The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-09
GOVERNMENT CATS.
Three Hundred of These Animals
Engaged In Protecting Records.
From the NelU York World


Engaged in Protecting Records.
From the Net0 York World.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-Tnree hundred
and odd cats are maintained by the United
States government, the cost of their support
being carried as a regular item on the &C
counts of the postofice department. They
are distributed among about fifty post
offices, and their duty is to keep rats and
mice from eating postal matter aud mail
sacks. Their work is of the utmost tmpor-
lance wherever large quantities of mail are
collected-as, for example, ct the New York
postofiice, where from 2, 900 to 1900 bags of
such material are commonly slowed away
in the Easements.
Formerly great damage was often done
by mischievous rodents, which ohewed
holes In the sacks and thought nothing of
boring clear through bags Of letters in q
night. Troubles OF this sort no longer 90
cur, now that the official pussies keep
watch. Each city postmaster is allowed
from IS to $40 q year for the kesp of his
feline staff, sending his estimate for "cat
meat" to Washington at the beginning Of
each quarter. Care is taken not to feed the
animals too high, in order that their ap-
petite for live game may be keen. 1t is
laid down as a rule that no meat shall b o
given when there ia a mouse or rat to be
caught.
Cats are kept In all the government build
ings at Washington. In that of the state,
war and navy departments they are ems
ployed not only to protect the priceless
papers stored there. but to guard against
fire. Twice the war department has been
set afire by rats gnawinR matohes-on one
of those occasions in the Office OF the Score
tary Of War in the middle of the night. A
year ago the treasury had nine cats, but
they made themselves obnoxious and all
were given away but two. These are as
wild as possible, getting a living by forag-
ing for themselves. Mice are VIGOROUSLY
fond of chewing up money, but they have
no chance to get at Uncle SANS paper cash,
which is kept In rooms with iron walls
that defy their teeth. Rats occupied
the pension Office in great numbers
while it was Ia process of building, taking
up their residence in the walls and floors as
fast as they were put up: Two years ago
four cats were introduced there to guard
the records of the old soldiers and they
have driven most Of the vermin away. The
best rat killer of the quartet not long ago,
being frightened at something, fell from the
second gallery, fifty feet, to the tiled floor
and was killed. The white house has two
cats, one a black and white female kept in
the kitchen. and the other a black Tom,
kept in the stable Mrs. Harrison had four
handsome maltese cats, but they disap>
peared
But the capitol is the greatest place in
Washington for cats The huge building
swnrms with them, and at night they
scamper about in troops. Nobody knows
how many OF them there are, but the watch
men reckon them by scores. They are all
Migrants and wild as hawks. In summer
they are scattered about the neighborhood
to some extent, but In winter they gather
within the building. At about 10 o'clock
every night they begin mad racing through
the empty corridors, which are made to
resound with their cries. The acoustic effects
produced are astonishing. Let a single
Rrimalkln lift up bis voice in statuary hail.
famous for its echoes, and the silence Of the
night Is broken by a yell as loud as a loeomo-