The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-01-07
The Coal Hug.

The following reads as II 1t came from the
inner consciousness" of a journalistic roman
GER: An entmologlst has discovered what he
terms the coal bug, or the elmer dnthrdcitus.
Professor Otto Hechemeyer, who has been
interviewed on the subject by reporter OF the
Philadelphia Record, makes the following
startling statement He said that, taking the
result of Professor Agassiz's disco yeries In
midocean where he found that minute cor
puscles threw off their shells, and these, grow
ing together, formed immense deposits, 1t is
not surprising that Professor Rodagash, OF
Stock holm, whom he met IN Gettingen last
year, should appear with a new species of
bugs, which might be considered as a descend
ant OF the prehistoric tree bug, and which is
now found In coal in great quantities and
threatens to undermine many valuable coal
beds. at is very noticeable" said Professor
Hechelmeyer, that the sOcalled coal dust is
peculiar on account of its round appearance.
Upon examination with the microscope ii Is
found that these particles are covered with
millions OF these ct1Gc dHthrdcituS. Each one
is about the size of the head of needle, fiat
in appearance, and are plentiful at the bottom
of coal veins, from whence they work their
way up to the top, making holes IN the min
eral and rendering it almost unfit for use. The
male is of gray black color, and has spots on
his back. The female Is broad and has nine
spots But why these spots vary IN the sexes
Is something that has puzzled the scientific
men who have examined them" The profess
or went on at length to give description of
these bugs and their evil propensltes. He
said that coal oil was but another form of
these insects, but that in this liquid state they
had become crushed, and those that escaped
forced their way to the surface, where they
were found. you have often noticed" SAID
the professor, that when coal IS first placed
upon fire, or when 1t is ignited, there Is a
cracking, Kissing noise, and pieces fly about
in the CRATE or range. That is caused by the
death struggle of these insects. The more of
these there are in the coal the quicker 1t burns.
Housekeepers often wonder why 1t is that one
ton of coal will last longer than another. The
cause of this is easily eNplained-one has
more of the elmer dnthrdcitUs in it than the
other" Boarding ho use keepers who purchase
cheap coal pay half for coal and the other
half for load Of these awful insects as a gen
eral thing Servant girls, stokers IN fire rooms
and housewives cannot be too careful when
moving about coal pile, for If one of those
minute creatures should get upon their cloth.
ing )r flesh the former would be eaten into
holes quicker than by moths. When they
become attached to the skin of person they
burrow in, and, burning themselves, multiply
fast, producing white swelling, which event
ually results in a SOftenlng of the bones and a
horrible death. Coal miners who imblbe large
quantities of whiskey are never attacked by
these insects. The only method yet known to
kill these bugs In coal pile is, sprinkle a
bucketful of chlorate of lime solution over 1t,
the proportion being about one bucket to a
ton of coal