The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-16

out building stone in an old quarry hole
on Snake Hill a few days ago when they
put in a blast Of giant powder, which
they calculated would throw out at least
a hundred tons of rock. There was con-
siderable ice in the hole, and. as it was
chilly and damp, they had lighted a fire
near where they were working. After fill
ing a creVasse with forcite, they retired
several hundred feet away and exploded
the blast by an electric fuse. The amount
of rock thrown out by the tremendous eX-
plosion met their expectations. but with
it there came out OF the ice-nlled crevasse
a queer-looking mass that looked like a
huge ball of rubber hose. As 1t rolled
down the hillside toward the fire it shed
short pieces all along its path. 1t proved
to be a mass OF alternating reptiles, which
had been imprisoned in the crevasse in the
rocks by the ice, and which had been re-
leased by the blast.
Them is some snakes. bgosh! ex-
claimed JOSH" as she pushed the mass
into the fire with a shovel.
Then the snakes, which the quarrymen
declare were frozen solid. began a great
sputtering, and in minute the fire was a
twisting, squirming mass of snakes. Aft
er a few seconds of thrashing and convuls-
i've wiggling. snakes began to crawl out
of the fire in all directions. The quarry
men had cut stout hickory switches to fight
them with, and a big ring-neck racer that
wiggled out of the fire and started for a
clump OF bushes was killed with a sharp
swish from a switch. When stretched out
this snake measured fourteen feet in
length.
The next reptile to crawl out was a
venomous pilot, or copper-head. He did
not get clear from the wriggling mass be-
fore he was dispatched in the same man
ner as the black snake had been. BY this
time snakes were unfolding themselves
from the bah and crawling feebly In very
direction, their kissing sounding like es-
Gaping steam from a locomotive. For
fully twenty minutes the steady swish
swish OF the switches sounded until the
last reptile IN sight was slaughtered, and
the ground In the neighborhood OF the FIRE
was carpeted with dead serpents. The
collection included the giant black water
snake or racer, the Venomous copperhead
pun adders. gray addcrs. the pretty strip
ed and spotted as well as harmless garter
and milk snakes and several horn-tail adj
deds. known about here varlously as sting
ing adders, vipers or hoop snakes. The
thirty-four snakes killed ranged from two
TO fourteen feet In length, the big racer
being first killed, no doubt the dean OF the
flock. How many snakes escaped from
tho bah into the bushes and holes IN the
rock Is not known. There must also have
been half a dozen or more blown to pieces
hy the blast judging from tile pieces Of
flesh which the quarrymen found.
The farmers around Esopus are much
stirred up over the discovery Of the snake
mine. because OF their friendlinoss for
snakes. Since they began to raise small
fruits they have carefully fostercd the
snake tribe. because they know the
snakes feed on moles. field mice. bugs and
beetles which are so destructive to straw
berry plants and other small fruit plants.
They are much iucensed against the quar-
rymen. who blew open the snake den. be-
cause they believe the snake crop win be
short next summer.