The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-26
LOOK OUT FOR SNAKES!
PERlLoUs PREolcAMENT OF A PARTY
OF YOUNG MEN.
Surrounded by Couple of Hundred Rat
tiers and Black Snakes They Are
Saved by a War Among
the Reptiles.

PORT JERvIs, N. Y, May 26.-Last Sum-
day morning party of three young men,
w. T. Hall and two brothers named West
fall, had lively encounter with a lot of rat
tlesnakes and blacksnakes at Roses
Switch, about six miles west of this
village. The locality is wild and
romantic. 1t is in the center Of a bluestone
country, and every spring the quarrymen in
blasting the rock come across large guam
titles of snakes which have ensconsed them
selves in the bluestone. lodges to escape
the rigors of the long winter
months. They emerge in the spring,
and after basking in the hot
sun for few days they leave the spot for
food and water. Just above Roses switch
Is thick ledge or succession of lodges Of
rock known TO almost every quarryman as
the snake den. The young men had this
place in when they started out Pro-
viding themselves with stout green
clubs they advanced cautiously
upon several large rattlers found summing
themselves, and quickly dispatched them,
not, however, before they had given the Pc
culiar rafting noise for which they are so
well known This had the effect of
bringing out countless numbers of rep
tiles, and before the young men were
aware of : it they were surrounded on
all sides by u Missing, rafting lot of snake;
that made them shudder with fear. Fortu-
nately they had on stout boots, and the
snakes were not in as good condition to bite
and do harm as they would be latter in the
season. The number Of snakes kept increas-
ing to such an extent that the young
mon in their terror maintain
that they must have encountered $50 or 200
/, snakes Of the rattlesnake and blacksnake va
rieties. Finally it was noticed that the
snakes were fighting among themselves
and on inspection it was seen that the
blacksnakes were attacking the rattlers
and vice versa, both being warmed
up to their work by the beating
they had received from the young men
Although blacksnakes and rattlers mingl,
with each other during the long, cold winter
months, yet on the approach Of spring they
separate after deadly combat, wherein tn,
blacksnakes are sometimes victorious anC
| the rattlers on other occasions. A spitZ do,
which followed the young men was an OBJ
| ject of especial hatred, and was sool
covered by the reptiles, which woun,
themselves about his body and bit him t.
such an extent that he swelled to twice hi
natural size. After a fight of about fifteel
minutes the men had everything their ow
way, and over fifty were gathered up and cal
ried away as trophies of the affray. The.
were sold to an old medicine man, who extrac
the oil from the fat to sell to person
afflicted with rheumatism, neuralgia
sprains and other ailmsnt5. As high as S;
per ounce is paid by those who believe
IN the wonderful curative qualities @
the snake OIL The young men cut off tn
rBttles of many of the snakes som
having as high as fifteen or twenty, and thu
snakes ranged in size from sixteen inches I
six feet, one large black snake, a perfec
pecimen, measuring trifis over six fee
Had it not been for the fight between the r
val snakes tie young men might have bee
dangerously bitten.