Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-01-20
A DESTRUCTIVE PEST.
IRON Gables sometimes sundered by the
White Ant


ment from our Paris correspondent
the swamps of Tonquin have proved
fatal even to telegraphic cables.
Professor Bowler has been describ-
ing to the Academy of Science how
the insects in that undesirable pos
session have been embarrassing the
engineers. 1t appears that a wire
was laid in Tonquin in the year
1894. AS the ground was marshy,
it was made up into a cable, as it
for submarine purposes. The copper
wires were surrounded with an in
sulating material probably gutta
percha and this was inserted in an
envelope of cotton and jute BY
way of making everything secure,
it was inclosed within a lead pipe.
But hardly had year gone by
when the cable showed signs of be-
ing defective and it was found nee
essary to replace it. The protecting
envelope had been pierced again and
again by the attacks of termites
and it's insulation destroyed.
These termites, or white ants, are
the pests of many tropical countries
Certainly the wise king, had he
thought of them, would never have
sent the sluggard to the ant for a
moral lesson. An excess of energy
may be more mischievous than the
spirit of ''rest and be thankful "
Perhaps, however, as Solomon is
said to have been an adept in nat
ural history, he would have replied
that he was not responsible for the
misnomers of the future genera
tons. The destructive termite is,
in fact, not true ant, and has no
real connection at all with that
model of brisk yet patient industry.
Indeed they are generally put SO far
apart as to be classed in different
orders, but in many Of their habits
the termites resemble the true ants.
Some species build conelike mounds,
raising them to height of 5 or 6
feet and constructing in the hard
mud an elaborate system of cham
bers and galleries. Others burrow
into wood These are the terror of
the householder. Posts and beams
are riddled by them; chairs and ia
bles are converted into a hollow
mockery, for the creatures work
away at the interior, leaving the
outside undisturbed
The termite is not very particular
as to what it attacks Though soft
bodied creature, it's jaws seem to be
fairly hard. Not only furniture,
but also books, papers, clothing,
cord almost anything about
house except the bricks and the NOR
tar, the states and the glass are
food for it's ravenous NAV. The cop
per in the French cable, of course,
was too much for it although Pro
lessor Bouvier stated that leaden
bullets sent to the Crimea during
the war were perforated by some
insects but the wire became worth
less when it's insulation was destroy
ed. The leaden pipe, however, pre-
sented no difficulty. Probably it
was but roughly laid, being only
meant for general purposes of pro
lection.
Chinks would occur here and
there, and an army of termites
would soon effect Judgment with
in the fortifcation. The rope and
the gutta percha they would not
find much to their taste, and would
be no more affected by the passing
current than are the birds which
perch on the overhead wires.
The termite no doubt has it's as
sailants, such as spiders and toads,
lizards, goat suckers and bats. We
imagine that in TonqUin people
must look almost affectionately even
on the first two of these, but the in
sects increase and multiply so fast
for the female is a regular egg
laying machine that it will be
many day before these destructive
little creature disappear from trop-
ical countries Submarine cables
have been attacked by the teredo
and other boring creatures, but these
can be defeated by sundry devices,
one being to prepare the rope with
solution in which fine sand is mix
ed, but the termite would probably
be able to deal even with this. Pro-
fessor Bowler advises the use of
sulphate of copper. If the cable be
STEPPED in this, he believes even the
termite will decline it as an article
of iet.-London Sentinel
Durinpr the I'm