Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-09-09
ouEgR AMIMALs m MUSES..
Ainino Fiies and wa,te Ra,,ie.aane.
Found Helow tho Enr,h. - |

Ainino Fiics and waito Rnttle,.ah,.
found Below tho Earth.
In connection with tho RESUMPTION
OF mining along the famous aBlue
lead, In this section, most pecu.
llar discovery was made. Among
the mines now being worked Is tho
old Potter mine, owned by Mrs. Ren
Bishop and rechristened the Bishop
mine. When the Bishop mine was
nrst reopened one of the Will boys
entered dry slope leading to sec.
ond shaft whose existence wac un.
known, owing to thick growth OF
brush and trees about 1t, and had
nearly reached the shaft when no
noticed large number OF flies
buzzing about him in very trouble
some manner. He made several
slaps at them, and accidentally
caught one.
On examining 1t by the aid of his
lantern he was nearly startled into
letting 1t so by the uncanny appear.
ance OF the insect. 1t was abso-
lutely white, with the exception OF
Its eyes, which, having the, usual rcd
color, seemed unusually large and
prominent. Tho red-cyed white fly,
while not being common, Is not un.
known in the older mines, particu.
larly the deep coal mines OF the
East; but this Is the first time, so
far as known, that they have been
found In any California mine, where
access to light and the open air arc
too easily obtainable for flies to re-.
main below long enough to fade out.
Scarcely had Mr.. VIII recovered
from his surprise at tho white flies
when he was startled again, this
time by the whirring sound Of rat
tlcsnakc's musical apparatus. Look.
Ing carefully around, no saw tho eyes
Of tho reptile and threw rock at
them. The rattllng promptly
ceased, and mass of white, glisten.
Ing conyolutlons writhed into view
from behind protruding BOWLER.
A couple more rocks dispatched the
creature, which proved to be rat
tier OF over four feet long. One of
the rocks thrown. had knocked of a
good part OF his shpkeship's rattles,
so his age was not tb DO discovered,
but he must have'bcen an old fell
low. The color OF tho snake was
pure white. Though a temperate
man, Mr.. VIII was not fully salts
fed that he was In his ordinary con-
dition of sanity until he had dragged
his prizes back to the newly opened
shaft and listened to tho expressions
OF surprise OF his companions at the
appearance OF the two captures.
Prof. Harlow Ballard, Buffalo, who
was visiting Bangor in search OF
mineral specimens, secured tho
snake and several specimens of tho
white files, which no has preserved
and shipped to tho East. Tho Pro-
fcssor Is OF tho opinion that the flies
are tho offspring of some imprisoned
in the slope years ago by tho rising
OF the water In the lower workings.
The old and partially filled shaft al
lowed air, but no light, to enter tho
slope, while the stream flowing into
the slope may have provided them
with food.
The snake, no thinks, may have
been carried down by the water
while very young, as 1t is scarcely
possible that 1t il thirty years old,
which 1t would have been had IL re-
mainod there ever since tho mine
was flooded. What the reptile alto
during its long captivity Is among
tho mysteries. Since tho reopcnlpg
Of the Bishop mine tho white flies
have entirely disappeared, and few
which Prof Ballard kept in smaK
glass case resumed tho colors OF or
binary house flies within week
after .cXDOsllrc 10 the litrbt San
Francisco Examiner.