The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-14
THE NINE RAT
He - an Inrcrtent Factor In tho Domestic
Economy OF the Coal Regions.

'Ao - ." ~ !. - -,
sno"' y.
People VINO don't Know mine rats miGhs
have opened their eyes little when they read
that despatch from scranton IN THE DUN the
other day ABOUT certain performances OF
horde OF those animals made desperate by the
mine they inhabited having been abandoned;
but any one VINO mas ever !lVea IN the coal re-
gions would SOC nothih8 ID the story 70 sur
prise MIN. SAID FORMER resloene OF Luzerne.
Inc mine rat ID an institution In the coal
regions. anu there ID nothlhR the miners re-
spect more when everything Is running right
AS long as work ID gong on IN mino on any
Kind OK decent time the rats nave no quarrel
with any one and everything IS lovely. Ihey
Insist upon certain r,snts WIhoh tie miners
recognize ana SUBMIT 10 without murmur
It's only when mine becomes idie and re-
mains 80 for any length OF ume that the rats
and the outside world antaRonlze one another
Even then the miners respect for the mine rat
will hermit him co take measures against IL
only 50 far as it is necessary to preserve him.
Se aM ms str,ses hays heen hrouont 70
settlement more than once through the per-
sistent efforts OF mine rats. remember one
strike In particular ina. inc Ia.s forced 70 an
one. Both miners and operators refused to
bIdEe one particle from the O., stand each had
taken. The bosses declared that grass should
they woula consene 70 the demands OF the
eat that grass. II they had nothing else to eat.
rather than yle'u single point 10 tne bosses.
wero taken from tho mine and turned nee QUITE, out to
nm sture and whom that is done during n coal
mne ss.s ssu certain thst sss
mine That was the signal for the rats to taSs
. hand IN tue dllheu!ty. miners ana their
families may starve for principle IL they
choose. but the mine rat proposes to live. Just
the same. anu II .he miners ABANDON MN ana
o W nmr,oin;na w. sharing in tho miners, Innnhos
y. sot;nn = mnl, itssls now and thor ho ,.iII
him. That ia what the rats in this particular
mine did when they got tired OF waitin. Tor 90.
erat{Ions e resaMs; TSs mine w4s q liz Gnss,
the mine and literally took possession Of its
yilags They them
sWsv thu cuts and dogs and even malta Il Un
safe For the aoats They lived on the none roo
pIentiiai supplies tho ninsrs possessed and md
oes4 strfHa confinned and tho sunnos q,
tho strlSers s' eraduaiy boeamo NO exhausted.
afieeted Ly the strIe came to the relief Of
thSir ;mnovarisSsd brcthren. 'fhev sant " n
Ssd OF IS to them
stored tfs% il SiSaiijins {fSa SSIsh thy
Gsns. the stoEs
Was or sn swsy aa9 s@
miners. and guard set upon ths goods: nun:
q th the h sIe mine rats
and the SECOND sinpIv III nroyisinns disnn
peared before them. Four ' times were the
four times The nine rats captured ths Storey n
This comblnation Of the nline rats t with tic
SSpfS5atSTs than tho sSud
work n9aI ON thu Sas rm na 5vy ha %sht TO
so!utely beaten by the ' determ i i hords ." Of
nant is q cur,ous fact thotifa nina "a ,han.
doned sv the on tri Is or Mpa hs
tn tep homes az @ rSn% s 1S
s9s SSs @ss
saa gas n r. or f9 o ra's VIII
Wori. is going on. Then there is troubls aud
pishTflG rats IL already ,nbabtips that mine oh.
ject to the horde Of newcomers. AN and regular lar
hrs Savs ssS tba two
have s' to fakS it it The combinsd armies h' of
Tss e sust sns mine and the 5spaE
Tor the Increased DEMAND the rats eGb ecoms
Sro happ Iaft hn no. SVep te
Seerd miners snv {bat nS nccnsinns %, this
LIND Il Was a common tbnp ~ tind tho atshis
oors eoyered viii HnnIra5. 20 Of rats s t5st hnd
BEEN trnmnIed IL dontb hv no mnIas a' nc ..uH 4
seemed to hs nnssI"n wItE thS rnta ~ ,t u
the fetocSs Of ths mnIas and thnw Sftens smcs
ceeieS in satinr thnm s.ntireIv n,ynv Iasnito
ma e and thu scnEes I tEnirp n oi ums AMI
Tint were crush I'd honestb THAR y f"at nemoe's
''." ~ no niSa goea, an .nei1 teS.. a.;
c.me sn rn row ySars NM nSo
OF rats oWinm TO tha onvins in ~ ~ neiShhnr'
IL Mia thast tha s 10 az ~ ~
sfs maasres or to ~ Nina - dYspT,
yya na RS 1t YES ss Impossible to Keep enough
he moor beasts ere so tln thar tSav :ou d
sne o a. 1hE rev 10 t"iM t,rit ,iey GouaH
s sGa Inn no ~, ' nnf Mors: Emen tS miners
wors Wers deyonreG py the army I If rats thnt
Wom nn anW thronvh fba top hnxes N h,is
MosIv hr"; tims snd iS t2v tnem IA
rhe ~" N nnrs Sra arnad hrv sthor din
ner BUCKETS BENEATH nes 81 So SIf 70 keep tho
I'm fh,nt Rn1 away to'n VIZ rats. una even tneh