The evening times., 1898-12-03
NOTHING BUT SNAKES.
They Are the Sole Product of N
FIourishing Oregon Town

{Frum the Sar Francisco Chronicle)
''I.inkville," or klamath Falls is sit
uated In an obscure corner over the Cali
fornia border line in Oregon. and may
be reached in twenty-four hours travel
from San Francisco. You have only 10
take the northern-bOuDd train for ASer,
thence a stage line of about twenty
miles conducts you to your destination.
IL Is impossible to associate snakes"
with the beautiful and varying scenery
through which you pass as far as hla-
math Hot Springs. Trees and streams
and all the glories of mountain scenery
greet you on every hand You drive
through luxurious growth of ever
greens and shrubbery; you cross and re-
cross numerous streams; you breathe the
soft air of Shasta and Siskiyou. But
when you have left Klamath Hot Springs
d few miles behind, there is an apprecia-
BILE difference in the landscape. Sparsity
of vegetation is the first observable
change At every turn of the road the
aspect becomes more barren, more for
lorn. and more desolate. Finally, you
seek in vain for a tree or shrub, and at
last, dust-covered and weary, you pull
up at a dry, withered village that pco-
duces nothing on its hard, rocky soil but
revolving snakes. You have reached Link
vile, the haunting retreat OF serpents.
There IS a bridge in LinkVtlle that
spans Klamath River. From this bridge,
which is a vantage point as far as View
is concerned a most extraordinary sight
meets the eye. Along the river banks.
at irregular intervals of a few yards,
are seen dark balls ranging from foot
to three feet in diamter. They are sta
tionary and as passive as boulder,
which they resemble in color. But if
stone is hurled at any OF these strange
l. IL ~
off in every direction. and the ball will
melt away as lard melts in a frying pan.
The repulsive creatures that have thus
been coiled " in a perfect sphere glide
away under rocks and one minute ater
not a snake is TO be seen in that partic-
ular spot But the other balls of snakes
in the vicinity are little disturbed by the
stone. A close inspection Will reveal ony
a moving head or tWitching tail in the
mass that before looked like an i'm
movable boulder. Those that were
scattered however, may later seek the
neighboring spheres or in a few minutes
stink out of their hiding places and re-
assemble themselves in balls.
As has been said, Linkville is a very bar
rem district. Nothing whatever grows up
on the rocky soil not even sagebrush. And
so the river banks, which are mass of
ting place for snakes. But il is surprising
that they should develop in such great
numbers. When not rolled in balls they
may be seen slipping in and out among
the rubbish. and the ground for yards
will be squirming. wriggiing mass
These snakes are perfectly harmless. In
deed if il were not for this fact. Linkville
would not be habitab.e, for, while the i'm
mediate neighbortood of the river is their
dreds of yards away. and may be seen
along the roadways and around the
houses and creeping over the porches.
They possess marked degree of tame
ness. You may pick them UP with i'm
punity. and children play with them on
the doorsteps.
The Linkville snakes are dark in color
with two yellowish stripes on their backs.
The average size is about an inch and a
half in diameter and a yard in length,
though many are smaller and some attain
much greater proportions.