ernment in the Role
of Sherlock Holmes
BIZ RENE BACHE

By RENE BACHE
DY remarkable piece OF scientific detective work
ID the United States Government has framed up
at last a circumstantial indictment Of the oyster
as typhoid fever carrier and has definitely traced the
injection back each step from the sick bed to
the oyster bed. And. indeed even back to the par
ucular sewer pollution which caused the Infection
mere nave been printed from time to time general
lacts regarding the infection oysters with disease
germs from sewage, but there has before
case IN which the whole process from start to finish
has been definitely positively unroled before the
eyes of the investigators.
The big case" which has resulted In the typhoid
oyster being definitely identified began at banquet
neio at Goshen, the County seat OF Orange County
New York. on October g. 1911 There were i55 neraons
present and these exactly 100 became III within a
tew hours or days-seyenteen Of them with typhoid
fever eghtythree with severe intestinal diseases
VI the typhoid patients, several died. The intestinal
disorders exhibited in the majority symptoms not un.
IKE mild typhoid, the course Of the disease running
from four to six weeks.
This epidemic, coming after number of Sim
liar outbreaks following banquets about New York was
These authorities have been working on the matter
ever since-siftng the evidence collecting facts
1t was necessary first OF all to find out with Ger.
tainty what it that made all these people ILL., Every
possible source Of Infection including milk and water
lyzed and copies 1t we're sent to all the suryivinp
guests with the request that they mark the things
they had eaten.
First Proof Against the Oysters
The replies showed that all but two Of those taken
Ill had eaten raw oysters. The oyster the one
constant factor outbreak Further investigation
of other foodstuns consumed relieved them of sus-
picion
If practically MI of those taken Ill had eaten raw
oysters, and if the other things that they had eaten
pure manfestly the the OF the
Illness But how to prove It?
They supplied, it finally learned, by local
retail merchant OF Goshen who may be called Dealer
G. He had bought them from Dealer B, a wholesaler
in New York City; and the books OF Dealer showed
that they "Rockaways" originally derived from
person who may be designated as Dealer A. at Indian
Greek, near Canarsie Long Island
To make perfectly sure that there was no mistake
about this the shells Of the oysters eaten at the Goshen
rTht, n nod
been buried. to get rid Of them telephone pole
close by the music hall but finally the detectives To-
taken washed and matched with oysters freshly
cured from the floating bins" of the same Dealer A.
at Cauarsie
Now, it is not generally known. but oysters grown
in any given locality, should understand, have a
recognizable shape, and certain shell CHARACTERISTICS
OF their own; that s to say they have certain hxed
differences that identify them from oysters from any
other place Jamaica Bay oysters. being supplied with
plenty Of food from and other sources develop
very rapidly and result their shells are very long,
with thin and brittle tips 1t was an easy matter BY
Creek to make sure that the former had actually
come from Jamaica Bay.
Tracing Oyster Beds from Shells.
But Just oysters from locality differ in shell
from those all other localities oysters in vari
Gus parts of one locality will differ from those in other
in many cases from just what beds in a field the
oysters under inspection come. The next question
was-how did the Indian Creek oysters cause the cpl
demo2
It was found 800 OF these Indian Creek bivaves
had delivered at the Music Hall ready shucked-
that is loose-but accompanied by their shells. The
latter scrubbed with fresh pump water before
the oysters placed them. They were then
served the tables The detectives found that the
sorubbing been done with clean. new brushes and
they satisfied themselves that the water In which they
had been washed was not polluted.
infection, therefore. must have been inside the
oysters themselves And at this time the Governments
men came two important bits OF conhrmatory
evidence. They learned that on October r. 1911
within week after the Goshen banquet-hal barrel
OF oysters had been shipped By this same Dealer
from Indian Creek. through Fulton Market firm. to
Newburgh, N. T., where they were eaten the fol-
lowing evening at so-called schoolmasters banquet
their guests representing eight counties Of the State
sat down circular letter sent to every one OF
the Aftysx asking II they had suffered aferward, and
It was learned that thirteen cases OF Intestinal trouble
and one OF typhoid fever had followed the festtyy.
In the town of Sulern, New York, another epidemic
reported .
The Government detectives decided that they no"
had enough evidence investigate the condition of
AFFAIRS at Indian Creek "heIe tne inee9oe nau
from,
it was found that Dealer A and eight other dealers
alonR the oreek-whch 10 small stream flowing into
the northwest portion OF Jamaica Bay-were In the
them into the cellars OF their buildings. through trap
doors at the the latter The cellars being sub
merged at high tide In some cases the boats enter
them AZ the food for the business OF unloading.
At low tide the creek is nearly dry There are
anrjngs water under the house. and by closing
0oodeates during the ebb the salt water s Kept out
almost entirely, Meanwhile the cellars NIL up witn
Srsah water and the oysters drink" assuming that
hoated or artiNcialy fattened" appearance which Is
raouired to meet the market demand.
The practice OF "fattenng oysters by this Instnot
ia highly diaapproved By the Government authorities
nartly for the reason that renders them unhealthy
and more liable to rapid decomposition but mainly De
cause In the noghborhood OF cities tho water 10 NOR
OF loss contaminated by sewage