The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-04-26
DYNAMITE FOR CROWS.
Fnect Of Two Cartridges Exploded In =
Convention Of the Birds.


Convention OF the Birds.
81 don't suppose 50 many crows
were ever slaughtered In the same
length Of time as saw killed out In
Colorado this winter" said Scranton
traveller who has just returned from a
two months tour in the far West. 81
stopped two weeks with an old school
mate In Colorado, and the second day
i was there he told me he was going
10 show me something novel that after
noon. -Four miles from his residence
he had quarry, and in the quarry
worked "a number OF men who knew
how 10 handle the dynamite. In n
barren ridge about three furlongs from
the quarry hundreds OF crows met and
quarreled and fought every afternoon,
and their racket made some OF the
workmcn In the quarry mad.
My host had heard the men
find fault so many times with
the crows that nc had set himself TO
work 10 cOntriye "A plan for silencing
them, and he told me that he had per.
fectcd his scheme on the previous day
aud got every thing in readiness for
carrying IL into execution. SO that
afternoon he hitched up and We drove
out 20 the quarry. Then he explained
It all 10 me
'FrOm the top Of the ridge where
the crows were in the habit OF as.
scmbling he had ordered the men 10
string wire along the tops OF knee.
high sticks stuck In the ground 20 a
a spot opposite 10 the opening OF the
quarry There were TWO branches TO
the wire on the ridge. and at the end
Of each branch there was "A dynamite
cartridge larger than "A candle. Near
the quarry there was IA little battery,
and my friend told me that his plan
was TO have one Of the dynamiters
work the battery as soon as the crows
got thick on the ridge. He took two
good field glasses along, and through
them We were TO watch the explosion
and its effects on the crows.
1--WE took our position on knoll at
least threc-quartcrs OF mile from the
ridge and in plain sight OF tho dyna-
mitcr, that person being instructed TO
touch the battery button when he saw
my friend wave n white handkerchief.
About three o'clock the crows began to
settle down on the ridge all around
whore my friend said the cartridges
lay. They came from every point OF
the compass, and the din they made
was heard plainly enough where we
were. They cawed and nuttered and
hoped over one another, and in fif-
teen minutes tho ridge was mass Of
moving black wings and bodies.
was watching them through the pow
crful glass that my friend had lent me,
and he was making observations, too,
and we were talking TO one another
about how the crows would be apt to
feel when the dynamite went off among
them.
"Altcr awhile ne said: Keep good
watch now; I'm going to give the sig
nal and in less than half minute
there was n quick. dull explosion that
Jared the ground little whore We
sat, and the air on the rilgo for rods
around appeared 10 be filled with
small black PARTICLES that looked
more like swarm OF grats and flies
than anything else The cloud was
mixed with dust and othef brown par
ticlcs. and when the mass settled we
couldn't see II single crow either on
the ridge or in the sky anywhere
around. i guess it was n success,
my host exclaimed gleefully, and now
we'll go over to the spot and see what
effect the explosion had on the crows.
$50 we hurried down the side Of the
knoll aud ran across IA little fiat to the
foot Of the ridge, whore we began to
heads, tails and wing feathers, and
other evidences Of the remarkable
havoc made by the two cartridges.
There must have been all of two hun.
drcd crows on the ridge when the dy.
namito exploded, but we couldn't find
whole crow anywhere. 1t had killed
every one Of them and scattered thoii
remains over large territory, and.
up To the time that my visit came &c
an end. the workmcn reported TO my
host that they hadn't seen or heard o
solitary crow within mile of whore
the dynamite had got in its deadly
work ON the flock of black fluttcrcrs.
Scranton (Pa.) Cor. n. Y. Sun.