The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-09
MONEY I'm SNAKE OIL.
nsx Connecticut Folks Grew Rich in
Curious Way.

Curious Way.
Within a radius of ten miles from
| Hamburger, Conn, there are half
| dozen men who are accommodating money
| from the sale Of the oil and grease that
and animals that they capture among
the hedges and along the streams
The muskrat, the polecat, and the
rattlesnake yield the most valuable oils
that they get, and of these three the
rattlesnake oil is worth the most. 1t
finds ready sale and brings from S25
to $50 an ounce, according to its purity.
This oil is procured from the eggs of
the snake, and the process of getting it
is tedious one. In capturing the snake
care must be taken not to beat it upon
the middle of the body, for by so doing
the hunter runs risk of breaking the
eggs that the snake may be carrying
and thus rendering them valueless
The snake hunters have become
adopts at the business. and they go
armed with a pole or staff about eight
feet long, into the end of which is set
sharp steel blade from six to eight
covered the hunter stamps upon the
ground and alarms it. The snake erects
its head, and like fash the staff swings
around, and the serpent's head is popped
off by the glittering blade.
If the body of the snake is found to
contain eggs they are removed and
placed in kettle of water, under which
a fire is built.
The water is always boiling before
the eggs are put into it, and it is kept
at boiling point as long as oil rises
from the eggs to the surface. 1t often
requires forty-eight hours of steady
boiling to extract all the oil from IF
teen eggs
Every half hour the oil is SKINNED
from the water and placed in small
iron kettle that is about eight inches in
diameter and eighteen inches deep.
Considerable of the boiling water ia
carried into this kettle with the grease.
When the oil has been extracted from
the eggs and placed in the kettle lid is
placed upon it and Theoretically sealed
with red scaling wax A slow and
steady fire is then kept under the kettle
until all the water in the oil has evapor-
ated through small pipe that enters
the side Of the kettle near the top and
which leads TO worm that rests in a
barrel OF constantly running water.
From tube at the bottom of the worm
the condensed water drops into glass
jar. To the top of this, small particles
of oil rise, and when it has cooled it Is
taken of.
When water ceases to drop from the
tube at the bottom Of the worm it is
evident that there is no more water in
the kettle, and the fire Is Immediately
drawn from beneath it, and i is deluged
with cold water until Il IS thoroughly
cooled
From this kettle the oil is removed
and placed in shallow tin pan with a
handle and Z wide spout IN Il. The pan
IS placed over Ere and when the oil IS
thinned it is poured through a cloth,
linen of very fine texture, into glass
isr When thus clarified II has the APP
pearance OF yaseline- In this shape il
is marketed
Rattlesnske oil is used as remedy
IoE Tl6UIlatAS&i, anu - - one u the III
gradients employed IN the manufacture
Of some of the patent medicines found
~ the market for neuralgia rheuma-
tisn and obscure diseases OF thu joints
Il IS a powerful irritant, and when
drop of Il is applied 20 the flesh il has
about the same effect that the applica~
ton OF coal Of fire would For this
reason the manufacturers Of this OIL ara
obliged 20 exercise the greatest care,
and while working at the kettles they
invariably wear gloves. and when their
face IS not protected by q beard they
cover the lower portion 81 = with
Iooss cloth fastened IN place by I'd
elastic band
50 perslzteutly h4s ne rstt5exnzks
been hunted IN this vicinity, ne Is TOW
but rarely found Novv AID then one Is
capt ured Il some Isolated localGtF a1o7r
the Iedges and n the swsmpx In IRE
eentvzs par OF the state this species %
serpent i CON moa. aad kgtnters there
procure great eess % rzstlesaA<e Oh
during tue year
Next 20 the rztiIesuaSxe n irapo-.zac4
20 sae hanse- = tie peleczL Ihs De.l -