Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-06-08

How the March Of Improvement
Has Az soSsd q Local Industry.
f-.sa ssf Deeliae ~ ths essaiesa4ks Oa
islsiaess nl Fsassg is.alaila Te~a-A
Fsssliss - 0oa.,p ist Ds4gh Czth-
ers fifaa q al Iass.



effF oi the SIX sarians tat siu,,s tae year
I,,i lane,l asa controlled by tie state u
feaasy .tula, and aoqs knoun as the Pine
tresk Eeeiaa, sas for many years after
its acsisissEiaa ~ Peans lyAala the center
90 tnrisu8g iai4slfy and commercial
prosperity. lI ~as nshing far rattlesnAkes,
eEIr4etiug tAe oll frolA their shiny car
casses. aad marketing the same. The Pine
Cceek region vas tn very hogbei II rat
tisslakss. and The locality produced them
b. the mllllon-
Ihe mountains which lift their heads a
rhousand feet or more above TilldaghtOn
Or Fine Greek, were peculiarly adal.ad ~
the cultivation and propagation OF these
rept.les- the business of lumborlng " as
also carried on al tae same time, and tho
tImfer aud lumter RATS which at every
rreshst were borne upon the waters OF the
Tislia sht1n 60 the west branch OF the Sus-
quebaana, and thence g. - Chesapeake
Bay. were generally loaded With huge cans
or barrels " rattleslake oil, extracted by
ths native Pine Creskers, Ia their rude but
economical way by lassooin., skinning and
hanging the reptiles up by their tails upon
poles ia long rows ia the sun. with wooden
troughs underneath 10 catch and receive
tho Oleaginous substances. Every snake
farmer had his hotbed OF den, u which be
would repair yearly Ia June, July and
August aud harvest the crop.
The product of this harvest (rattlesnake
oil. was either sold for cash 70 the lum-
bermen or shipped ON commission, OF bar
tered for whisky. There were rattlesnake
asf. 81.
suake-farming business then, as there are
no~ Ia the petroleum. railroad and mining
industry. Complaints were then made in
relation u discrimination In freights and
corners ia rattlesnake oil, as there are now
in petroleum, corn, wheat, oats, pork, but
ter, lard. cheese and oleoinargarine.
Rattlesnake Tom, or Snaky Tom, willy
and scheming old mouopolist, bondholder
and ruttiesnske stock jobber, ea rly in the
development OF the industry secured val
uabie franchises, which ultimately made
him the JAY Gould or Standard Oil Com
pany OF that region, and for years be mo-
nopolizcd the catching of the snakes, ex-
traction OF the Oh, and the marketing OF
the same. lie was usually dressed in
rattlesnake skins from head to foot whi-
aNAAklii4 0tRAt III search OF some ftdr-
less poacher who bad invaded his prem
ises or trespassed upon his snakedom.
To see him gliding along stealthily
and nuously over the rocks and mount
ain sides "a thousand feet above the waters
OF the Tiadaghton, wearing moccasins
made OF the skins Of the yellow and black
rattlesnakes, his breeches, vest, coat and
chapeau OF the same material, each gar
ment trimmed and festooned with rattles
taken from the snakes, with sash of
snake skins encircling his waist and over
his shoulders, after the manner of "A mod
ern Brigadier, and carrying strong
oaken rod In hi, hand. to which was at
tached linen lassO, he certainly made the
impression upon tee natives that he was a
monarch in his profession and terror 70
all evil-doers in the rattlosnaks farming
business. His ranch, or shipping yard,
was about a mi.e below where Marsh
Creek empties its waters into the Tiadagh-
ton. while his plantation OF snakerics were
on the east and west sides OF the stream,
and covered an area OF several thousand
acres, the best adapted 20 the natural and
and artificial propagation of rattiesnakes
Of any territory in Northern Pennsyl-
vauia.
{ Originally this large tract was owned by
some fifteen or tw enty sus ke-farmers, who
became involved in contracting for mose
oil than they could deliver, and were
caught short. Tom discounted their paper
and advanced them whisky. Not wishing
% DO without that necessary article in
their business they pledged their snakeries
to Tom for an advance. When they least
expected it Tom entered up Pennsylva-
mia tight note against them and closed
their concerns. There were no preferred
creditors in those days, nor receivers ap-
pointed. so Tom had absolute control of
their effects 3nd wrested their snakeries
from them. They were, however, welded
% the business. and could not. or would
not. pursue any other vocation. and be-
o>ue The tenants Of Tom. working the
suakeries on shares. To prevent these ten
ants from diverting the products from their
legitimate channe. and selling TO a rival
m0eopoiist whose plantation was located
some eighteen or twenty miles below upon
, the Tiadaeh hton. was the reason that such
an unw.aried vigilance was required by
Eattesuake Tom
In June the business was most brisk Then
tbe snakes came forth Of their own accord
ia the greatest numbers. and were lassoed
by Che suakers. What snakes were not at
T trafte.l by che genial rays Of tte sun from
their deus were shaken from their rocky
+ beds hy the thousand by She violent claps
Of thunder which occurred IN this month.
T The tendency vas then toward over-pro-
T d1cfi1u. and made the month OF June a
7 busy sesen at the snakeries. During this
month Rarlesnake Tom never undressed
7 himself. ami scarcely slept an hour ont of
+ tbe twenty four. having his headquarters
in che saddle. More definitely speaking.
he tried % difruse himself over his valuable
snakedom. anil Pc ne every point where
f basmess was most brisk at one and to
same time keeping his vigiiant eve upon
F his crafty and dishonest teuantry. In July
+ the work would Set down 60 a reasonable
working basis. hut during the latter part
I of dog IA 3. when the snakes were blind
business would revive again. and some
times keep active until the middle Of SEP
teuber
Er,ssf.e-..l~., f--~ f-st- e 100 -