THE MINISINK EPIDEMIC. 21 



Wells, Fargo Express Co. at New York City. Here it was ascertained 

 that dealer C had received oysters from three different shippers 

 during the week hefore the banquet, one of which was the shipment 

 from dealer E sent on October 2, 1911, from New York, leaving the 

 other two consignments yet to be accounted for. 



It was shown by the express records ^ that one barrel of oysters 

 in the shell was shipped on October 3, 1911, by dealer B from Fulton 

 Market, New York Cit}^, arriving at Goshen on the 4th; and on 

 October 4 one 5-gallon tub of opened oysters was shipped from 

 dealer F,^ Seaford, Del., arriving at Goshen on October 5, 1911, the 

 day of the banquet. The express records for the Seaford shipment 

 at the Goshen office were entered as having been received on October 

 6, but it was explained that the clerk systematically entered the 

 record on the day following the receipt of the shipments. This 

 entry caused considerable difficulty in accounting for the presence 

 of freshly opened bulk oysters in the establishment of dealer C on 

 the day of the banquet as claimed by him. 



On December 12, 1911, the oyster shucking plant of dealer F at 

 Seaford, Del., was inspected; samples of water used in washing 

 oysters were collected, also oysters taken from the same beds as were 

 the oysters shipped to dealer C at Goshen, N. Y. 



The plant was in a moderately good sanitary condition, perhaps 

 above the average in cleanliness ; and the well water used for washing 

 oysters did not show B. coli in 5 cc, though they were present in 

 10 CO quantities. 



The oysters came from near the mouth of Nanticoke Kiver, in 

 Chesapeake Bay, Md., and they scored 14 points, showing a passing 

 mark. From an inspection point of view, the consumption of these 

 oysters could not have been held responsible for any serious out- 

 break of disease. 



During the fourth trip to Goshen it was learned that about 4 quarts 

 of the 5-gallon tub of shucked oysters, received in bulk by dealer C, 

 were furnished to the Minisink banquet on account of shortage in 

 the original delivery; thus complicating the situation as regards the 

 kind and source of the oysters which appeared responsible for all 

 the sickness among the Minisink guests. 



It was learned that oysters were served at the Occidental Hotel 

 for 50 of their guests on October 5, 1911, and they were supplied by 

 dealer C from the same 5-gallon lot of shucked oysters received 

 from Seaford, Del., from wdiich were furnished the 4 quarts for the 

 Mmisink banquet. No illness followed the dinner at the Occidental; 

 thus these o^^sters were considered not to have been the cause of 



1 Wells, Fargo & Co. waybill 13, clerk 24, weight 250 pounds, New York, N. Y., Oct. 3, IQU, 1 barrel 

 oysters. 

 * Wells, Fargo & Co, waybill 95, clerk 95, 5 gallons oysters, weight GO pounds, advanced charges 37 cents. 



