Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-05-05
HE IS A RAT DRIVER.
LUMINOUS PAINT SUCCEEDS WHERE
EELLS, TAR AND TRAPS FAILED.

Warehouses and Other Concerns Around
New York of Troublesome Rodents-Hc.
gan the Business In Stockholm.
Haibtres of Riverside drive, between
Seventy-ffth and Eightieth streets, on
very sunny days have noticed a middle
aged man carrying a case, which ap-
pears to be about three feet long by one
foot deep and two feet wide. 1t is ap.
part ntly a black leather case with an
ordinary grip handle to the upper part,
and the man, seeking some %unfrequent-
ed piece Of wall, generally one of the
embrasures, places his case on the wall,
smokes his pipe and letters around, look
ing at the ever changing river and its
traffic. If others come around, he moves
on, but if not he may stay there from
two to three hours in the full sun. He
is a rat catcher, or rather a rat driver.
He works. only in large warehouses and
does not touch the smaller dwelling
houses or fats except in rare cases.
He is a Scandinavian whom nothing
will warm to conversation but his ma
tive tongue. His case is wood OH the
back, ends and bottom and wire on the
front and top. There are neat spring
shades which roll down over frcnt and
top. In this cage are eight or ten large
rats. If any one comes near, down so
the shades, but as long as the coast is
clear the shades are up and the rats are
running around basking in the sunlight.
If he takes you into his confidence, lie
will tell you that it is with these rats
he clears buildings. The other day lie
said:
"When l was living in Stockholm,
the largo granaries We're full Of rats,
ard a reward was offered 10 clear them.
Many tried. Traps were set by the
hundred.
Zone man built q room as large as an
ordinary l-Tlor, cased it with tin and
fed the rats with oatmeal scented with
oil Of aniscod. gradually laying trains
of this feed to the room until he had all
the rats on a string. Then he fitted al
automatic drop to the entrance, and
when his rats were feeding lie Gagged
them all. several hundred. The first
man who did this went into the room
with dogs to kill them and was nearly
eaten himself, like that farmer out west
a few weeks ago. The second man
starved and then poisoned his, but in a
week there were just as many rats as
ever, The supply was inexhaustible
from the rivers and quays. Poisoning
was no good because of the terrific
smell, and so l took the matter in hand.
Il thought it over and finally set a
trap and caught some rats. Then | tied
a piece CT wire round their necks, to
which l slung a little tinkling lrass
bell, and then l let the bell ringers
loose in the building they lad been
caught in. They knew the run and
went to join their friends and relatives,
who of course ran from the bells. The
more they ran tho moro ran the bell
carriers, until tho building was hoo
doc in rat language and not a rat
would enter.
eff l could have lured back my bell
carriers, all would have been we'll; but,
familiarity breeding contempt, the rats
grew accustomed to them and in a few
months were lack again, and as build
ing after building bad been cleared by
this trick there was not q rat III the city
who did not know of the bells. Then l
tried t~arring some rats with strong
smelling coal tar, which rats cannot
bear and will avoid if possible, and this
answered for awhile, but a fire occurred,
and a rat, tar coated, ran out OF the
blazing building with his fur ablazc
and, going into another building not IN
danger, set it on fire-wood gels very
dry in those old buildings over there
and so an ordinance was passed prohlb-
iting tho use Of tar.
II had made money, aud | came to
this country. l did well for some years,
but in tho depression my capital ran
short and l failed; so then l took to
clearing business places of rats again
and am doing quito we'll. The first
thing is to learn tho lay of the building
where the rats come from. If a grain
elevator is near, clear the elevator and
trap those in the other places. Rats very
seldom run around more than Il build
ing, except as an overflow. Then, hay
ing determined that point, try the tar,
then the bell, and after that these fell
lows in tho cage. They are coated with
luminous paint, and being exposed to
the sunlight here can be taken to a
building tonight, loosed and will fly
through the runs, spreading fear wher-
ever they go and creating a stampede.
If you havo ever seen luminous paint
effects, you can readily understand 1t.
The great beauty of this plan is that the
rats do not live more than "a to 40
hours after q coating with this paint, SO
the novelty never wears off, 1t is a prep
aration of lime, which | discovered for
myself, and has to be newly made ana
mixed like a varnish. This closes the
pores of tho skin, and after chasing
around to catch up with tho flying rela-
tives the rat is In a sweat, and That mn
ishes him, and they never get used to 1t.
Will q rat sweat? Well, you cage a rat,
and then let a terrier roll the cage
around for q few minutes, and you Will
see q rat as damp as if dipped into a
pail of water. l get as high as $50 a
month for keeping some places IN this
city clear of rats, and l work several
other cities as we'll. The only thing l am
afraid of is tho society prevention OF
Cruelty to Animals), but l have nearly
made enough to start in my own busl'
ness again, and then l will cease raj
driving. Sell my business? No, may
want again in this city OF ups ano
downs. New York Sun.