The evening world., 1889-07-25
MRS. PYTHON CONE.
Her SnakeShip Believed 10 Be no Longer
Among the Living.
V~ariegated Scales Found In the
Denmark's Bilge Water.
Capt. Rigby's Efforts to Find the Mon
stcr's Body still Unsuccessful.

Capt. Rigby and the four engineers on
board the National Line Steamship Denmark
have continued their search in the ships
stokehole for the elusive Mrs. Python, who,
as every one supposed. had concealed herself
somewhere in the hold.
They got down as far as the bilge, without
finding any trace of the fugitive. All the
dark corners were carefully examined with
n calcium light, aud even the entrails of the
donkey engine, where her royal snnkeship was
last seen, were thoroughly illuminated, but
no Mrs. Python bowed w.
There were plenty Of rats, and Engineer
Baxter stoutly maintained that if Mrs.
Python had any brains at all she would have
stopped between decks and set up II perma-
nCnt establishment. She could have had all
the fat. juicy rats she wanted. and there was
no reason why she shouldn't have been CON
Portable there for the rcst of her natural
life.
If she had behaved herself properly. the
engineers and StOkCrs would have been very
glad of her society during the long, tedious
voyages.
Engineer Gillespie wouldn't have been UNI
willing to make n pet of her, though he admits
that her first visit to the englne-room rather
raft ed him for the moment. He has been
working SO long, however, down i'll the stutfN,
narrow room IN nOlnenlnfN expectation OF
seeing her poke her head up through some
hole in the floor, that now he has become
quite used to the sensation, and has for some
time past only been anxious to realize his
autiCipNtIOnS.
1t seems, however, that the hopes of the
engineers, as well as the ca ltain, are
doomed to he dashed. Discoveries were
made this morning which lend Capt; Rugby
TO revise all his previous theories and accept
the proposition that Mrs. Python Is ne
lnDupr o,nppu the hyinu
When the bilges were Xamined and no
signs of Mrs. Python could be found a
bucketful of the bilge water was pumped up
and put in the hands of the ships chemist
for analysis.
The latter announces this morning that he
has mnde n very startling find. The find il
nothing moro nor less than n number of small
triangular scales of Variegated and assorted
COlOrs
Further analysis showed that such scales
are only produced on the backs of pythons
born and reared III the west coast of Africa,
and i'll view of this proof Capt. Rigbv feels
that he must accept the evidence of Mrs.
PythOn's death as conclusive.
She must have got down into the bilge
water and drowned. and ms the scales could
only have been washed of after advanced
decomposition had been reached she must
have died very soon after she paid her last
visit TO the cnglne-rOOln.
What has become of her remains is a
mystery, but the theory that she may have
been washed out through the big steam
pumps III sections and gone to feed the
sharks and coGilsh IN the way over furnishes
n plausible explanation of her complete dis.
appearance. with the exception of the scales.
The latter may therefore be taken as Ger.
tam evidence of her painful md untimely
demise and though the engineers and stOkers
ON the Denmark cannot help feeling n sense
of relief now that the long suspense ard un-
certainty is over, the loss of so charming n
companion fills them with profound and