Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-07-14
QUEER ANIMALS IN MINES.
Albino Files and white Rattlesnakes
Found Below tho Earth.


Found Below tho Earth.
In connection with the resumption
OF mining along the famous blue
load" in this section q most peculiar
discovery was made. says O Bangor
letter to the San Francisco Examiner.
Among the mines now being worked
is tho old Potter mine, owned by Mrs.
Ben Bishop and rechristened the
Bishop mine. When the Bishop mine
was first reopened one OF the Will
boys entered dry slope leading to
the second shaft whose existence was
unknown, owing to thick growth OF
brush and trees about il, and had
nearly reached the shalt when he
noticed large number of flies
buzying about him in very trouble
some manner. He made several sIaps
at them. and accidentally caught one.
On examining ii by the aid OF his
lantern he was nearly startled into
letting 1t go by the uncanny appear
ance OF the insect 1t was ab o.utcly
white. with the exception of its eyes,
which having tho usual rod c,lor,
seemed unusually largo and promi.
ncn,. The rcd eyed white fly, whilo
not being common. is not unknown IN
the o der mines particularly tho deep
coal mines OF the East bat this Is tho
first time so far rs known. that they
have been found in any California
mine where access 10 light and the
open air are too cas- L. ob.ainable Tor
flies 10 remain below long enough t,
fade out
Scarcely had Mr.. Will recovered
from his surprise at tho white lies
when he was stat again. this time
by the whir"ing sound OF u rattle
snakes musical apparatus Looking
carefully around, he saw tho ewes OF
the reptile and threw a rock at them.
The rafting promptly ceased, and
mass OF white gllstening convulsiofs
wiithel into view from behind PSI.
truding bowlder. A couple mG.>s
rocks dispatched the creature which,
proved to be rattler over four feet
long. One OF the rocks thrown he'd
knocked off good part OF his snake
ships rattles so his age was not to be
discovered, but he must have been an
old fellow. The color OF the snake
was pure white. Though temperate
man, Mr. viii was not fully satisfied
that he was in his ordinary condition
OF sanity until he had dragged his
prizes back to the newly opened shaft
and listened to the expressions of sur
prise OF his companions at the APP
pearance o. the two captures.
Prof Harlow Ballard, Buffalo who
was visiting Bangor in search OF mia
eral specimens secured the snake and
several specimens OF the white flies,
which he has preserved and shipped
to the East The professor is of the
opinion that the flies are the OIL
spring OF some imprisoned in the
slope years ago by the rising OF the
water in the lower workings The
old and partially filed shaft allowed
air, but no light to enter the slope.
while the stream flowing into the
slope may have provided them with
food.
The snake he thinks may have
been carried down by the water while
very young as it is scarcely possible
that it is thirty years old. which it
would have been had it remained
there ever since the mine was flooded.
What the reptile ate during its long
captivity is among the mysteries.
Since the reopening OF the Bishop
mine the white dies have entirely dis
appeared, and few which Prof Bal
lard kept in small glass case re.
sumed the colors of ordinary house
flies within week after exposure 10
the light