The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-12-13
FUN FOR THE CATS.
A Trained Company That Goes
Rat Hu ting Every Night


XIII ed In a Few Moments
There is big carpet factory at the
foot Of West Forty-third treet, says the
New York Sun. The firm has plenty OF
brains to know what it needs, and
plenty of money to procure 1t. But there
Is one thing the members of the firm
can't do in spite of all their brains and
money. They can't keep rats out OF
their wool, and their failure in this re-
spect costs them many thousands OF dol
lars. They have two big storehouses
that we're built with an eye to protec-
ton against rats The foundations run
down many feet, the floors are of solid
cement, and the walls are of brick. The
value of tho wool stored in these two
buildings is sometimes as much as
$1,000, 600. Much of it is the finest that
can be got. The rats don't know one
kind from another, perhaps, but 1t near
ly always happens that as much of this
selected wool is ruined every night as
Of the cheaper kind.
Whom thick walls and many watch
men failed to defeat the rats 1T was de-
cided to see what an army of cats would
do. Cats were invited to the factory
yard by means of many pounds OF fresh
meat set out as free lunch every day.
The invitation soon became known to all
the cats in the neighborhood. They all
responded, but the firm soon discovered
that they needed training, for the mo-
- fraf
demurely away, and were seen no more
until the next day. The Waterman who
is on duty at night began making
friends of them, and pretty soon he was
at liberty to approach any of them with
out fear of getting scratched or OF
frightening them away. When this
stage was reached, the big doors OF the
factory yard were closed one day and
the cats were prisoners. They didn't
like it very much, but their embarrass-
ment disappeared under the tender
treatment of the Waterman, and they
soon became reconciled to the situation.
It is necessary for the Waterman TO
make tour of all the buildings at short
intervals during the night, and the OBJ
ject was to get the cats to search the
buildings before he entered and fright
ened the rodents by his tread. 1t didn't
take much practice before the cats un-
derstood that rapid journey through
the buildings at night was pretty sure
to result in an entertaining scrap with
some big rat, and as tho time for the
Journey was about the time when they
were ready for something more to eat,
they entered into the thing with great
spirit. Then it happened that as soon
as night came and the many hundreds
of employees had trooped out and the
watchman began rigging up his lantern
for the nights vigil the cats would
gather about him in a great swarm,
mewing and jumping up eagerly. At
present there arc about two hundred
cats on duty in tho factory, and it is a
picturesque thing TO see the Waterman
start from the Office door and stride
down into the black cavern of the yard
with the cats streaming out behind him
like the outstretched tail of a torse,
those nearest him jumping about his
legs and rubbing their bodies purringly
against him When the Waterman
reaches the door leading into the first
factory and begins fumbling with his
ring of keys the cats surround him, and
the moment the door swings back they
burst into the building like great wave
that has burst its dam, and run over the
whole building as noiselessly and swift
ly as water runs. The watchman stands
below in the doorway awaiting them
Occasionally he hears sudden rush, {
few sharp growls, frightened squeak
or two, and then he knows that the cats
have found a victim.
1t sometimes happens that ra
weighing as much as five pounds il
killed. OF course one cat couldn'
master big fellow like this, and hi
death proves that the cats are on goot
terms, and that they stick together in
fight. These big fellows are dock rat
who come up from the water in searcl
of change of food. When a cat runs
rat into a hole the other cats spread GU
like sentinels and guard all the pass
sages leading from it. Then the watch
man either turns the bale over or poke
the rat out with stick, and the momen
he makes break for liberty, that me
ment he is gobbled up.
But in spite Of all this vigilance an
care, every morning the workmen fin
wool spread over the floor that has bee
torn from the bales by the rats, and thu
much is dragged out Of the buildin
there there can be no doubt. 1t may be tn;
in time the cats will succeed in KILN
Ill -. L. ILL II