The evening times., 1896-02-25

II the Potomac water drinkers should
feel a wriggling and tickling in their throats
and continuing into their stoma chs they may
be sure that they have had snakes or
worms, but not of the jim jams variety, in
the cooling dranght they have just swal-
lowed.
A hair in the mouth is not to be COM
pared with these infinitesimally small
wrigglers, some of which can only be seen
through microscope. yet are sufficiently
large TO make themselves felt in an annoy
ing and nauseating manner.
a bottle containing ball made OF these
wriggling "sarpents' has been brought
to The Times office by Mr.. August H.
Wieneke OF No. 1902 Turner street north
east. He had fished them from pitcher
of balf-clay half water Just drawn from
the hydrant In his yard.
After drinking some of the mixture Mr..
Wieneke noticed in the bottom OF the
pitcher something of foreign nature.
HE SAW MANY wRIGGLEs.
He peered more intently and could have
sworn he saw something wrgsle. He moved
his position and shifted his position to catch
better light. Then he saw many wriggles.
Owing to the mud he could not distin-
guish Just what was kicking up SO much
sediment, but there was no doubt in his
mind that the water was really alive. He
then secured strainer and poured out the
water. He was astounded.
Aqua pura'' may contain certain ami
malculae that are good for the digestive
organs, but never such wriggling snakes as
those he saw, any one of which could seize
with tenacious hold upon the lining OF the
stomach and there remain deyouring in
parasitieal manner the food intended to
nourish and strengthen the body.
Mr.. Wieneke was terror stricken, and, be-
lievng he had swallowed number of
them, thought of worm tablets. worm medi-
cine, surgical appliances and everything
under the sun calculated to stop the wrig-
Cling which he was sure he felt going on
inside.
He was positive that the mucous men,
brane of his interior was being subjected
to a process hitherto unknown to nature.
II was worse than The st. Vitus dance, this
continual Itching, tickling, twisting, and
squirming ON the inside.
He went TO the drug store and forti-
fiel himself with more than the customary
ounce of prevention, and then submitted
SOME of the snakes. as he called them, TO
the pharmacist, TO be placed in pure, clear
distilled water, where he could see them
without trouble. II was this bottle he
brought to The Times office.
SNAKES IN LITTLE BALLS.
The reptiles, instead OF separating In the
water, began to gather together in little
balls, which when they were tightly rolled
up would measure fully half an inch In
diameter.
They are parasites, living on each other
and propagating from the same source.
They are about the color of the muddy
water, and numbered over a hundred in the
little twO-ounce vial. To see perpetual
motion one had only to look inside the
bottle.
HOW THEY LOOKED.
They seemed never. TO tire of writhing
and squirmng over each other-nOw rolling
into a ball of twenty-five or thirty. now
breaking away and wriggling about fever
ishly, now graphing with a neighbor and
being parted by third member OF the
order of worms"
They presented an animated appearance.
There was nothing sluggish in their nature.
Ii was lively indeed; but to look at them and
think of the amount OF Potomac water ami
mated by such objects or smaller ones. which
many. perhaps, had that day Ia ken into their
systems. would make the spinal vertebrae
quiver with cold chills.
Speaking of the wrigglers. Mr.. wicneke
said: Il and my family of wife and seven
children have suffered greatly from continual
fevers, which the doctor pronounced ma
laria. All efforts to cure 1t with malarial
cure failed. however. am satisfied it has
been caused by drinking the water full Of
these snakes"