Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-09-07
Queer Animals in Mines.


"Blue lead" in this section, most
peculiar discovery was made.
Among the mines now being work.
ed is the old Potter mine, owned by
Mrs. Ben Bishop and recbristened
the Bishop mine. When the Bis
hop mine was first reopened one of
the Will boys entered dry slope
leading to second shaft whose
existence was unknown, owing to
thick growth Of brush and trees
about it, and had nearly reached
the shaft when he noticed a large
number of flies buzzing about him
in very troublesome manner. He
made several slaps at them, and
accidentally caught one.
On examining it by the aid of
his lantern he was nearly startled
into letting it 60 by the uncanny
appearance of the insect. 1t was
absolutely white, with the exception
of its eyes, which, having the
usual red color, seemed unusually
large and prominent. The red-eyed
white fly, while not being common,
is not unknown in the older mines,
particularly 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 a"cess to light and the open
air are too easily obtainable for
flies to remain below long enough
to fade out.
Scarcely had Mr.. Will recovered
from his surprise at the white flies
when he was startled again, this
time by the whirring sound of a
rattlesnake's musical apparatus.
Looking carefully around, he saw
the eyes of the reptile and threw a
rock at them. The rattlingprompt-
ly ceased, and a mass Of white,
glistening convOlutions writhed
into view from behind a protruding
bowlder. A couple more rocks
dispatched the creature, which prov
ed to be rattler of over four feet
long. One of the rocks thrown
had knocked off good part Of his
snakeship's rattles, so his age was
not to be discovered, but he must
have been an old fellow. The
color of the snake was pure white.
Though temperate man, Mr.. Will
was not fully satisfied that he was
in his ordinary condition of sanity
until he had dragged his prizes
back to the newly opened shaft and
listened to the expressions of sur
prise of his companions at the
appearance of the two captures.
Prof. Harlow Ballard, Buffalo,
who was visiting Bangor in search
of mineral specimens, secured the
snake and several specimens of the
white flies, which he has preserved
and shipped to the East. The Pro-
fessor is Of the opinion that the
flies are the offspring of some i'm
prisoned in the slope years ago by
the rising of the water in the lower
workings. The old and partially
filled shaft allowed air, but no light,
to enter the slope, while the stream
flowing into the slope may have
provided them with food.
The snake, he thinks, may have
been carried down by the water
while very young, as it is scarcely
possible that it is thirty years old,
which it would have been had it re-
mained there ever since the mine
was flooded. What the reptile ate
during it's long captivity is among
the mysteries. Since the reopening
Of the Bishop mine the white flies
have entirely disappeared, and
few which Prof. Ballard kept in
small glass case resumed the colors
of ordinary house flies within a
week after exposure to the Light
San Francisco Examiner.