Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-12-16
THE RATS In A NINE.
CAPERS OF THE RODENTS IN
THE LOWER LEVELS.
fets Of the Miners and How They Are
Msrkcd--HOw a Rat saved u Miner
from Being Crushed to
Death.


men locked TO the country, the only
rats seen. were the bush tailed little
animals called mountain rats"
these are not true rats Yet they have
4 rat look about the head. They
Quilt houses consisting Of piles of
sticks bark and dry weeds after the
manner OF the muskrat. but on high
md dry ground, and generally against
the trunk OF spreading cedar or
scrub pine tree. These so. called rats
vanished as soon us The first settlers
began to intrude upon their haunts.
using them al targets in their pistol
practice applying matches TO their
houses and making themselves dis.
agreeable neighbors in various other
ways.
Soon the brown rat made its ap.
pearancc. This is the rat which fol-
lows civilization in all parts OF the
world. Wherever ships go ii goes.
Soon stores barns warehouses, ho.
tells whole town-were swarm
ing with rats. Cats were then
brought over from taiforn,a. and tho
first lot sold for SO to as Il head
Soon every prairie schooner that
crossed the mountains had slung to it
a big cage filed with cats Of all colors
and kinds. The price went down to
SO. then to - head and finally so
many cats arrived that ey could
not be given away.
The rats soon discovered the mire5
and found therein IL congenial home
and homo FREQ from the terrifying
presence of members OF the feline
tribe Never WIS cat seen in anv
OF the lower levels OF the mines says
the Engineering and Mining journal.
though they sometimes prowl about
the old surface OF the tunnels. In the
first opening of the mines there was
no place for the rats but as soon as
the timbers began to be set up and
clips OF waste rock built they were
able to find safe hiding places; also
there was room for them everywhere
behind the tagging OF the DRIFT. As
they increased in numbers there was
on all sides an increase of space
through the rapid extraction of ore
by the miners.
that though man was their enemy ON
the surface. he was their friend down
in the underground drifts and cham.
berS He shared his meal with them
and they scampered and capere1
about him with perfect. impuniiy
The warmth OF the lower levels ap.
peared TO be very 'congenial to tho
rats both old and young. Celia is IA
thing unknown TO them 1t is as
though they had been given I'm i'm.
! mense hot house in which to breed
Any temperature they desire from
t0o to 1870 o. is at their command.
Rats are useful us scavengers in
mines. They devour all the scraps
of meat and other food thrown upon.
the ground by the miners when at
lunch, eating even the hardest bones
thus preventing bad odor. As the
, decay OF the smallest thing is unen.
durable in a mine. the miners ne er
intentionally kill rat
Men working in particular parts of
a mine have pet rats that are known
to them by some mark-a clipped ear
or the loss OF a certain portion OF the
tail. 10 these they give comical
names aud feed and pet them. such
rats are often named after some
character about town. some OF whose
reculiarities the animals are supposed
to display. Thus certain rat that
| was in the habit OF tapping the floor
with the stump of a tail left him was
named after well known banjo
player. as in the humping the floor
he seemed to be marking time"
The miners have a high opinion of
their sagacity. The rats generally
! give the miners the first notice o.
danger. When big cave is about TO
occur they seem TO swarm out in
! drifts and scamper about the floors of
Il level at unwonted times and in an
uneasy manner. The settling OF
waste rock probably pinches the ami
mails in their dens. causing them TO
ut once leave in search of less dan.
gerous quarters. In one instance n
rat saved the life OF miner The
man had stretched himself upon IL
plank to take rest between the
| passes" in the face OF hot drift
when a big rat suddenly leaped upon
his breast from the wall. He bound
cd 10 his feet and had no sooner left
the plank than down crashed several
tons OF rock upon it.
! All men have antipathies of some
kind Among the miners are men
who have more dread OF rats than the
majority OF women. Those men are
made the victims of many tricks by
their 'ellow-work men. 1t frequently
happens that live rats ara by acct.
dent shut up IN the dinner pals of
the miners TO presently leap forth to
the great CONSERVATION OF their wives.
The Mattresses at the board ing houses
whose business il Is to refill the lunch
pals often have tricks played on
Them by miners who pnrposely trap
rats far lhe!f deleelailon. In lsaping
aee0s4 tho saafls OF lhs Miass rata
occasionally E,suAlsl,ssy sRd fall 70