Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-29
RATS ABOARD SHIPS,
THREE FERocIous SPECIES THAT
.,a TRAVEL BY SEA,
Tho Huge Norway Rat Gradually Driving
the English and the Alezandrian Ko-
dents Inland Fierce CannibaIis,n
Among the Savage Animals.

Nature originally intended that tho
brown rat should have one part Of the
earth for its habitation, the black rat an
other section and the white bcllied rodents
= third division. While these great ma
sions oycrlnppcd each other little, their
boundaries were pretty arbitrarily fixed bv
tho great oceans and other large bodies of
water. A colony of powerful rats might
swim across the straits and channels sep.
arating two islands and thus take posses
sion OF II new country for their descend
ants, but they could not hope to cross tho
Atlantic or Pacific and journey unai,led
from England to America or from this
country to Australia.
So it was that the ships of men brought
about tho first great change in tho ,listri-
button Of rats. From the first tho rats
took to ships AS ducks take to water They
found grain, provisions and water in tho
hulls of the old wooden ships of two CEN
turtles ago, and over since then they have
reared race of hardy sean,cn that know
tho ways of tbs ocean as we'll ;,s any lack
Tar. They havo been travelling back and
forth to all parts of the earth for MANY
centuries now, and they have created great
changos in the rat population of the globe.
This country never had any typical rats
until the old black English rat came over
hore on tho ships of tho curly coluuists.
dent originally came from India, from
which it has penetrated to every part of
tho habitab!o globe. Wherever ships go
these black rats uro found In three cen
turtles they have penetrated to every main
land and island of tho tropical, tom prruto
md arctic zones They lave become ia
Inilinr objects on all ships that traverse tho
seas, and they arc tho wharf rats of every
seaport. In temperate regions tho English
black rnt is of " BLUSH black, but in trop-
icnl countries it is often several shades
lighter. 1t is about seven or eight inchos
long, with II tail about ono inch longer
than it's body.
For two centuries this English black
rat held undisputed sway on tho ships OF
the worlds commercial nuvics, and they
distributed themselves over tho ereatec
pnrt of the worlds surface. Thun yr:.d,l
ally thoro appeared upon the seas another
rat, differing materially from tho black
rat. This alien creature had II black body
with white belly. Sometimes the body
WAS reddish gray. which mntlo tho crea.
ture look larger and ficrccr than it really
was A triffo larger and stronger than the
black rat the white bclletl or AlcxantIriau
rat mndo war upon tho English rodents
Tho two would never ship upon tho same
vessel. There would bo n war to the death
before tho ship left port and after that
tho successful race would hold undsputcd
sway on that particular vessel This new
race.of rats camo from the tropical coun
tries. Every ship that started from Gala.
pages, Keeling or Ascension island wac
sure to carry away with it a company of
the white boiled rats. They would board
tho ship ms soon as she was tied up at the
wharf, and the English black rats would
bo ruthlessly destroyed. Then the tlercer
Iris rntc Il
known ports. 1t soon became evident
CHAT they liked warm countries and they
refused to Tatnsd ut any except /. tropical
port. Thus they h1ss$Se spread to nearly all
tropical countries. eslE. in South
America and our southern STRESS leaving
the colder countries for their black ri vssfn.ls.
But moro recently a third race of rats
has appeared upon the ships, and these
Threaten to exterminato and dispIace both
the black and Alexnndrian rotaents This
brown or Norway rat is native Of China
and the interior of Asia. 1t is hugo,
ferocious creature, and wherever it goes 1t
destroys all competitors and takes com
plete possession of the ships or wharfs.
In It's native land 1t is large, powerful
rodent, and upon the ships it attains oven
lnrger size Its length is from eight to
nine inches and its body is built on heavy
lines. Neither the black nor Alexandrian
rat Is any match for it. So far this large
brown rat has extended its dominion
largely over cold countries, and it has
como in contact chiefly with tho English
black rat. But in tho warm countries
where it has been artifcally introduced it
has quickly supplanted nll rivals
Today the black rats arc not found in
numbers on vessels sailing from any ports
where the brown or Norway rats have be-
oil
ing forced inland by their more powerful
enemies, and, while we find the brown
rats mostly on ships, along wharfs and
IN tho sewers, tho black rats are met with
In houses under rafters and ceilings
Ships leaving port for long cruise ex
tending over u period of q year or two have
been known to come into port again with
cargo of rats SO large that the sea,nen
were unable to put them down. Others
have been taken possession of by tho rats
and the sailors forced to abandon their
vessel at sea. So voracious and ferocious
are the big brown rats that they do not
hesitate to attack the sailors when Punched
for food Consequently, while the sailors
IKE to have rats ms company on board the
ship, they exercise precauton to limit
their numbers On sailing vessels that are
out at sea for IL long time there are rat
killing days, when all tho sailors join
forces to destroy the too numerous rodents.
The rats not only prove dangerous to
human life when allowed to multiply at
VIII on shipboard, but they are constant
menace to the cargo.
There is relentless cannibalism prac-
ticed among the rats themselves, and this
also helps to keep down their numbers.
The largest rats do not hesitate to kill and
devour the weaker ones. Thus If the
English black rats were shinped ahonra
with the big brown rats the latter would
soon Kill the former and eat them Sim
iiarly If q dozen brown rats were confined
III cage tho stronger would soon devour
the weaker and then fight savngcly among
themselves for supremacy. When drifting
about upon tho seas on a disabled wreck,
the sailors face q danger from tho shin
rats that grows moro menacing as the
days go by. If the ship becomes water
logged, the rats are forced to seek safety
on the upper decks and, thus cut off from
k,.~yu F~~