The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-04-04
THE RoAcH-kILLER. ].

A Pittsburgh Man Who Grows Fat by
Waging War on the Busy Insects.
You have perhaps heard that there
is man in Pittsburgh who makes his
living by destroying cock-roaches. AS
there are a good many of those trouble
some insects in the city at all times
the crop being one which never falls
in dry seasons, and does better in wet
ones-and but one man who is their
sworn enemy, quite naturally he is
kept busy. Fate tried to OBJ
sctire him by bestowing on him COM
mon patronymic, but he has risen TO
renown in spite of it. From the East
End to the West End. and from the
bleak bluffs on the south side OF the
Monongahe1a to the top of Troy hill
beyond the Allegheny; yes, even be-
yond the bounds of the county and the
lines of the State, the fame of the
Pittsburgh roach-killer has spread.
For fourteen years he has been waging
war on the roach tribe, by which he is
doubtless regarded as veritable mon
ster. Yet he does not slaughter the
innocent insects because he de-
lights in cruelty to animals, but be-
cause it is his business and he gets
paid for it.
The roach-man takes contracts for
keeping the pestiferous oythoptera out
OF public buildings, hotels, depots, sa-
looms. stores and private> residences.
He charges certain sum per year for
the work. When he has been engaged
for a job he goes TAT night, armed with
dark-lantern. attired in overalls and
blouse, and carrying with him a
satchel, bellows aud powder OF his
own manufacture.
He wears sponge over his nose, so
that when he begins shooting the
powder into the haunts of the bugs he
may not breathe too much of it him
self. He claims that the stuff will kill
nothing but reaches. yet he prefers
pure atmosphere for respiratory pur-
poses
Then he goes prying around into
cupboards, closets, behind furniture,
into dark corners and every time he
J, discovers colony of reaches, scatters
liberal quantity of the death=dealing
compound among them. When he has
finished the tour of the whole building
he goes away,.to return again week
later Two Or three more weekly
nocturnal visits follow. and after that
he takes a look over the house once a
fortnight to, make sure that no new
r -. hn
place their permanent quarters. Eter-
nal vigilance is the price Of freedom
from reaches. fslHs
There are more reaches than ever
in the city since natural gas began to
be used" said the insect-slayer. They
breed faster in warm places, and
people generally keep their houses
much warmer, especially at night.
with gas than when coal was the fuel.
A female roach lays ten or fifteen
eggs at time, and lays often. These
eggs are all enclosed in one she'll; the
powder won't prevent them from
Matching, and Of course have to keep
a sharp watch or vigorous commu-
nifty of young reaches would soon
spring into being to- take the place OF
the old ones killed off,
Reaches. although universally de-
tested, are much more clearly in their
habitssthan house flies. Give me my
choice OF food that reaches have
feasted on and that which has fur
nished meals to the flies, and / will
cho0sa the stuff the reaches have
trampled on every time. They like
| paste and any thing that Is moist. and
are always more numerous where;
water is frequently stopped around.