The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-04-19
A,PLAGUE OF RATS.
Famished Hordes at the Deserted
Worlds Fair.
Measures Adopted to Stamp out
the Pest.

There is plague of rats at the "de-
serted city, as the Worlds Fair might
properly be called. There are whole
regiments of them. Since the cold
weather set in they have become pest
which active measures have been found
necessary to keep in check.
All during the fair it was known
that there were a great many rats In
the grounds, but the abundance of
forage they found in the remnants OF
lunches left scattered about kept them
out of the buildings. When the fair
closed and the day of abundance ended
there were vast swarms of young and
half grown rats ON the grounds. I'm
mediately there became a struggle for
existence Food began to get scarce.
Hunger made them bold.
As the number of men employed
about the grounds got fewer and
fewer, till their numbers we're so re-
ducedthat they did not overawe the
rodents, the latter began foraging ex-
petitions on dinner pals left un-
guarded. Frequently workmen would
return at the lunch hour to where they
had left their dinner pals, only to
find them overturned, and the con-
tents devoured by rats.
AS the weather got colder, shelter
as well as food became prime object
of the rats. Building after building
was occupied by them. They kept in
hiding during the day, unless driven
by hunger to expose themselves to
view, but at night they came forth and
made the place grewsome with their
scurrying.
The guards on duty at night used to
amuse themselves by scattering bread
crumbs or grain about, and watching
the rats come and eat them, and then
driving them away in the midst of
their feast But once in a while the
fun was the other way. The rats, en-
boldened by their numbers and their
hunger, refused to be driven away,
but attacked the guards 1t was soon
found dangerous to provoke swarm
Be- hi 10 n a
buildings were damaged to a consider
able extent by the rats gnawing the
boxes in which they were packed, or
the exhibits themselves, if they were
not packed.
Cats were secured for the Office
rooms that were retained in the build
ings on the grounds, to keep out the
invaders For other portions of the
buildings traps were procured.
Though the number of rats killed in
this way reached the thousands, their
numbers did not seem to decrease.
1t was thought that the art palace
now the Field Museum-because of
its brick walls and brick partitions ex-
tending clear down to the foundations,
would prove impervious to them. But
the last cold snap proved the contrary
The other buildings becoming over
run, and food getting scarcer and
scarcer, at the beginning of the last
cold snap they began to swarm into
the museum, where were collected in
valuable treasures in the departments
of anthropology, zoology, ornithol-
ogy and the industrial arts. About 10
days ago the guards on duty in this
building first noticed their increasing
number. 1t was found that parts of
the building, especially the east an
mex, were overrun with them. War
in dead earnest was waged on them,
and within few days their numbers
we're appreciably reduced. But the
war is still kept up, for there is no
truce possible, as the experience in
the other buildings has proved. 1t
has not been found yet that any of the
displays have been damaged, but unless
tbe building can be rid of the pests
there is fear that they may be- Chi
cago Times.