Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-04-13
STATEMENT AS TO
COTTON TANPERING.
Foreign Substance In Surgical
Dressings Material Suitable
For Carrying Germs.
ANXIETY is FELT.
The Suspected Bale Had Been
Lost Four Weeks Between
Baltimore And Annapolis
HeadouarterS.
Headquarters.

An authorized statement issued last
night by Mr. II. c, Washburn, of the
National Surgical Dressings Auxiliary
of Annapolis and Anne Arundel Coun-
ty. concerning the suspicious powder
found in a bale of cotton being used
in making surgical dressings for the
wounded of the American forces, after
stating that the just completed anaIy-
sis shows the powder to have been
nrecipitate chalk suitable for the con-
veying of disease germs, says:
1T may be added that no matter
who nut the powder in the cotton, or
for what purpose, it had no business
10 be there. and the fact that it is now
known to be chalk does not prove the
absence of disease germs. Since chalk
would be a good basis for carrying
such germs, the whole incident is dis
0uieting, and adds further proof, II
proof were needed, that the enemies
of this court~v are at work in sinister
wavs to DO as much harm as they
can. no matter how barbarous or even
Satanic the methods may be which
they seem to prefer, whether it be by
the use of disease germs or ground
glass. The utmost alertness is there
fore necessary"
The statement further says:
unfortunately, not more than
few teaspoonfuls of the powder were
preserved, this quantity being consid-
cred sufficient for chemical tests.
Half of the powder saved was submit
ted to an expert chemist at the Naval
Academy. and the rest was sent TO
Mrs. X. Manson Smith, Chairman for
Maryland of the National Surgical
Dressings Committee of America.
Mrs. Smith submitted the sample OF
powder to DR. Gilpin, of the Johns
Hopkins chemical laboratory. Both
DR. Gilpin and the Naval Academy ex-
pert found that the white substance
consisted of a chalky substance, or
! harmless precipitate of chalk. Medi-
cal experts consulted believed that
| though the powder was not poisonous,
| il would be suitable for the conveying
| of disease germs, and advised that a
/ careful test should be made by a
! bacteriologist Whether it will now
be possible to carry out satisfactory
test for bacteria cannot be definitely
stated, but the test will be made ii
possible.
There is no disposition to have any
| lack of confidence in the firm from
which the cotton was ordered, or III
the quality or condition of the cotton
90 ct Ia0f +
was delayed such an unusual length
of time in shipment throws suspicion
upon some irregular treatment of The
bale for which the firm could not be
responsible"
Telling how the discovery was made
and the precautions at once taken
Mr.. Washburn in his statement points
out an added suspicious circumstance
the delay of this bale in transit.
About three weeks ago, or during
the last week in March, there arrived
at the workrooms of the Surgica
I Dressings Auxiliary. a bale of non
absorbent cotton, one of number o
bales ordered from well-knowI
reputable firm in Baltimore. The
bale in question, however, had beer
given up for lost, as it had been un
accountably delayed for over a montl
in transit There was apparently
nothing about the bale to arouse an!
suspicion that it had been tampereC
with. 1t consisted of certian mum
ber of rolls of cotton, each roll wrap
ped in a casing of paper, and th'
whole packed, as usual, in a larg
burlap bag. When the first roll TAX
en- from the top of the bag was sprea'
out, there. dropped from it upon tn
work table a small quantity of whit
powder. Another roll was found t.
contain a larger quantity of the pow
der. and various amounts were discov
cred in seven of the rolls. Investi
cation of the remaining rolls showet
no traces of the foreign substance
Orders were then given to set asid
the dressings or Carrel-Dakin pad
that were partly made from cottol
from this bale, pending analysis Q
the powder, and subsequently bot
these dressings and the whole of tn
cotton was destroyed"