The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-17
RATSl RATSl RATSI

A Philadelphia Steamship of Which
Seamen Are Afraid.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Probably no ship that enters the harbor of
Philadelphia is more dreaded by the sailor
man than the Earn line steamship Unionist,
owing TO the fact that she is nearly alive
with rats. Thousands of these animals
enjoy all the luxury of sea life, and every
effort to rid the ship of the plague has
proven futile. Those on board the Unionist
dread to sleep, as frequently they are
awakened by the pricking sensation of a
number of rats running over any portion of
the body that may be exposed, and thus the
handsome ship is rendered pest hole by
the intrusion of the rodents.
PILOT KELLY's SCARE.
Pilot Kelly, who came up in charge of the
Unionist, says he was very tired after walk
ing the bridge all day on the lookout while
she was coming up the river, and when she
was safely anchored he turned in for coed
nights sleep. About midnight he was
awakened by the blowing OF ships steam
whistle, and on rising in bed he Yves horri-
fed to find himself surrounded 10y rats
every one as large as cats. Many had nib
bled large holes in the quilt, while others
jumped around on the floor. gnawing at a
large piece of bread they had some way
EOStph AIOhu bhO poGWls AoAtJ Was IIlRlLa
ened, and il takes considerable to scare a
pilot He walked the deck the rest of the
night, and could not be induced 10 20
below.
Capt. Neate, the commander of the
Unioniat, Is at his wits end to know VIII at
remedy to adopt. He always carries his
wife, and the conditions were such that he
had erected on deck wooden house, in
which they both live nearly all the time.
Not long ago he adopted plan to smother
the rats by means Of closing up all the
matches and burning sulpher throughout
the entire chip. By this he succeeded in
getting rid OF a few thousand OF them, buc
few weeks later the ship was as thoroughly
infested as ever.
The rats on board the Unionst are of
peculiar kind and tho climate here seems
TO agree with them as they have developed
in size rapidly. Some are actuslly as large
as fair-sized cats and have weighed as much
as four pounds. They are Of arare Species
never seen in this country, and Capt.
Neste thinks they are the pure East Indian
rat.
WHERE THE RATS COME FROM,
The Unionist, for some years previous 70
being chartered by tte Earn Line Steams hip
Company. was engaged in the India trade.
principally between Pondicherry, the
French settlement OF India, and Mar
settles, carrying peanuts, and it was In this
way that the rats were first gotten on board
at Pondicherry, they being very fond of
peanuts. After tins the Uniouist went
from England to ali parts OF the world hafs
the rats in the hold had some cargo to gnaw
at until now, and confined themselves to
that portion of the ship, never entering
either the cabin or the forecastle.
Since January the Unionist has been
carrying coal to Cuba and reloading with
iron ore, and the rats being unable to sub
sist on either comE1Odity have forsaken the
holds and have invaded the cabins. The
sailors have all got news OF this and it is
next to impossible to get a crew TO 60 In
her as the rat, a,oove all things, is what
Jack Is most afraiil of.