The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
SKYSCRAPER FIRE SNAKES.
LESSON IN NATURAL HISTORY FOL
4 POLICE SERGEINT

One of the Spectators ut the Big Brondrny
'Blazc Went to the oak street station
and Told the Desk Man Some MARVEL
ious Things About II in Great Detail.
He was drunk. the drunkcst man that
ever came into the Oak street police station un.
assisted according to Acting Sergeant VII.
bur, and he ought to know. having been there
for many years. 1t was at 4 o'clock in the
morning, aud the man had natural history in
formation to iupart.
Say. Sarge he said. Its the blastedest
thing you over seen. II beats everything. just
think. n vo cano s~routing right on Broadway.
lava and ashes rolling up and manufactured
and the frcmcn trying to put It out. Dye ever
hear u volcano laugh? Say, wouldn't it bruisO
youy'
What 2" asked the Sergeant.
why. the volcano on Broadway. Now, say.
I'll tell you straight how It happened. l was
coming down broadway, humminE a pretty
little song, you know:
"Rock.a.by baby
On the ~trcCtol,
When the bough bends
II goes fippity flop
Would you believe IL? There was n glowing
In the middle Of the building the next block be.
low Chambers. 1 suspected It was a volcano.
Red and rcdder. and then little specks of light.
4 little smoke, torked topped, crooked backed
anu WlHRtu, cullt Grouping UP through INC
grating there and writhcd away down Warren
street. Say, / knew the beast. l did. 1t was
Just like the ones that live in all volcanoes. I
seen EN-. Lord helm mel But 1t WINS awful
Then some moro came. They stuck their
heads out Of the g%ratings. out of the cracks and
%crevices, they danced ON their tails. they stood
on their heads: some were black. some red.
some black and red, and pretty quick there
were white ones. Little bits of ones they were.
reckless little devils, too. What IL the dime
museums had got hold of them? watched
and shivcred. A policeman came by runningS
another, too. l went closer and inside. Obi
Oh! Then one snake came over to the plate-
glass window. He had a red head, O black
neck and a thousand tails. Crashen janklei
Down went the glass and out jumped the ties
and suspenders and dress-suit cases. That
reptile curlcd back out of sight and plunged into
the crater in the floor.
Away back in all was pink and red. There
were black pillars and hummocks. and pretty.
soon little snakes were curling up the pillars
aud playing across the tops of the hummocks,
Only one big snake had come. He was the one
that broke the glass. / looked and looked. and
the longer ! stayed the bigger the snakes got.
Pretty soon they began to go out the rear of the
building. Chunky. rod ones fled down the
%US they ' cciiimiSScadi' 'tthi through the St"H tio %res and
played around on the top floors. in and out the
room. dancing from window to window and
each Other or'' Tag! SSS re %'t IT, e they saaShidf. and
then ran with a dozen more snakes trailing
played that way for a little while, then one got
angry7,a big streaky red and black one-and II
and sIuirmed down the treettogethe Kissing.
md M G6wS came nnd a rom more CROSS from sfrn up Broadway sn% WAY
rolled and twisted. and their scales sSrnumtbissdd
on the pavement: oh. what n sight! All the
streets full of Just such as live in all volcanoes,
Did Won snp thnin , Ohio FIp.o uesfic,toI ;a \
Wasn't it wonderful ?'
Never heard Of EN-" said Wilbur.
What? Not heard of the snakes that live
to know all about them. They live in voica-
the Gl%acialis contortrir which lives in icebergs
and glaciers. Say. Sarge. you missed an ele-
uG here on Broadway. GOSH YOU did.
81 watched them. One started out the top
story OF the little building. came turning down
bottom. Think of it four stories long and the
lead and tail out OF sight. Lots more stuck
around there were painting .Ftne.os, and they
reached half a block or a block all the time.
and hitched themselves in and out like angle-
worms. But it vast anything to what was
The crater was away behind down. out Of
came out 81 it fa and RI role" up into the SKY a WAYS
always with little red snakes in 1t. BY and
by there wac a whole cage full OF them started
~ $3.50 WY "NhN 'iShb ~ t"C S,p, .bto
walls and over them. away out Of sight into
things right near the City Han in New York;
don't know: thonghaand by and by there
heaving and waving and kissing, | shook all
over. You heard bout those snake balls they
find out at Port Jervis and Pennsylvania They \
amt a circumstance to ours here tonight. 10 :
window stills of the big building and wiggled
around there and crawled inside. and pretty
soon some came and stuck their heads out the
front windows. Some i saw going in on one I
side. their tails hanging down out of sight and
their heads sticking out the front window. 4
every window and a lot OF little ones cling |
ing all around each, Of them, and sometimes
we could Sc" WOO rthree fighting for a window
inside. and we could hear them hiss and see
their heads fly. and some got jammed in the
windows and there couldn't any get out and
they Just stayed there. showing all their white
and yellow and black teeth till there couldn't
ard twisting black tails"
An right, doctor. he's the man." said Sergt.
Wilbur. mud the man was taken to the rear
room to be examined. The usual verdict was
he was Burt Cherbeck. 81 years old. and that
he lived in the Cana. lodging house.