Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-02-14
RAT:cATcHERs OF SAN FRANCISCO.

4
RAT.CATCHERs OF SAN FRANCISCO.
! Il has been truly said thai one half OF
the inhabitants Of al! large cities know not
how the other half live. This fact will
iappjy to SanF ancisco rs forcbiy as tosny
other, Our population, Heterogeneous
one, composed Of the Representatives of
every nation on the babiiabIa gloI,a-nen
Of every trade, profession and calling a.
inong us that are known to- the civilized
worid-each one dependent. IA II me:.sura,
| upon the other for Success, and all striving
with unabated energy and enterprise to
forereach his noighhor in the search after
wealth. But Of all resorts TO which hu-
man ingenuity is applied whereby to make
IN honest living, that Of The Rat Catchcrs
seems to be the most singular. It may
not bo generally known to many of the
residents of this city, that there exists
among us a numerous class of persons
whose only vocation consists in catching
rats and preparing their skins for transnor-
tation. This business, ifsuch we may call
it, is mostly confined to few Frenchmen,
who have in their employ number of
Cinnamon we'll skilled in the art. Nigh;
after night they spread death and destruc-
ton among the innumerable swarms OF
these pests that infests OH thoronghf.ses
While the greater portion of the popnIa-
ton are asleer, "John Chinaman," like
the ch:foniefs Or ag-picker, (another dis
tinst class of persons we have in our nidst)
is wide awake, and pursuing his calling
with zeal worthy of commentator in
any of the higher walks of life. He is
what might be called ''ratter," md is as
we'll versed as a Scotch terrier in the most
approved method of discovering and of
taking them.
The wharyes along the waterfront Of
the city are nightly frequentel by them,
but in in most cases they seek the isolated
places in the 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, a
bout two feet long, and of the same width,
and some eighteen inches deep, the top
and bottom constructed Of wood, and the
sides ingeniously interviewer with wire
Ike net. Each one has several openings
on the sides, with the wire inverted so that
when rat enters, it is almost impossible
for him to make his escape by the way he
came in. Each Chiuaman is provided
with two Of these traps. When about
starting ont he bats them, and then Sc
lccts Il suitable place to set them. After
having done this to his satisfaction, he re-
Tires a short distance to watch his game
II the trap takes well, he does wait lor Q
till theyarefull.If game is not so plenty in
theg spots marked ont as he imagine t,he
moves on to some other locality ar re-
peats the same operation. In thi, man
ner he proceeds until he has mad, Il good
''hau!," when he rctrlces his ste rs home
wards and deposits his traps in reeepta-
Gle provided for the purpose. This place
usually consists of q large dy goods box,
with apertures here and there, covered
Sith wire. The rats are placed III it, and
in the daytime are sutiocated by means
Of charcoal. There are number of these
receptac,es in different parts of the city,
but most of them are located at South
Beach, which appears t,S" be The heal
quarters of the rat-kiers. Each China
imam, with any kind of good Lack very Of
ten succeeds in taking from two to three
hundred rats a 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 the
small packages Of fifty each ready for
deportation. They are sent to Paris AMI
there manufactured into what are called
kid gloves, ana returned to us as "Alex
andres best" which may be seen display
ed in the windows o. our fancy dry goods
stores.
Our Chinese residents are worthy of
credit for their readiness in adapting them
selves to any kind of industry, however
disagreeable, that promises a reward for
heir labor. The catching Of rats cannot
be so revolving to them as might be ex-
pected, as it is said the animal, when cook
ed and served up in Celestial style, forms
an important item in their caiSiae. Atall
events, it may be taken as granted that
the employment is profitable, otherwise it
would not be undertaken; and if our
French friends find the speculation pay
ING one, we will be rejoiced to know 1t
We are confident the subject of this notice
will be news to many Of our fair readers,
who, perhaps, are not aware that the ma
terial for the gloves that encase their deli
cate hands, has been furnished by the moi
some animals that infest cur city San
Francisco Herald.
PROSPERITY OF CANADA A cores
pendent fthe N. Y. Tribune gives the fol-
lowing flattering account of Canadian at
fairs:
| There Is no prominent subject of legisla-
ton before the country, at present, awaiting
! fla decision of Parliament Within rho