Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-07-25
[Price Two Cents.
GBe 4aiIg sPg.
TUESDAY. July Is, 1854.

EELs AND RATs.-Some of the sewers of
the city afford subterranean tenements which
are as densely populated as the human abodes
above them. The cells and the rats there con-
tend with each other for the waste of the soul
lery and various substances washed down the
culyerts. With the rise of the tide, which
sets into sewers, the rats retreat and the cells
take possession, and rice veysa. Yesterday,
one of the latter, who was rashly curiq
penetrated into one of the vaults beneath
Office, and as he was Of large size, made q
rous splashing until silenced bya blow. ID
rats avail themselves of this subterrai
highway and provision store-house, as meahs !
of access to the down town eating houses, ho-
tells, &c, where their incursions are said to be
very destructive. A tempting dish of viands,
left exposed, is sure to disappear before day
light. We are informed by well known res
taurateur, that his place is nightly visited by
scores of them, who traverse the drain. An
eating house down town is in course of re-
moval and the sudden disappearance of things
edible, has thrown the rats into confusion
worse conioupded 1t was during their re-
searches for supplies last Saturday night, that
stray dog, was trayersing the streets contra
ry to law, found his way among them, unbid-
den and destroyed about thirty of them. The
Paris glove makers are said to derive band
some profit from the use Of rat leather, taken
in the Paris sewers 1t is suggested that they
found branch establishment in this city,
where the raw material for manufacture may
be obtained in abundance and it is presumed,
from the venerable aspect Of the animals, to
be tough and durable quality, well suited to
ladies wear. Eel skins, also. may be pro-
cured in abundance. They are used chiefly
for the manufacture of whips; at least, such
is the use to which they have been appropria-
ted by some of the Yankees. The exceeding
ly tough and flexible nature of these skins
also makes them valuable in fastening togeth-
er the two parts Of the fail, or grain thresherss.
There is room for enterprise in both these de-
partments of trade
By the way, we have made discovery in
the rat line, which we hasten to announce
1t has been triumphantly asked, 'tOf what
use are rats Y and echo has answered, " OF
what use" But if any one will look at the
window of Scott Bells Sugar Brokerage,
81 l-2 Wall Street, after they have closed for
the day, he with see rat inside of the window
catching files at an astonishing rate. He
moves over the window panes with the agility
/. of dancing master, though with little appar-
ent effort, and the flies disappear before him
like dew before the sun. Were it not for the
decided unpopularity of rats everywhere, such
establishments as that of Scott & Bell could
afford to keep few, just to clear their premis-
of flies. Let it not be said then that even rats
were made altogether in vain.
P. S.-We understand that after clearing
the window of flies, perhaps 100 or So scarce
ly any of which escape, the rat retires for
while, to allow a new set to collect, and then
returns and resumes his useful labors.-N. Y.
Jour. Of Com.