Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-11-12

The Rat Catchers of San Frapcis,o :.

1t has been truly said that one half of the in
habitants Of all large cities know not how the
other half live This fact will apply to San Fran
cisco as forcibly as to any other Our popula-
ton is a heterogeneous one, composed of the re-
representatives. OF every nation OIL the habitable
gobe-men of every trade, profession, and call
ing among MS that are known to the civilized
world-each one dependent, in q measure, upon
the other for success, and al striving with I'm
abated energy and enterprise to forereach his
neighbor in the search after wealth. But of all
resorts which ingenuity is applied whereby to
make an honest livelihood that of the Rat Catch
ers seems to be the most singular. 1t may not
be generally known to many of the residents of
this city that there exists among US a numerous
class of persons whose only vocation consists of
catching rats and preparing Their skins for trans
portation. This business if such we may call it,
is mostly confined to few Frenchmen who have
in their employ number Of Cinnamon well skill
ed in the art Night after night they spread
death and destruction among the innumerable
swarms of these pests that infest our thorough
fares. While the greater portion of population
are asleep "John Chinaman, like the chitoniers
or rag pickers, (another distinct class of persons
we have in our midst is wide awake and pur-
suing his calling with zeal worthy Of common
dation in any OF the higher walks of life. He is
what might be called a professional 'ratter,"
and is as well versed as a Scotch terrier in the
most approved method of discovering and Of
taking them. The wharves along the water
front of the city are nightly frequented by them,
but in most cases they seek the isolated places
in the outskirts of the city, where the rats fat
ten on the garbage thrown from the slaughter
houses, to set their traps These traps are square
boxes about two feet long, and of the same width,
and some eighteen inches deep-the top and bot
tom constructed of wood, and the sides ingeni-
ously interviewer with a wire like o net. Each
one has several openings on the sides, with the
wire inverted, so that when rat enters it is al
most impossible for him to make his escape by
the way he came in.
Each Chinaman is provided with two of these
traps. When about starting out, he bats them,
and then selects suitable place to set them.-
After having done this to his satisfaction, he re-
tires short distance to watch his game. If the
bait takes well, he does not wait long before the
traps are full. If game is not so plenty in the
spots marked out as he imagined, he moves on
to some other locality and repeats the same op-
Grafton. In this manner he proceeds until he
has made good "haul," when he retraces his
steps homewards and deposits his traps in re-
ceptacle provided for the purpose. This place
usually consists of a large dry-goods box, with
apertures here and there, covered with wire
The rats are placed in it, and in the daytime
are sutfocated by means of charcoal. There are
number of these receptaces in different parts
of the city but most of them are located in South
Beach, which appears to be the great headquar-
ters of the rat killers. Each Chinaman, with
any kind of good luck, very often succeeds in
taking from two to three hundred rats night.
These are sold to the parties who employ them
at so much per dozen, who derive considerable
profit from the business. The skins are dried
and cured and afterwards tied up in small pack
ages of fifty each ready for expectation. They
are sent to Paris and there manufactured into
what are called kid gloves, and returned to US as
"Alexandre's best" which may be seen display
ed in the windows of our fancy dry good stores.
Our Chinese residents are worthy of credit for
their readiness in adapting themselves to any
kind of industry, however disagreeable, that
promises reward for their labor. The catch
ing of rats cannot be so revolving to them as
might be expected, as it is said the animal when
cooked and served up in Celestial style. forms an
important item in their cuisine. At all events,
it may be taken as granted that the employment
is profitable, otherwise it would not be underta-
ken and if our French friends find the specula-
ton paying one, we will be reioiced to know
it. We are confident the subject Of this notice
will be news to many of our fair readers, who
perhaps are not aware that the material for the
gloves that encase their delicate hands has been
furnished by the noisome animals that infest our
city.-San Francisco Herald.