Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-01-13
A CHICAGO BUG KILLER.
Some of the Secrets of His Business.
Keeping Hotels Clear of Cockroaches.


The cockroach killer is one of the curios
tiles of Chicago Not on account Of his per
sonal appearance, but of the novelty of his
vocation. There are four or five persons who
live by the death of cockroaches, rats and
MICE but the best known Is an old German
nearly GO years Of age, who has an Office on
Washington street. A reporter found the
old gentleman the other day in his place sur
rounded by the deadly compounds he needs
in his business.
Eat all you want, it's rat poison" cor
daily said the old man as the reporter picked
up box of paste "That stuff in the red
boxes is cockroach poison, and the bug poison
is in the yellow packages"
"What is food for the reaches is poison for
the bugs, is iii"
ayes. Bug poison won't kill cockroaches,
and both of 'em won't kill rats; rat paste
won't kill them, because they won't eat it,"
allow do you kill cockroachesP
ave blow 'em up with powder-not the
kind of powder that kills men, though. See
that funnel on the end of those bellowsi Well,
we put the powder in that. and then blow it
through the nozzle into the cracks and crew
ices where he lives He doesn't live long after.
we XIII DubS Uilt way, uoii, tut ~tici
powder"
"Pays pretty well. doesn't it~
"Oh fairly. Most of it Is contract work.
We take contracts for cleaning hotels, restau
rants, stores, dwelling houses public institu-
tions, bakeries, steamboats,, railroad sleeping
cars or coaches, ETC., of bedbugs, reaches,
water bugs, moths or ants, for so much q
year"
~That depends on the size and character OF
the place. To keep hotels clear is worth from
$40 to 500 year. We've quit taking hote
contracts because they are unsatisfactory
The powder only kills tie ougs or reaches that
touch or eat it. Sometimes they hide in theiI
holes where the powder won't reach them
but when they get hungry and come out the
powder fixes them. The trouble with hote
people is that they won't obey Instructions
and close the rooms and not sweep up the
powder before twenty hours have
elapsed. They sweep it up before we're Out
of the house fairly, and then they howl be
cause we didn't kill all the bugs"
"How about restaurantSW
"rhey're good contracts, next to pri
| vate houses I've cleaned number o
restaurants for over ten years. They al
worth from $40 to $40; that depends on TIN
size same way with saloons Don't know
why it is, hut saloons and printing offices arr
the favorite domain of the cockroach."
| "What's the best season for bugs"
"Bedbugs in the spring and coclsroaches ii
the fall. The bugs breed fastest in the winter
| but the roach waits for warm weather"
| (which insect or vermn is hardest to exter
minatep
The moth. 1t gets into the lining of gar
| ments and /, difficult to reach. The powde
will not destroy the pupB, even if covered
with powder, nor when it matches. but tn
powder must he applied fresh to the Larvae.
"A new bng has made its appearance il
Chicago within the last two years We cal
it the sewer hug, because it breeds in tn
sewers, and through them gets into tn
houses. They are hard to kill, and destro
carpets, leather and clothing. They are
species of beetle but have no wings. TIL
simmer another new bug has made its al
pearance in the east. 1t has not reached CHI
cago yet The name of buffalo bug la
been applied to it because it was discovers
in Buffalo, N. v, and literally abound
there It's working its way west, and wi
probably be here next spring. Inter Ocea,