The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-13
VENOMOUS STOWAWAYS.
THEY TAKE FREE PASSAGE ON
FRUIT LADEN VESSELS.


nades and Snakes Thus Journey to
America - Men Unloading Ships
Laden With the Fruit Have to Keep
a sharp Lookout for Poisonous
stings.
From, the Nelg York Herald.
Workmen for wholesale banana dealers
nsver begin work that they do not take their
lives in their hands.
Scarcely wagon load of the fruit is
taken from a ship that some sort of deadly
roisonous reptile, spider or insect is not
hidden away beneath the layers.
The animal life which takes free passage
from foreign countries by storing itself
avsv In bunohes of bananas would furnish
food for an interesting volume on natural
history.
40 accustomed have the handlers Of this
fruit become TO seeing big, hairy tarantulas
crawl out Of the lunches and up the legs of
their trousers that they whisk them to the
1oor and step upon them with no more oon-
earn than IL they were harmless Croton
hucs or caterpillars instead of the venomous
insects that they are. The bite of the South
American tarAntula is in ali cases poisonous
and in many cases deadly, yet their presence
among banana handlers creates no more
terror than If they were the most harmless
Of spiders.
They are more frequently found 10 ba~
nanas than any other reptiles. and they
come from every other place from which
bananas are shipped. They are black and
fuzzy, with long, hairy legs and little dead
like eyes, which twinkle and snap like
electric sparks, and their very appearance
woul1 strike terror TO the hearts of those
who are not accustomed to seeing them. AS
q rule the bodies Of these big spiders are
about the size of the end of q mans thumb,
but sometimes a "Gulliver" crawls out into
daylight, and be is Immediately captured
and Gagged, and the oaptor easily sells him
for from 81 to 81.
Those of the tarantulas which are not
aroused by the jolting Of the punches in
handling and keep in hiding are slowed
away in the hot cellars of the dealers where
they become warmed up and then crawl out
and spend the remainder of their daya In
the cracks Of the ripening rooms With the
domestic rats and other small animals with
which these cellars abound.
SNAKES OFTEN FOUND.
Snakes are not infrequently found oolled
around the stalk of bunch of bananas, and
they are seldom killed. AS a rule the
variety is peculiar, and ready market is
always found where they can be disposed of
at a reasonable price.
They rarely escape after the bananas
have been lifted from the hold of vessel
II the snake becomes curious when the air
and light strike him he is Immediately
bounced upon and imprisoned. II he re-
mains to be slowed away ia the ripeninR
room the heat invariably wakes him up and
he uncoils himself and era wis out
Among the most feared of the reptiles is
black snake with brown tinge near its
under part. 1t usually measures about
eighteen inches in length. Its head is rather
faster than is usual with snakes, and Just
back OF its head for about two inches 10 ia
marked with small yellow stripes which
look something like gold collar.
The workmen say that its bite is invaria.
bly, fatal, a statement which is somewhat
robbed Of its terrors by the fact that dill
gent search failed to discover anybody who
would assume the responsibility Of making
an affidavit that he ever knew anybody who
died in this way. The snakes are generally
found in the consignment of bananas from
Baracoa, although occasionally they are
discovered in shipments from Jamaica and
Costa Rica.
The most frequent visitor to our shores in
the snake kingdom, on banana vessels, is
what the workmen call diamond snakes
There is nothing in their appearance 30 indi-
cate the origin OF the name. Mr.. Genaro,
an Italian wholesale dealer on Washington
street, suggested that at one time several
rough gems were found In the stomach of
one of these snakes, hence the name. In
length they are about two feet The head Is
hat and sharp, and those who profess to have
knowledge on the subject say that its bite is
poisonous, though not necessarily fatal.
SCORPIONS NOT RARE.
Scorpions of the real zodiac order are also
among these unwelcoms banana stowa-
ways, and while their stings are not cousid
cred actually dangerous they are usually
extremely painful, and workmen, when they
are stung by them, generally stop
work for few hours aud reduce the swell
Ing which follows and allay the pain at the
most convenient liquor saloon. When one
OF these animals lights on a 1T subject it
seems to go about its work with all Its body
and soul. 1t catches on with its two arms
and head, and giving a sudden hump of ius
1olnted back 1t jabs the end of Its needle-
pointed tail into the flesh where It calcu-
lates to do the most harm, and the subject
usually jumps aud creates an atmosphere Of
asulphurous order about him for several
minutes. The little stowaway then, as a
general thing, is made TO expatiase his
crime by being crushed beneath large
sized foot.
Centtpedes are not uncommon among car
goes of bananas. They are not OF the do
nestle order commonly known as "earwigs"
either. They are long, fat fellows with two
rows of saffron-colored legs and brilliant
purple bodies, and their stings are feared
more than smallpox by the handlers of
bananas.
1t is said that these creatures are so pois-
onous that when they walk upon the bare
flesh their legs leave a red trail upon the
SKIN as II pin had scratched it.. IL is also
SAID that with such lightning-like quickness
40 they sink the ends OF their numerous
legs into whatever they are crawling upon,
Wnen they become alarmed, that it is im-
possible to knock them off. Should the
Iegs penetrate persons flesh, so the men
VINO unload ships will tell you, death Is in
eVltapie, aud when the poison Ia injected the
ne Sr mortlhes almost Immediately.
Anese are the sort of tropical centipedes
"nich reach these shores In bananas, and
Wnen workman discovers one crawling
upon MIN he stands perfectly quiet and
adiows 1t to crawl OFF without disturbing IL.
Ihen 1t is crushed beneath heavy boot or
captured and sold, as the man feels dis
posed. They are usually summarily killed,
as the workmen prefer foregoing the loss of
oo or 70 cents rather than run the chances
OF being stunG.
QUEER CRABS.
A peculiar crustaoean in the shane of
crab also hides itself in the bunohes of
bananas from Baracoa occasionally and
makes free trip to this city. How these