Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-03-11
CLOGGED BY SNAKES.
Farmer Vanderbeck Found What stopped
His Hydraulic Ram.


Somerville, n. j.. March 10.-Farm-
er J. n. Vanderbeck has on his estate,
few miles from this place, an ancient
hydraulic ram. For so years the ram
has, with clockwork precision, forced
a bountiful supply of water from the
bottom of a hill to the farm house and
barns. Like most early inventions OF
its kind, it depends on slight pressure
of water from never-failing spring
to give it notion the water being con-
Quoted to it through a four-inch tile
pipe from an elevation.
Recently the regular monotonous
motion which the ram had maintained
for a half century stopped occasionally,
and its behavior became as erratic as
the March winds which created havoc
among the surrounding hills. Farmer
Vanderbeck wrestled with the ram in
vain 1t finally ceased operations en-
tirely, and a hand force pump was sub
stituted to keep up the water supply,
but even this refused to work, and, to
the amazement of the farmers, it would
occasionally raise and lower its handle
without human assistance
Farmers from the surrounding cOun-
try fiocked to the ramhouse to see the
phenomenal occurrence, and each had
an idea for locating the trouble. Farm
CT Vanderbeck ran his arm far down
in the pump until his fingers came in
contact with a cold moving object, and
then he started back. 'NeighbOrs, ~
he exclaimed. with an air of despera-
ton, Il am going to get at the bottom
of this pesky trouble, if | have to dig
six feet down into the frozen ground
and tear up a half mile of pipe
The work of tearing up the supply
pipe running through the fields between
the spring and the ram-house were
started last Friday. Old Bill Neyins, a
negro well digger, was hired to do the
job. Bill dug six feet down into the
frozen earth and then tore up sections
of the pipe for thirty feet. He tugged
with more than usual force at one Sec
tion. and when it finally gave way he
sprang from the ditch with a mighty
yell, and sprinted across the field after
the fashion of a man in search of a
Kelley cure.
At the bottom Of the trench was a
writhing mass of snakes, emerging
from the pipe in the shape Of a flying
wedge. At the business end of the
wedge was a vicious old pilot five feet
long. Twined about him and rolled to-
gether was an assortment of copper
heads, pilots, black snakes and other
varieties known to the hilly country
of Northern New Jersey. The snakes
rushed through the trench to the ram
house. There they were confronted by
a number of men who were on hand to
boss the job. At first the men stood
aghast, but soon fell to work killing
the reptiles. Seventy-one snakes was
the total number killed and cleared
from the pipes. The screen at the end
of the pipe leading from the spring
was found to be rusted ont, leaving an
opening which the reptiles had taken
advantage Of in their search for winter
quarters.
The action of the ram on the pipe is
believed to have eXasperated the snakes
and delayed their winter sleep. until
they instinctiyely massed together in a
manner that shut off the water COM
petely, and brought Farmer Wander
beck's time-bOnored ram to disgrace.