The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-22
The Electric Eel.


schooner hailing from the upper Anna
zon, and bound to New York, put in al
Hilton Head for water, and the curiosity
of throng of darkies was aroused by q
monkey and several parrots, and they
fairly overran the vessel until the skip.
per's patience was on the ebb. At length
one fellow lifted the cover of fve-gal-
lon tin-can full of water that was dashed
to the foreside of the galley and asked,
"What you got yere, boss?'
They're couple of Chinese cells, -
said the cook, looking out of his house
and tipping wink to the skipper, who
was sitting on the rail.
"Dat's Jest my business, boss" said
the darby, while the others gathered
around, "I'm de boss tredder for shead-
ers an cells dis side of Newbern."
These amt scrubs like you find
around here" said the cook. III. -
"Look ere, boss; dis place beats de
world for eels," the darky retorted. 81
tried one de oder day over three feet
long, &
s'Oh, you're talking about minnies.
They wouldn't count them as cells in
China. It takes q man to handle .
China eel. I don't believe you could
lift one from the can"
"'Spose you don't want to bet on
dat?" the boss eeler asked. ~
4 "Wal, I don't mind" the cook re-
piled, reaching under his apron and
bringing out a dollar. .
scraped together dollar, which was
placed in the shippers hands. Rolling
up what sleeves he had, the champion
bent over the big can and commenced
to feel around, as the water was rather
too muddy to see anything.
ssDey amt nothin' to be so brash
about he said, as he came across
something at the bottom. "Stan' back,
dere."
Keeping one hand on his find, he Tut
in the other hand and took hold. There
was splash in the can, and with a yell
that could be heard half a mile away,
the darky jumped in the air with his
eyes sticking out of his head, and his
arms rigid and fastened like rods to an
eel that was more than five feet in
length. He roared like q bull, until
the eel finally squirmed out of his hands
and fell into the water, when the darky
staggered back and rushed to the pier,
followed by his astonished friends.
"What's the matter?'' the cook cried;
but the s'boss tredder' had disap-
peared.
The "China cells" were pair of cleo
trio cells Gynan0tus-that were on their
way to an aquarium in Boston, and the
darky's feelings may be imagined when
it is known that as soon as he touched
the fish with both hands and completed
the current, he was struck with shock
equal to fifteen Leyden jars of $500
square inches of surface. This wonder
full power is confined to four genera of
fishes, and that of the GymnotNs is the
most powerful. In the Upper Brazil
country they are used by the natives to
facilitate the capture of wild horses. A
herd is surrounded and driven in the
direction of the stream or lake contain
ing the eels, and into which the fright
ened horses rush, stamping on the fish,
many of which are as large as a mans
leg and six feet in length, that in de-
tense thrown out their shocks of cleo
tricity, so completely benumbing the
horses that they are easily caught. The
eels also exhaust their powers and are
captured with comparative safety, rally
ing again, however, in a few hours
NeW York Sun.