The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1857-05-05
Rat-Cstchers Of San Francisco.

1t has been truly said that one half Of the
inhabitants of all large cities don't know how
the other half live. This fact will apply to
San Francisco as fo,cibly as to any other
Our population is a heterogeneous one, com.
of the habitable globe--men of every trade,
profession and calling among us known to the
civilized world--snd each striving with un-
abated energy and enterprise to foreresch his
neighbor in the search after wealth. But of
all resorts to which human ingenuity is ap-
piled whereby to make an honest livelihood,
that of the rat-catchers seems to be the most
singular.
There exists among US numerous class of
persons whose only vocation consists in catch
ing rats and preparing their skins for expor-
tation. This business is mostly confined to a
few Frenchmen, who have in their employ
number of Cinnamon who are well skilled in
the art. Night after night they spread death
and destruction among the innumerable
swarms of those pests that infest our thorough
fares. While the greater portion of our pop
ulation are asleep, "John Chinaman," like
the chiionies or ragpickers, (another distinct
class of persons in our midst,) is wide awake
and pursuing his calling. He is what might
be called professional "ratter," and is as
we'll versed as a Scotch terrier in the most ap-
proved method of discovering and of taking
them.
The wharves along the water front Of the
city are nightly frequsnted by them, but in
most cases they seek the isolated places in he
outskirts of the city, where the rats fatten
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 bottom constructed of wood and
the sides wire net. Each one has several
openings on the sides, with the wire inverted,
so that when rat enters it is almost impos
sible for him to make his escape by the way
he came in. Each Chnaman is provided
with two of these traps. When about start.
ing out he bats them, and then selects
suitable place to set them. After having
done this he re.;ies short distance TO watch
h!S game. IF the bait takes well he does
not wait long before the traps are full. If
game is not so plenty he moves on to some |
other locality, and repeats the same operation.
In this manner he proceeds until he has
made q good "haul," when he retraces his
steps homewards, and deposits his traps in
provided for that purpose. This
place usually consists of large dry goods
box, with apertures here and there covered
with wire. The rats are placed in it, and in
the day time are suffocated by means of char
coal. Each Chinaman, with any kind of
good luck, very often succeeds in taking from
one to two hundred rats night. They are
sold to the parties who employ them at SO
much per dozen, who derive considerable
profit from the business. The skins arr
dried and tied up in small packages of fifty
each, ready for expectation. They are taken
10 Paris, and thcre manufactured into what
are called kid gloves, and returned to us as
'Alexandre's best" which may be seen dis
played in the windows of our fancy dry goods
stores.
Our Chinese residents readily adapt
themselves to any kind of industry, however
that promises reward for their
abor. The catching of rats cannot be so re-
'oting to them rs might be expected, as it is
aid the animal, when cooked and served up
n Celestial style, forms an important item in
heir caisine.-T San Francisco Herald.