The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-07
THE RAT DRIVER.

| Do.
Habitues Of Riverside Drive, between
Seventy-flfth and Eightieth streets, on
very sunny days have noticed a mid
dle-aged man carrying case which
| appears to be about three feet long by
| one foot deep and two feet wide. 1t is
| apparently black leather case with
an ordinary grip handle to the upper
part, and the man, seeking some unfre-
| quented piece of wall, generally one
of the embrasures, places his case on
the wall, smokes his pipe, and loiters
around. looking 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 rat catcher, or
rather a rat driver. He works only in
large warehouses. and does not touch
the smaller dwelling houses or flats ex
cept in rare cases.
He is Scandinavian whom nothing
will warm to conversation but his ma
tive tongue. His case Is wood on the
back, ends, and bottom, and wire on
the front and top. There are neat
spring shades which run down over
front and top. In this cage are eight
or ten large rats. If any one comes
near. down go the shades but as long
as the coast is clear the shades are up
and the rats are running around hask-
ing in the sunlight. If he takes you in
to his confidence. he will tell you that it
is with these rats he clears buildings.
The other day he said:
when was living in Stockholm the
large granaries were full Of rats, and a
reward was offered to clear them.
Many tried. Traps We're set by the
hundred. One man built room as
large as an ordinary parlor cased it
with tin, and fed the rats with oat-
meal scented with oil Of afliseed, grad
ually laying trains of this feed to tie
room until he had all the rats on
string. Then he fitted an automatic
drop to the entrance, and when his
rats were feeding he Gagged them all,
several hundreds. The first man who
did this went into the room with dogs
to kill them, and was nearly eaten him
self, like that farmer out west q few
weeks ago. The second man starved
and then poisoned his, but in q week
there were just as many rats Us ever;
the supply was inexhaustibls from the
river and quays. Poisoning was no
good because of the terrific smell, and
80 took the matter in hand.
II thought it over, and caaily set
: trap and caught some rats. THIN I
tied a piece of wire round their necks
to which slung little .inking brass
bell, and then I let the bell fingers
Eloose in the building they had been
caught in. They knew the runs, and
went to Join their freiends and rea-
} tiyes, who of course ran from the bells.
The more they ran the more ran the
J bell carriers, until the building was
} 'hoodoo' in rat language, and not a rat
! would enter.
IF could have lured back my bell
} carriers all would have been well; but
! familiarity breeding contempt, the rats
grew accustomed to them, and in a few
\ months were back again, and as huil1-
ing after building had been cleared by
this trick, there was not rat in the
city who did not know of the bells.
Then I tried tarring some rats with
!, strong smelling coal tar, which rats
cannot bear and will avoid if possible
and this answered for awhile, put a
= fire occurred, and a rat, tar-coated, ran
out of the blazing building with his fur
!, ablaze, and, going into another build
ing not in danger, set 1T on fre-wood
gets very dry in those nd buildings
!. over there-and so an ordinance was
4 passed prohibiting the use of tar
Il had made money and | cana to
y this country | did well for sore years
u but in the recent depression my capital
n ran short and I failed, so then / took
I to clearing business places of rats
again, and am doing quite well. The
7 first thing is to learn the lay of the
y building where the rats come from. If a
d grain elevator is near clear the eleva-
|. tor and trap those in the other places
|, Rats very seldom run around more
e than one building, except as an over
: flow. Then, having determined that
: point, try the tar, then the bell, and
d after that these fellows in the cage
s They are coated with luminous paint
d and being exposed to the sunlight
7. here, can be taken to a building to-
night, loosed, and will fly through the
n runs. spreading fear wherever they go
O and creating a stampede. If you have
r ever seek luminous paint effects ycu
Z can readily understand it. The great
, beauty of this plan is that the rats IL
a not live more than twenty -four tc
forty eight hours after a coating with
: this paint, so the novelty never wear
off 1t is a preparation of lime. which
I discovered for myself, and has to bf
), newly made and mixed like varnish
This closes the pores of the skin, an6
after chasing around to catch up witt
the flying relatives, the rat is il
: a sweat, and that finishes him, and
l. they never get used to it. Will a "a
y sweat? Well, you cage rat and Their
let a terrier roll the cage around for 6
II few minutes, and you will see rat a:
e damp as If dipped into pail of water
i I get as high as $40 month for keep
II ing some places in this city clear o.
y rats, and I work several other cities a:
e well. The only thing am afraid of Il
the Society prevention of Cruelty tt
/ Animals), but 1 have nearly mad,
e, enough to start in my own, business
again, and then will cease rat driv
e ing. Sell my business? Ne; 1 ma.
want again in this city of ups ant
l. downs. New York Sun.
Is Mrs. L. G. Fowler of Henry street
East Norwalk, was called to this cit.
Friday on account of the serious Hines