The morning news., 1892-02-23
THE MINE RAT.
An Important Factor in the Domestic
Economy Of the Coal Regions.


Economy Of the Coal Regions.
From the Ne,o Yo,k Sun.
People who don't know mine rats might
have opened their eyes a little when they
read that dispatch from Scranton in the
Sun the other day about certain perform
auces of a horde of those animals made des-
perate by the mine they inhabited having
been abandoned, but any one who has ever
lived in the coal regions would see nothing
in the story to surprise him" said former
resident of Luzerne.
"The mine rat is an institution in the coal
regions, and there is nothing the miners re-
spect more when everything is running
right. As long as work is going on in a
mine on any kind of decent time the rats
have no quarrel with any one and every
thing is lovely. They insist upon certain
rights which the miners recognize ana SUBJ
NIT TO without murmur. 1t is only when
a mine becomes idle and remains so for any
length of time that the rats and the outside
world antagoniEe one neauother- Even then the
miners respect for the mine rat will permit
him TO take measures against it only so far
as It Is necessary 70 preserve himself, his
family and his property.
Miners strikes have been brought to
settlement more than once through the per-
sistent efforts Of mine rats. | remember one
an end. This strike was particularly stub
born one. Both miners and operators re-
fused TO bulge one particle from the stand
each had taken. The bosses declared that
grass should grow about the entrance to
the mine before they would consent to the
demands of the men, and the men swore
they would cut and eat that grass. If they
had nothing else to cot, rather than yield
single point to the bosses.
stTha afrilya lasfad hak ha
were taken from the mine and turned out
to pasture, and when that is done during a
coal mine strike it is certain indication
that there is to be @ long cessation of opera
tions in that mine. That was the signal for
the rats to take a hand in the difficulty {.
Miners and their families may starve for a
principle il they choose, but the mine rat
proposes to live, just the same, and, il the
miners abandon him and cut of his
supplies OF mule feed, his chances
of purloining or sharing in the miners
lunches or eating mule itself now and
then. he will have to come to the surface
and look about him. That Is what the rats
in this particular mine did when they got
tired OF waiting for operations to resume.
The mine was big one. and its rat popula-
tion immense. The rats left the mine and
literally took possession OF its contiguous
village, They quattered themselves in and
about the miners shanties, drove away the
cats and dogs, and even made it unsafe for
the goats. They lived on the none too plen-
tiful supplies the miners possessed and be-
came u swarming terror.
'The strike continued and the supplies of
the strikers gradually became exhausted.
Miners of neighboring colleries, who were
not affected by the strike, came to the re-
lief of their impoverished brethren. They
sent 2-horSe wagon load of provisions to
them. A committee took tbs supplies in
charge and stored them in building. from
which they we're to be distributed according
to the necessities of the strikers.
The very first night of their arrival the
store house was raided by mine rats and
everything devoured or carriedaway. An
other wagon load WAS forwarded by
sympathizing fellow miners, and a guard
set upon the good. Hundreds Of the big
fierce. hungry mine rats charged the guard
at night, drove him away, aud the second
supply of provisions disappeared before
them. Four times were the striking miners
revictualed in this way, and four times tle
mine rats captured the stores This com
bination of the mine rats with the operators
was more than the strikers could hold OUT
against, and they finally went TO work on
the best terms they could obtain, absolutely
beaten by the determined horde of mine
rats.
1T is curious fact that IL q mine is
abandoned by the workmen either on strike
or because of lack OF work, the rats will
follow them to their homes invariably if
the mine lies 1dle for any length of time,
but if a mine has 90 be abandoned because
of accidents, such as fall of roof, gas ex-
ploslons. or fire, the rats will seek other
mines in the neighborhood where work is
going on. Then there is trouble and plenty
of it.
1.-THE rats already inhabiting that mine
object to the horde of newcomers, and reRu-
lar pitched battles eusue Thess continue
for two or three days. Then the situation
seems to be accepted by the home rats, and
the miners have to take it. The combined
armies of rats overrun the mine, aud, the
regular means of sustenance not being suf-
ficient for the Increased demand, the rats
becume SO bold and persistent that not even
the mules are safe when left by themselves.
| have often heard miners say that on oc-
casions of this kind it was common thing
to find the stable floors covered with hun
dreds of rats that had been trampled TO
death by the mules, as it seemed to be a
passion with the rats to gnaw the fetocks
of the mules, and they often succeeded ia
eating them entirely away, despite the
frantic kicking and trampinR OF the ami
mails and the scores of their own members
thatswere crushed beneath their feet.
In one mine, few years ago. matters
became 80 desperate from the enormous in
crease of rats, owing to the caving in OF
neiRhhoring mine, that the miners had co
take desperate measures or surrender the
mine to the invaders. It was impossible TO
keep enough feed on hand for the needs of
the mules, aud the poor beasts grew SO thin
that they could scarcely do their work.
Even the mines soap, lamp oil and other
supplies used in their work were devoured
by the army Of rats that overran the cham
hers. The persistent animals would gpaw
through the tool boxes in incredulously
brief time and empty them in twinkling
Of all portable and edible stores.
1.-THE miners were forced to bury their
dinner buckets beneath piles Of coal to keep
the contents away from the rats, and even
then the hungry animals often excavate1
the hidden food. Not day passed but one
- -, ,,,inara would ha con Dalled 10 fight