The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-13
A PEST OF MUskRATS.
They Eat Away the Larger Part Of . Dsn
and Steal Apples.

| They Eat Away the Larger Part Of . Dam
and Steal Apples.
A new dam is building at the big mill
pond upon which the Ocean mills are
situated, near Oakhurst, in Ocean coun-
| ty, n. j. Muskrats, which inha bit this
part of the country in large numbers,
| had burrowed through the dam to such
an extent that it had become unsafe.
Oakhurst is q typical south Jersey
country Village remarkable for nothing
in particular except its muskrats. Nu-
merous ponds from springs are found \
few miles outside of the village, and
here the muskrats SWARM. On the
shores Of the largest OF these ponds,
known as Van Guder's, are the Ocean
mills. The waters OF tho pond are kept
from running away in useless streams
by large dam which for the last half
a century has been the playground for
al tho boys of the nc;Shborhood-
This pond YES fairly alive with musk
! rats. Ii vas no uncommon thing to see
ten or q ysogen OF them summing them
selves on the logs OF The dam. and every
spring when the rising waters drove
them from their holes the banks were
fairly alive with them. The presence
Of SO many OF these animals led to
the establishment OF an industry
Of which Alexander Ludlam was the
head. BE and his colleagues hunted
muskrats continually. but the supply did
not diminish. If Ludlam wanted a few
new skins he would station himself
near Van elders dam, across which the
road ran, and wait until the animals
showed themselves between the logs.
Time and again the farmers about the
pond have been awakened late at night
by the mill hands to assist in stopping
up some leak in the dam, through which
the water threatened to tear its way to
the damage Of the farms below. Year
after year the mill owner has been COM
PEELED to make repairs, but the reason
for the continual wear never appeared
clear to him until recently he dfscov-
cred that the colony of puskrats had be.
come so large that great holes were be-
ing eaten In the dam and only a few pill
ings remained TO hold back the water.
He had several hundred carloads Of
dirt dumped intothe center of the dam
between the supports and for time the
muslrats were quiet. They soon grew
active, however, and were just as great
a NUISANCE as ever.
The farmers received another alarm
a few weeks ago, when Alexander Lud-
lam, while waiting Tor rnnskrats, no.
ticed the water breaking through the
logs in stream that promised to in
crease to a food If not stopped i'm
mediately. Twenty or more farmers
turned out and stopped the break tenn
porarily, and then the water was let |
out Of the pond through the sluiceway.
Investigation of the dam showed that |
500 or 400 muskrats had beds there,
and when their hiding place was re-
vcaled they scampered away in all di-
rections. There was a general muskrat |
drive that day and scores of them were
killed. Now the sides Of the banks of |
the pond looks like a perforated earth
work, while the muskrats are seeking |
new quarters.
An investigation showed that the |
nuskrats had burrowed into the dirt |
banks to such an extent that these were
entirely too weak. and new dam would
have to be built. Since the old dam has
been torn away the farmers about the
neighborhood have been subjected to
more or less petty thieving. which they
attribute to muskrats. After endeay-
oring for week to find out who was
stealing his apples. Albert McLees set
a trap near the apple cellar, and next
morning had a fine big muskrat The
next day he traced the muskrat's tracks
to small stream which runs through
his farm, and found the larger part OF
his missing apples.--N. Y. Sun.