The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-12-23
TiIAWING OUT SNAKES.

Apython, sixteen feet long, and five
cobras and blacksnakes were brought
to the Central Park menagerie in New
York. They had just arrived from
Europe, No blankets had been pro-
vidcd by the exporter. The serpents
had been merely tossed into large
wooden box, with some loose hay at
the bottom and air holes at the top.
During the voyage out the hay got wet
and the box became soaked. When
the snakes were landed
they were found to be rigid,
and so strongly knit together in com
mon mass that it seemed impossible to
separate them. The big case was put
on Il truck, and the truck man drove
the snakes to the park in the intense
cold. When Superintendent Conkling
| got tho consignment he was naturally
indignant at receiving concealed SER
penis.
How to separate them seemed a puz~
| zle, "They'll have to be thawed out"
said Superintendent Conkling. Tobias
Lyness is the Park menagerie engineer.
He has charge of the great furnaces
| that consume 300 tons Of coal i'll q sea-
son. Tobias Lyncss has been many
years in the employ of the park. He
| is an American, broad shouldered,
SNlIS COOl. ny uCSS
has no fear in him. He is no conjurer,
charmer or tanner, smercly u brave en-
| gincer. sIyness, [ wish you would
thaw out these serpents for me-" said
Superintendent Conkling, who suppos-
ed they were dead. "And when you
have them uncoiled put them in bags
where l can find them and have them
sent to the taNidcrmist.'' can right,
sir" replied Lyncss, and calling the
mcnagcrie hands, be said: "Dump
these scrpents i'll the engine ROOM"
Tobias llyncss had a roaring fire in
his halfton furnace. He raked down
the coal, put on the blast, and when
the fire was at white heat he threw
open the furnace door. Then he seized
the coil Of frozen pythons, corbras and
black snakes, and dragged it close to
the fire. Lyncss lighted his pipe and
sat reading paper in front of the fur
mace, waiting for the seTpents to thaw
out. After u while, happening to look
down, he saw six great scrpcnts'
heads, with lastrous eyes and darling
tongues. Iyness put down his pipe
and paper. AS he did so, the coil of
sepcnts quadrupled in size, showing
plainly enough that they were reviv-
ing. "Come here, Ton," shouted
Lyness to Donehue, the night watch
| man. SbflnS that box along and shut
| up your dogs, we're going to have a
circus" Tom Donohue ran up. He
looked in through the engine room
| window and said: await till get
the net and Wen haul them in.''
"Net be darned," said Lyness The
serpents kept wriggling and uncoiling
themselves gradually. Finally the py-
than slipping from the mass. Lyness
! stepped forward and caught the python
| near the head with one hand and low:
er down about the body with the
other. Then he played with the
snake. He choked him and manipu-
lated him. ssI'u thaw him out well, -
he said, laughing. Finally he threw
the snake into the box, which was
quickly closed. Lyness then turned
his attention to the other snakes, and
thoroughly thawcd and boxed them
all. Then he and Tom Donohue car
ried the box to the great glass snake
house and dumped the new corners
among the reptiles already there. The
| new snakes are doing well. Three
young rabbits and four pigeons arc be-
ing fattcned for them, and they will be
fed in a few DAYS.