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56
On the 8th August, an Inspector visiting the Norwegian barque " Orion,"
lying in the West India Dock, noticed on the vessel a live pig, which was
being kept on board for future consumption by the crew. The pig was in a
very emaciated condition, had a cough, and its body was covered with sores.
The Inspector suggested to the Master that the pig should be killed and the
carcass destroyed. This the Master declined to do, stating that in his opinion
the animal was quite fit for food, and that he intended to kill it and use the
carcass as food for the crew during the voyage. Although intended for
the food of man, yet the pig was not deposited for sale or for the purpose of
preparation for sale, and therefore, could not be interfered with by your
officers. The Board of Trade were communicated with, but owing to the fact
that it was a foreign vessel they were powerless, and the Inspector of the
Board of Agriculture could not interfere before the animal was landed or
slaughtered. The case is of some interest as showing the position with
regard to diseased animals not deposited for sale or for the purpose of
preparation for sale. It need hardly be said that the prospect of eating this
pig was not anticipated with any degree of relish on the part of the crew.
In the latter part of December, 1904, the French steamer " Caravellas "
was in collision below Gravesend during a fog, and was put ashore. This
vessel had a cargo of 20,372 bags of coffee, and 2,250 bags of cocoa, the
whole of which was saturated with river water, which is in some degree
contaminated with sewage.
The vessel was patched and went to dock, where, on discharging the cargo,
the condition of the coffee and cocoa was found to be not very bad, and
although saturation of these articles of food with sewage-contaminated water
cannot be considered as desirable, yet it would be difficult to advance scientific
reasons which would justify a magistrate in condemning them on this score
alone, taking into consideration the fact that both coffee and cocoa are
exposed to a high temperature in the process of kiln drying and roasting, a
temperature sufficient to sterilize the articles respectively.
The Public Health (London) Act gives power to any Medical Officer
or Inspector to seize any article which appears to be diseased, or unsound, or
unwholesome, or unfit for the food of man, and if it appears to a Justice that
the article seized is diseased, or unsound, or unwholesome, or unfit for the
food of man, he shall condemn the same. It will be, therefore, seen that the
only reason for condemning these berries would have been on account of their
unsoundness, and a quantity of coffee berries was allowed to go after having
been inspected with a view to determining the soundness or otherwise ; the
information as to the release of the same being forwarded to the Medical Officer
of Health of the district to which the coffee proceeded.
In the course of a few weeks the remainder of the coffee, being wet, began
to ferment, decompose, and to be covered with mould, and as the coffee