The sun., 1888-11-04
THE GREAT ARMY OF RATS.
MY1LlDs EEClMPED BENB<TH TIE
CITIES or THE gRIBOlRD.

|
printed paragraph describing q plague o
rats in the town OF Van Buren, in Aroostool
county Me-. which had descended on tn,
place and CREATED havoc In dwellings ant
stores. The description might be applied will
almost equal pertinency to this rat-infestec
city, and perhaps to many other old place.
along the Atlantic coast.
Norwich ono OF the most ancient towns or
the seaboard. has been oyerrun with rats FOL
200 years, and there is perennial struggle
between the inhabitants above ground and the
denizens OF sewers and cellars.
The city swarms with rats, but not all the
citizens are more than vaguely conscious oi
their innumereble presence Occasionally n
Norwich dweller. when strollng about the un-
derground recesses OF his possessions, may
chance upon rat. tho inquisitive animal
cooked up in dusky corner OF his attic or
cellar his long shining tall curled about him.
While tho tableau lasts-and its duration is
not moro than ten secopds-rat watches man
with alert attention. his wicked bead eyes
gleam inquirinRly and denantly at the In
truder and at the first advance Of man. rat
turns easily on his launches and simply dis
appears. No one knows how he does 1t. how
the world opens to let him In, how he slips 80
slipperily down tho tube OF invisibility; but
that is all there is Of it, Just prestol a wink.
twist. slip. q glistening loop OF tall in the air
for an instant. and whom you look whore the
rat was there is no rat there There Is only
section OF quiet dusk in the corner. hole,
and an interesting interrogative silence.
That is ull that tho average citizen knows Of
rats. personally; but OF the ravages OF rats his
information is varied and accurate. II the
Norwich citizen should once form even an ap
proximate idea of the numbe OF rats there are
~, nntNtr n,,I Intn hi airno n
thought would make him sQuirm. But the
people keep to their quarter OF the town
mostly. and the rats confine themselves to
theirs when anybody is lookinRl. and so We
manage to get along pretty comfortably to-
gethor.
eeaboard town-men. women, and English
sparrows above ground. and rats under
ground. One lives In the up stairs and me
people who do business along the wharvea and
Ia the lower streets Of Norwich who can tell us
squrming nest OF vermin lie there is directly
under their feet how vast an arny OF long
tailed creatures Is waiting impatiently f eaeh
Commeree nan rs ero or wv Water e street, or Franfin
rats. and then listen for what he. will tell.
A curious investigator. who has been com.
piling rat facts and rat statistics. did approach
a veteran merchant Of downtown street day
or two ago and did ask him il he knew any
thing about rats. The man stared at him for
u moment ana tleu lubuo tulS Ndkuo l0spoAno
in q CURIOUS tone:
But the investigator pursued the subject.
Ing rat data. The first i'm po rtant TACT brought
to light IL that the numerical estimate OF the
rat population OF the eity to three
2,0OO.0OO to 25O,Q0000O.
One man put the number as high as 100000
citement at the time. because rats had just
gnawed through his pork barrel and let the
brine out; he nppeared to be Preludieed
Probably this is the only town IN the
country in which rats are hunted with rifles,
the steep hill in Water street whose store has
been invested and beseiged by rats for several
years. Tho besiegers do not contine their as
sauts to nocturnal hours, but all day in waste
places and in musky moo ks the gnawing goes
steadily on. now and then interrupted by dis.
il the merchant goes to the rear Of his store. or
to his dark little back room or into the adjoin-
Ing tenement which he h, uses fSr , storerSomp; ,p
tails is heard. and there, is Q clatter Of boxes
This merchant evidently has, done something
dreadful to the rat tribe. which bears an inherit.
Bsop Haa IN hG Is RsensS aTS asss
thurm. for the rats are continually sfter him.
As the writer entered this Water street
lumber was driven to the door and halted, and |
IN 2 moment the teapster began to unload 1t.
Hello remarked the VISITOR: wnat are
plate this internal al Old crib two inches thick
of protection around Is Infant industry high
enough and thick enough to keep the burned
rats ont; and then. II necessary. ~ plate the
after that III put in dynamite and blow the
hing up, I'm going to have peace this winter.
The merchant recited a moving tale OF suffer-
ng and evaporation. Said he:
rhey Know WV I've M got it. and they make % break di
or i. The house Is in the way. and they pro-
though it. / have learned good deal ABOUT ut
hat they never bore a hole through solid wood.
ween boards as the spot for their operation.
'r else split in a board, and they never Gnaw
the sde sSs show ey eSo
nen Of their work"
He went to the front Of the store and pointed
ats had bored into the store from the st Street, @
hr9ugh II the front wall Of the building.
see Wer rs
ave the back Of the stone sheaihed with
ng added to the 'front.' ! believe can keep the
ats out tor few months"
The Water street merchant has three weapons
ests: poison. traps, and q 22-calibre rifle, with
Fhich he picks oil stray animals that venture
nto his storeroom in the adjoining building.
:" After first using the poison" he said. II
idn't see a rat about here for several weeks.
ut after while the beasts were back as thick
8 ever. and you can't get one OF my rats to
ouch poison since. But get after them with
raps and bullets. Wire traps are not OF much
Sc after you have taken few catches in one
be rest avoid the thing: but the upright wood
rap, with falling wire spring. Is the king
In. have got Rs many as three rats In tho
rap with one drop OF tho iron moose. All three
nimals were at the same piece OF meat But
he fun comes In with the rifle. ] take piece
meat say half a spRrerib and chain or nail
TO the floor in the other building. so that the
ats can't lug 1t on. close the door, and walt
bout ten minutes. Then steal along with
~. rife through the dark back room. carefully
!ide the door Of the other room alar. stick the
lie through the opening. take aim-crackl I
ut a 22 bullet through rats head. and he
tays right there Sometimes, l pin him
through the back Of the head. sometimes
1rough, the jowls. and once In a
.orax. Sometimes when i opeSsthe door
ltting like small wolves about that piece OF
parerib. The rifle makes very little noise
nd tho other rats. after running off to their
ole. probably make up their minds after O
nuhcil OF war, that 1t was a sudden tit Of apo
leNy, caused by .9vereating, that laid their
ie .sparerib feast. Then make another call
n them. and another rat has an attack of apo ,