Washington sentinel., 1898-02-05
A Pied Piper OF HameIin Wanted.
Birmingham DaiG Post

The question now exercising the
minds OF shopkeepers and others
who occupy premises adjacent to
the Birmingham old Meat Market
is, What will become Of the rats7
1t is common knowledge that the
old sham5les in Gloucester street
aud in the passage running be-
tween that thoroughfare and the
old market have been infested
with rats tor many years. They
have bred there literally in thou.
sands, despite many attempts, indi-
ViduallY and collectively, to keep
them under. This statement is no
exaggeration. AS recently as
Christmas Eve over two hundred
rats were taken alive on one
butchers premises, and on another
day a hundred were caught in an
other slaughter house. To use the
words OF a wholesale butcher, the
place is alive with them When
the premises were all occupied,
abundance of food for the vermin
was provided by the offal of the
slaughtered ANIMALS, but since
the removal Of many dealers to the
new market in Bradford street, the
food supply of the rats has run
short, a condition of things they
scarcely appreciate. Grown bold
through hunger they are to be
seen in the old market running
over the floor in search Of iood,
driven to eat orange peel. and
fighting for that; and during the
week their presence has attracted
large number of sightseers, in
fact, it is the exception not to see
a crowd around the iron gates Of
the building both in Jamaica Row
and Dean street. AS sbopkeeper
near by put it, "There have been
hundreds OF people watching hun
dreds OF rats all the week" Many
Of the Vermin have commenced 10
migrate, and already some Of the
stall keepers in the Vegetable
Market are beginning to grumble.
One gentleman informed us that
rats had oeen nuisance enough be-
fore to him, and he did not know
what he could do if hundreds Of half
starved ones invaded the market.
On many occasions previously
annoyance and trouble had been
caused through the sides and bot
toms Of bags having been gna we'd
away, allowing the contents to
spill on the ground. The individ
ual in question was strongly ofthe
opinion that some action should
be taken by the authorities with a
view to the determination, or at
any rate the dimin ution, OF the
pests; and" added he, now is a
fitting time to wage war on them. F"
The objection to the authorities
taking action as regards the old
Slaughter houses, where the rats
abound, is that they are private
property; but seeing that the old
market is unoccupied for the
greater part of the week, and that
the rats frequent there, traps,
snares, or even poison might be
used, or other steps taken TO rid
the place Of the rodents, and to
prevent their migration TO sur
rounding premises, or possibly
even to the new Meat Market it.
self. They will scarcely find the
last named place SO congenial for
thriving and multiplying as he
old slaughter houses by reason OF
the concrete floors They may gel
there, and doubtless some Of them
will do so, but in the absence oi
secure hiding places they will run
the risk OF being easily caught anc
killed. That, at any rate, is the
opinion OF the market authorities
However one looks at the matter
there can be 70 doubt that the de-
So rted rats threaten to be serious
nuisance to the neighborhOod, anc
several shopkeepers and dealers
have already taken steps to secure
their premises against the entranc'
OF the vermin--an example which
might we'll be followed hy otheri
ere it is too late. The Pied Pipe
Of Hamelin might do better here
than he did in the ole German
town near Brunswick. Il is no
only in the vicinity OF the old Mea
Market that they are 70 be found
for they swarm in other Dlace
nearer the Centre Of the city, ant
have been something more than l