The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-06-14
PROBE INTO FOOD POISONING OR
ESQ FERA MEN IS OPENED HERE
Investigation to Be Pushed
to Limit, Assertion of
Wayne Coy.
3 STILL CRITICALLY LIE
Scores of Others Confined
to Cots in Transient
Shelter House,

State and Federal rehef Offl-
Gals this afternoon launched
a determined, scientific inves-
tigation into the food poison
ing yesterday of 250 FERA
workers, of whom three re-
manned critically and two seri-
ously i'll in City Hospital, and
more than 90 confined to
their Shelter House cots.
The officials sought the exact
cause of the poisoning, when and
where the food was allowed to be-
come poiSonously deteriorated, and
what steps must be taken to prevent
a recurrence of a near tragedy at
the Shelter House, 227 N. West-st.
Wayne Coy, director of the Gov
ernors Commission on Unemploy-
ment Relief, took personal charge
of the investigation, and said he
would leave nothing undone to cor
rect the situation that developed
yesterday afternoon.
EOS Ill, Says Coy
Mr.. Coy said today that the off,
cial count taken by relief workers
showed that 205 had been taken
III. The count was made at YES
terday Unofficial count showed so
more men were given first aid and
released.
He said $50 luncheons had been
put up, and that samples from these
are being given every known test
for food poisoning, by DR.. M. G.
Dack, University of Chicago toxo-
cologist, who arrived last night.
DR.. r. N. Harger, state toxicolo-
gist, is involved in a court hearing
and can not work on the case. It
is expected that it will require two
days to complete the tests.
If the tests show that the heat
had deteriorated the luncheons
after they left the transient shelter
and before the men ate them, then.
Mr.. Coy said, some method of
carrying the luncheons to the men
would be devised.
System Is Explained
In the meantime, the men will be
brought to the Shelter for their
noon meal, he said.
Mr. Coy explained that the shell
ter is financed entirely by Federal
funds, and is designed to give any
homeless man food, shelter and
medical attention, for which he
works, If he is able, and gets 81 a
week. There are about $50 now at
the Shelter, approximately $50 Of
whom are local homeless.
Meat, Mr.. Coy said, is bought for
the Shelter on a three day basis
from government-inspected COM
merclal houses and gets no other
inspection except from the butchers
and chef at the Shelter.
Three Are Critically Ill
Dr. c. L. Elliott, head of the Fed
eral meat inspection in this area,
today began an investigation 20
trace back to the source the meat
in the sandwiches.
Still in City Hospital in critical
conditions are David Roach, Sc, who
has a high fever; Rod Rankin, 20.
and Ernest George, IS. In serious
conditions there are Floyd Tricklei.
26, and Harold Fetzer, %.
These men, and at least ESQ 9TH
ers, carried a sandwich luncheon
yesterday when they went to work
at g. There were picked beef tongue,
peanut butter, jelly and brick cheese
sandwiches, plus coffee on some
projects and tea on others.
First Fall at 1870
They ate them at II and at 1880
the first of them began to fall over.
deathly i'll That was at Randolph
and Kelly-sts, and City Hospital
ambulances and police cars rushed,
sirens open, to the scene.
When 81 of the nearly $50 men
had fallen over in the sun and were
being famed by the sWeaty nats Of
JAlC14 ACl4OW-W WI hEI , uIlGll dlQ EOI1Q
reach them, Foreman Fred McFar-
land and Charles Moore called work
off They ordered the men into
trucks and the drivers sped to the
Transient Shelter.
Before they could get there, half
of the men we're sick, leaning in ag-
ony over the sides Of the jolting
trucks.
Dr.. Jake Gillespie, recently a City
Hospital inferno and now Transient
Shelter staff physician, unprepared
for the rush on his cubicle hospital
room, called City Hospital for aid.
Seven Internes Arrive
No one seemed to take the matter
quite seriously enough because at
that time, 100 p. m, no other prof.
ects had reported illnesses. Those
of the workers who had not felt
i'll when they arrived at the shelter
walked into Military Park across
the street and sat IN the shade.
At 2, another project reported
illnesses and all efforts to give the
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