Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-26
Disarming a Rattlesnake.
ChlOrofornasd and His Ban9s Pulled Ou
 in tke Interest ef Science.

ChlOrofornSa and His BanRs Pulled Out
 in ths Interest ef Science.
 The Philadelphia Times allows it's Waah- ington correspondent to talk in tha follow ing blood-curdiinR manner concerning snakes.
 1T assisted at snake Killing on Wednesday in the Iaboratory.of the Smithsonian Institu- tion Iwns very glad so be called on by MT. Knees for this purpose first, because the killing was supposed to be in the interest of science, to which am warmly devoted; sec- ond because I hate snakes, and third be- cause there was no danger. A rattlesnake eight feet long had arrived at the Institution. A dozen gentlemen, mostly of a scientific turn of mind, Ike myself, were present. The box was placed on the floor and all had an opportunity to view the monster before the entartainmsnt began He lay coiled up in his box and looked like bolt of gray cloth. His rattle was sticking straight up and trembling with warming. His nose rested on his tail and his cold eyes set back in his head had an awful look. His body, I. should think, was fifteen inches In circum- ference His head was about the size of . htsen's and the spread of his jaw was enor- nous. Everything being in readiness, three scientists at once began operations. The gliding lid was unscrewed. One of the coat less men had stick with a sponge e big as an apple tied to 1t, and 6 bottle of chloro- form. Another had pair of long pincers, while the other acted as the snakes doorkeep- CT. The lid was slowly moved back little and the end of the pincArs was inserted in the aperture. Bump, bump, bump went the snake's head against the top of his box and the tail sang merry song The man with the pincers knew what he was about and cautiously he thrust his pineers in: Snapl and everybody shuddered. Then what rattling, what twistingi It seemed as If the reptile would burst his slender cage How he pulled and coiled and Mrithedl But the pincers man was strong, and in second or two the snake's nose was through the aperture. The lid man was cool and watched sharp that larger opening was not forced than was necessary. Finally the cold eyes came out, and plumpl his whole head was out of the box, and the pinesrs held his neck like wise. How he wreathed and rattled Quick as lightning tho man with the sponge and bottle was doing his part. He poured the chloroform upon the sponge and damned the sponge In the monsters great red mouth. The mouth closed, and 1t was forced open again and more chloroform put into it. Then the pincsrs man with his left hand seized the reptile by the neck and released the pincers, which fell with rattle on the stone floor. Ii was not pretty sight, man holding . monster by the throat whose bite was instant death, but he held him nevertheless, for 1t was in the interest of science. Then more ch1oroform was poured into him. At about this time everybody was pretty well excited but the pincers man. He very coolly took small pair of pincers from the table, put his head down 50 he could see and with the little pincsrs pulled out the big fangs of the reptile and laid them one after the other on q white sheet of paper. They were nearly an inch long. By this time the snake did not appear to be particularly interested in science or anything else, so they pulled him out of his box and straightened him on the floor, the pincers man keeping his grip at the neck. Tho reptile was measured, but he had lost over foot in length. It was explained that he had shrunk from the effects of the chloroform His writhings had stopped, his rattles were still. So he was put back in his little box and the lid screwed down. He deliberately coiled himself up, but the pincers man told me the snake was dead and didn't mean any thing by it-in fact didn't know that he had ooiled himself up. A plaster cast is the ulti- mate end of this Florida monster. am de- voted to science and would like to have it get 1t along but shall never kill . snake that way"