Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-02-22
POISONED OLIVES.
ENDANGER LIVES
IN MANY CITIES
Housewives Warned to Be
on Outlook For Infected
Fruit = Federal Officers
Make Frantic Efforts to
Locate and Destroy Bot
ties Recently Put on Sale


s CHICAGO, FED. 21.-Federal and
state food inspectors in 81 towns of
eight states are making frantic efforts
tonight to locate and destroy dozens of
bottles of ripe olives containing the
deadly bacillus botulinus, as a result
of deterioration.
Warns Olive Consumers
A single case of olive poisoning at
Kalispell, Montana, which led to dis
covery of the danger, is the only one
reported so far. Federal chemists,
who uncovered the widespread distri-
button the poisoned fruit, are bend
ing every effort to reach and confis
cate the bottles and warning has been
sent broadcast advising housewives to
return unopened all containers holding
suspected brands.
The olives, packed in 1918 by a Cali
fornia company, were sold to the retail
trade though Sprague- Warner and
company. local wholesale grocery
house. Major A. A. Sprague, head of
the firm, and federal fair price COM
missioner for Illinois. has furnished
record of all sales to federal authorities
and has instructed his statesmen to call
on every customer and take up the
olives.
Five dozen bottles of the poisoned
fruit have been distributed to dealers
in II Illinois towns. It is not known
other states.
Only Stuffed Olives Affected
Brands involved are Batavia"
'.FerndelF'. and "Richelieu." Only ripe
olives, stuffed with pimento sand sold
in bottles. are affected. J. l.. Nc
Laughlin, superintendent of the Illinois
division of food and dairies. said in
vestigation disclosed that no blame. at
tached to either packer, wholesaler or
retailer.
Labels on the bottles show they
were distributed by the Chicago firm.
but do not carry the packers names
The bottles contain six ounces net, and
to the labels.
Towns IN which olives are known
to have been distributed ard the num-
ber of bottles in each are:
Observation-Disclosures brand, Wa
hoo, IL.
Kansas-Richefieu brand, Pitts
burg, "a; Wichita, "a.
Iowa = RicheIieu brand, Des
Moines, 80; Boone, s; OdeboIt, 8;
Sioux City, IL. Ferndeil brand,
Marenso. 8; esrIham, 5: Waterloo. loo
II. Batavia brand, Atlantic. 6;
fndianola, II; Spencer, 6; Boone,
1; Ida Grove, a; Dennison, 6.
Montana-RicheIieu brand, Dill
lon, "a. Batavia brand, kaIispeIl,
IL.
Bacillus botulinus. deadly poison
first discovered in ham in 1893, APP
peared in ripe olives last fall when
five persons died after a dinner at a
Canton, Ohio, club. The deaths were
traced to the olives. Several other
cases have been reported with fatal
results.
Prior to the discovery of the present
case, federal authorities. according to
Mr.. Mclaughlin, believed tnat the
were the whole ripe olives packed in
glass.
Warns Housewives
Investigation by the department of
chemistry at Washington uncovered a
fatal case of olive poisoning at Kalis-
peli, Montana, while investigating
similar cases in New York. Investiga-
tors traved the poisn2 to the stuffed
Gives shipped from here.
OF sixty-four cases of the poisoning
reported since 1899, "a have been in
California. Mr.. McLaug him says. A
number of the cases have been caused
by home canned fruits and vegetables
TT is odd Mr.. Mclaughlin adds.
that according to information avail
able concerning one of the recent
poison cases in the east, a total of
2,045 cans and bottles of suspected
California ripe olives were sent to
federal laboratory, and that of all
these containers. only seven were
found TO contain bacillus botulinus"