Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-31
ne nUSTs BY NIGHT.
THO Bus Man waO trees Hotels "uu
Homes Of R0aciiea by Contract.


Pittsburgh Dispstchl
Il was a nervous little man clad IN
blue lean overalls and blouse, with a
glazed silk cap and long, brown mus
tache, the ends Of which peeped out
from under q big sponge, held over his
mouth and nostrls by rubber band
which passed around over his ears. lie
carried bulls.eye lantern in one baud
and a small bellows With a tin-can ar
rapgement on the nozzle in the other.
TWAS in one Of the best-knovn hotels
in the city, and the man With the sponge
was just going into the kitchen through
q side door.
"What is it?" was asked Of a
waiter.
"Dat's de roach man. He comes
roun' heah bout free or TO- times a
yesh," said the colOred man.
The necessary permission received,
the reporter watched the terror to
reaches" do his work. Through
kitchen, stoIe-room, pantry, and lsun-
dry he won't. The rooms were first
dsrkened, and then the bug-extermina-
tor went speeriDg around through
cracks and crevices, flashing the light
Of his dark lantern into every Granny
where reaches might congregate. A
bug sighted, the little man loaded the
tin. can arrangement with gray pow
ger and blew and sifsed it into corner
and crevice.
DO NOT EAT 1T.
"The reaches don't eat the POWDER
be explained, land for that reason
they seem impsrvious to almost every
other sort of insect powder known,'
said the bug.killer. =.
"Rosches breathe through pores ii
the body, and the dust of the powder
is introduced into the body IN that way
and kills them in short time. Th
powder use doesn't seem to have any
effect on other insects"
"TbeIe are three sorts Of reaches,
he continued, as he pushed the spong'
up on the forepiece of his cap. - Thes'
are the big brown reaches, which fly
the small brown, and the black. Tn
big ones are the bugs that fly in through
open windows summer nights, an
scare young ladies till they climb OF
chairs and tables. There is pecu
haiity about those bugs. They seen
deficient in tail, and can only fly in
straight line, or in large curves. The.
can't make sudden turns, and 1t yo'
are in their way you'll have to get Out
or zip! they fly against you. Th'J
cannot turn in tine 10 dodge you.
1.-The small brown cockroach is IA
one that is the most annoying. Il
fond every here. No matter ho'
clearly hotel or restaurant or priyat
house is kept the reaches will get in
Hslfa dozen may be noticed this week
aud next week there will be thousand
Of thsm.
HABITS OF THE INSECTS.
"The black reaches stay down clos
to the ground in damp places, aud ar
not ~ annoying as the others. The
are all afraid Of rats and mice, and yo
will rarely find reaches where the 70
dents are thick.
George W. Jones, as the "roach
man" is known in the directory, make
a regular business of eradicating tn
, pests. He does . large business o
= regular contract. He has had the Nc
. nopgahela House, the Union depot, tn
:, Seventh-Avenue Hotel, the Duquesn
y Club, and . number Of othe
!, of the moro prominent hotels an
restaurants of the city for . nun
Der Of years. The price for keepin
: q large hotel free from reaches by tn
! year runs from 500 to $3.50. Re'
tsursnts run about sl0 less. The pric
for cleaning the pests out Of . privat
house is put at $40 or els. The larg
private residences in the East End, An
the most fashionable part of Allegheny
are in the bailiwick of the roach. man
who has done effective business in al
Of them.