The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-14
FIGHTS WATER BUGS.
A MAN ~ BOSTON WSo MAKES THAT
HIS BUSINESS

NhNhe u wv NNNaNN"r
The Iiod Piper who charmed away rats
and reptiles in olden times has faded into
a misty legend. but that successor Of his
still lives and does lourshing business
few people are aware, II is fact, how
ever. that in Boston there lives az the pres
ent time man who gets his living by
stamping out vermin OF every description.
He doesn so about as did his early prcde-
cessor, with curious costume and a mag
ic pipe, for his Instruments Of warfare are
all contained in neat leather satchel
Neither does he look bit like a magician
for he is quite young man, with blue
eyes and light muStache and hair. His
name is G. b. DE Lue, and his place Of
business is on crooked little alley known
as Avery street
He is a first rate. all round vermin hunt
er, but his speciality is the obnoxious wa.
ter bug first got his address from the
steward of one Of the hotels, from which
he had stampeded all the aforesaid bugs.
So sure is the hunter of his success that
he usually takes contract 10 rid the prem
Uses for certain length of time, say year.
l found him very pleasant and, rs
might be expected, we'll mp i'm the pecul
iarities and habits of the bugs In question.
"In the first place, - said he, there are
not so very many real cockroaches. They
are about two inches long and differ in
many particulars from the water bugs,
whose greatest length is only about three
quarters of an inch Cockroaches breathe /
from little openings all along their bodies, |
ten on each side. The scientific name is |
Periplaneat orientalis, and as the name /
implies, it came from the orient II is cal. /
culated that the first roach landed in Eng
land not more than 400 years ago. Since
then the family has come TO the front rap
idly, Although not on the passenger list,
they doubtless came over in the Mayfiower.
The water bug is "A variety with still
harder name, but is, no doubt, used TO
hard names
Mr.. De Luc goes cunning for them with
powder and gun. The powder is his own
invention and is as deadly as the far
famed Knockout drops upon the unsus-
pecting human victim. The gun is a bel
lows contrivance of mammoth proportions
He hunts the bugs by daylight, as they
are all then hidden away in crannics.
what would be the effect of dropping
a small pinch of powder upon single bug
placed upon the table,"
run to the edge. There are five or six diff
ferent ingredients, all of which are fatal.
They stick to the bugs feet and feclcrs,
and he poisons himself by drawing the lat
ter through his mouth 10 cleanse them. l
have spilled box of powder on the floor
and seen "a water bug walk into it and
drop in the middle of the heap. :
% For great hotel. one having countless ,
bathrooms and miles OF plumbing. | some
times use as much as 90 pounds of pow
Ter. You see, the bugs are originally from
warm climates, and they therefore stay
chiefly around the kitchen, where there IS I
,he most heat.
If | once thoroughly clcarout 4 private
house, not "a bug will be seen for a. many
is three years oftentimes Hotels do not
asst nearly 50 long, because they are con
SANITY bringing them in, often in the
straw in which wine is packed. etc.
The cockroach is the original rs 90 I adj z
'ocate The egg cases, which are laid with Il
farming frequency, are little brown G
'urses, about half an inch long. each CON I
aiming l6 little reaches no more. no less.
ackcd IN two rows a. neatlyuS cigarettes. ~
hey are white when Matched. but rauidly r
urn by exposure 20 the air The little wa =
ar bug i even more prolific. for his fam y
y increases at the rate Of from 30 to 40 at h
clip. 7
When the good old warship Minnesota h
rrlVcd in Boston and was turned over 10 s.
nc boys Of the naval brigade. they found n
ne vessel fairly swarming with large and =,
mall reaches. They could be scoorcd up
the handful Commander Weeks almost
lspalrtd OF rendering the ship habitable, u
lt sent for the bug hunter, and The roach- III
hnd bad day OF &c. None has been Il
en- sine. ii
Mr.. d Line was born in Maine, but has Ga
'ed Ia Boston Tor the last - years. He
as Tor many years connected with the o.
'tel ana restaurant business, and 10 was :.
wing 10 the difficulty of fighting these -
pheasant pests that be first started out "
solve the problem Ia
He had tried all the old fashioned rene pl
rs ana finally discovered this nonpoi- to
nous compound about six year, ago. He III
perlmented with il for three wears, and
ally, becoming convinced that it would
the work, started in 10 make bug kill
2 his business. He has from the first
jrked for all the notable Boston hotels q;
modestly does not claim 70 be the first IL
the business. "In the old DAYS" he ju
Ia, "A man could only take care of three I'll
four large houses. Now can attend to NJ
or 80 with no more difficulty. People IN
mt believe me when i tell them that 81
en- little egg sack really contains as =.
any "a 40 bugs, but held one once in 81
hand until it hatchcd with the heat sc
d then showed it TO the man was talk W
z 20. The first Of the little bugs were I'll
inning around looking for place to hide W
fore the last were ont Of the sack They nj
re little white spccks at first, hut then o.
G little folded legs opened out, and they
mmenccG % travel The eyes were tiny
1ck sUscks
20 hunting season is dullcst in
Id wccther. tne two months when bugs
e tAic'. t-i0G in September and Octo- pl
r. MEc-- 80. 49, SUCCESS il I'm stopping z
eeCiug. tsy s.r3li buqs are killed just
,oU. O. r-aG az c- s.s Fctohtd, and it's
5ta. @E"-t-1. % ~ lG Young ones as =.
he oid cole. I,., &C., s.sart and inteln. !, u
MT TOO C.,.h....-s yoJ win see them IL
mo ou- AID r yar H.jh their feel. OF
s waTing ir tn air. n CON make move
T them, they w'li die out ot sight.
mt surros- ths 0u,r.l public knows "
at the lite o. the average ccekrouch is at III
asst five year, az which age he is several n
lnGrcd timcfH grandfather and has about al
70 bushelsof descendants -. Boston Tor.