New-York tribune., 1920-02-22
Poison Olive
Hunt Covers
Eight States
Federal Authorities Begin
Search in 50 Towns to
Locate Shipment Con.
tanning Deadly Bacillus

CHICAGO, Feb. 21.-Federal and
state food inspectors in flfty-two towns
of eight states are making frantic eff.
forts tonight to find and destroy doz-
ems of bottles of ripe stuffed olives
containing poison in the form of the
deadly bacillus botulinus.
| A single case Of olive poisoning al
Kalispell, Mont, which led to discovery
OF the danger, is the only one reported
so far. Federal chemists who uncov.
cred the widespread distribution OF
the poison fruit are bending every eff.
fort to confscate the bottles. and a
| warning has been sent broadcast ad.
vising housewives to return unopened
all containers holding the suspected
brands.
New York Towns in List
Among towns to which the olives are
known to have been distributed are:
New York State-Auburn, Utica,
Malone, Geneva, Gloversville, Syracuse,
Oneonta and Lockport.
Indiana-Monticello, Fort Wayne and
indianapolis.
1llinois-De Kalb, Bradford, Mattoon,
Carthage, Freeport, Jacksonville, Win
chester, Wyoming, Aledo, Geneva, DAN
Vile, Elgin, Griggsville, Beardstown,
Clinton, Lake Forest and Evanston.
1owa-Atlantic, Des Moines, Indian
ola, Spencer, Boone, Sioux City, Ma
rengo, Earlham, Waterloo. Idagrove,
Odebolt and Dennison
Observation-Disclosures Oshkosh, Bea-
Richland Center.
Montana-Dillon and Kalispell.
Nebraska-W ahoo.
Kansas-Pittsb sburgh, Holton and
Wichita.
Sold Through Chicago House
The olives, packed in 1918. were sold
to the retail trade through Sprague
Warner g. Co., a Chicago wholesale
grocery house. Major A. A. Sprague,
head Of the firm and Federal Fair Price
Commissioner for Illinois, has fur
nished a record of all sales to Federal
authorities and also has instructed his
statesmen to call on every customer and
take up the olives.
Five dozen bottles of the olives have
been distributed to dealers in seven
teen Illinois towns. 1t is not known
exactly how many dozen are in stores
in the other seven states.
The brands involved are Batavia,
"Ferndeli" and "Richelieu," Only ripe
olives, stuffed with pimentos and sold in
bottles, are affected. j. L. Mclaughlin
of foods and dairies, said investiga-
tion disclosed that no blame attached
to either packer, wholesaler or re-
taller.
The labels on the bottles show they
were distributed by the Chicago firm,
but do not carry the name of the
packer. The bottles contain six ounces
net, and are of the No. 10 size, accord
ing to the labels.
Traced to Stuffed Variety
Bacillus botulinus, first discovered
in a ham in 1899, appeared in ripe
olives last fall, when five persons died
after a dinner at Canton, Ohio, club.
The deaths were traced to the olives.
Several other cases have since been re-
ported, with fatal results in nearly
every instance.
Prior to the discovery Of the present
case, Federal authorities, according to
Mr.. Mclaughlin, believed the only
dangerous olives on the market were
the whole ripe olives, packed in glass.
Investigators of the Department Of
Chemistry, Washington, uncovered a
fatal case Of olive poisoning at Kalis-
pell, while investigating number of
botulnus cases in New York. Their
Investigations traced the poison to the
stuffed olives shipped from here.
Mr.. Mclaughlin warned housewives
to beware of preserved goods having an
unpleasant odor. The affected olives
have q noticeable smell and are usually
soft. The germ, it is believed, can be
killed by boiling preserved goods, and
Mr.. Mclaughlin advises housewives to
cook all food taken from tin or glass
containers.