Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-25
RATS ABOARD SHIPS
THREE FERoclous SPECIES THArs
TRAVEL BY SEA.

tn way naG Gradually Drfyius
in english and tho Alexandrlan no
thiand - Ferce Canni.,a1,s,,,
10 h'"nK the Savage Anlrnal,. VA
IS , ,a'"re originally intended tbst a.
% GROW rat should have one ra,t ~ t ~
~ - ZOE aus habitation, the blncL raj -.
10 ). ~: Secs.on and the white bellied rol5a,,,ts
T. .h'ru division While these S,ra"t -. 9
hn,,.,, Wv trapped each other u little tbai,;
. Ava were pretty arbitrarily f1xad -.
,y.,t.s, oceans and other large bodies -
Il s,vi,n eo'ony OF powerful rats mipht
: 80. 80. ''ei"as The straits and cbennal-, 80
ni'''lhS two islands and Tins t.!-., ,s."op.
! NJ. y. . new country for their desceI,r1.
, A.. na' .hey could not hope to n,oss tha
- ~ or tactic and Journey ,,nafaa.s5
l'o'l' England to America or Yro,r, 4...a
eosHltry to Australia. oaAe
nbnnt ~ WIS thSit tho ships OF mon broupht#
h,,; H" 'l'e lirst great change in tho diser, &
fool ~ ~ ~, '"es' From the first the rats
fn,,,,., ~ Fps us ducks take to water. They
, grain, provisions and ,vatar -, -
800 VI 1Ac Old wooden ships of tvvc8,o,,.ss
"'es ago, and over since then ihey 49, &
th. IL race of hardy scamen that k1,a,,sS
r,r M, " 1ne ocean as we'll as any .TacI-$5
fnrth Ivy nave been travelling back and
.n,,.', W uh parts of tho earth for manrS
chance. =, ~" anu they have crcutcd great Il
TbIs na,,. VIC r"e population of the globe q
n,t;i ,' -, country never had any typicai rats
.io'' inc oid black English rat came 80 70
49,. o 'he shlps OF the early colonists 5S{i
,nccorolng to tho best autbcritios .b;.n
IT,, VI .tH,h'liy oaIno from Indi. fro,,, us
w. ,'' ,, 10 mas penetrated to ovcrv mart - Il
t the hanienolo globe. Wherever shins ~, "a
t,,u;a 'inot> r;'ts arc found In three can
lnn, n,,a ;, 'shlo Penetrated to every MAR, .sS
aa'i" una island OF tho tropical. tenn
anu anu. arctic zones. They have hecn,,.a ssSS4
.'ii'ar objects on all ships Tint
snn. CIV" 'heF arc tho wharf rats of everv Ss
Nj, ~ temperate regions tho Enplieh @
na, i'.e IS OF II blush black, but Fl tro,,-sS
IT, oouhlrics 1T is often several sb.,5aa, SS2:5
In IL Is about Scvon or cir NJ inohes s
than its body Az'on 1on ger 5#i
1 "a he'd undisputed sway on tbo sbtns o1 ;ss;
~ nv world $ commercial nayies ana 81. 3{ 58
uis.rlDutcu themselves over tho nrants, IVY
a'1.. ~ 1he wards surface Then yrnls,, 81
~ ,i.rio appeared upon tho seas anothar
nv " n,,sH materially from the blaoIr ST
,,,tt, ms allen creature had a black ho,,x,
WV, w..' "h,te belly Sometimes the ho,13.
tnro I,a I.4u , gray, which made the cren-
."io iooA larger and lercer than r. no IL S59s
was. A triflc larger and stron gnr ~
o pa rat Che white belliel or i lexanIria,. #
n.y., t.9' war upon tho English rotlenta 8Esgg;
.ae,. WOULD never ship upon the SANS 3s5SSEE
- .ncro would DO a,vnr to the death I
wharf. and the English black rats would -;
DO ruthlcssly destroyed. Thon the flercer
Alcxandrnn rats would sail away to un-
known ports. 1t soon became evident seS
that they liked warm countries, and ttYSy FEW
refused to land at any except q tropical sss
port Thus they have spread to nearly all 8Ss
tropical countries, especially IN SCUM sSs
America and our southern states, leaving s
tho colder countries for their black rivals
But more recently third race OF rats III
has appeared upon the ships, and these S
threaten to cxtermnnto aud displace both III
the biuck and Aloxandrian rodents This $@3
brown or Norway rat is u native OF China SS
and tho interior of Asia. 1t is huge, f
ferocious creature, and wherever 1T goes 10 ss
destroys all competitors and takes COM
p!eto possession Of the ships or Wharfs
In it's native land 1t is II large, powerful
rodent, and upon tho ships 1t attains oven #
a larger size. It's length is from eight to III
nine inches and it's body Is built on heavy
lines. Neither tho black nor AlexAndrian "a
rnt is any match FOR 1T So far this large Il
brown rat has extended Its dominion
largely over cold countries, and it has
come in contact chiefly with tho English
| black rat But in the warm countries Il;
whore it hns been nrtilicially introduced II i,
| Z
| Today the black rats arc not found IN NJ
| numbers on vessels sailing from any ports I
| where the brown or Norway rats have be-
| como established Gradually they are fe-S5
ing forced inland by their more powerful
enemies, and, while we find the brown
rats mostly on ships, along wharfs aHdE
in the sewers tho black rats are mot with
In houses under rafters and ceilings.
Ships leaving port for long cruise ex-s
| , lnf., raar n two haVAg
been known to come into port again with
, n cargo Of rats SO large that the seamenS
, were unable to put them down. OtheraS
) have been taken possession of by the rats:
and the sailors forced to abandon their
vessel Mt sea. So vorAcious and ferociouB;
. are the big brown rats that thcy do not;
. hesitate to attack tho sailors when ptnoh9d
for food Consequently, while the sailors
. like to have rats as company on board the
ship, they exercise precaution to limit
their numbers On sailing vessels that arc
out at sea for long time there are rat
" killing days, when all the sailors join
forces to destroy tho too numerous rodents.
"a The rats not only prove dangerous te
!. human life when allowed to multiply at
, will on shipboard, but they are Constant
" menace to the cargo
+ There is relentless cannloal1sm prac-
~, ticed among the rats themselves, and shls
- also helms to keep down their numbers.
n, Tho largest rats do not hesitate to xiii and
=. devour the weaker ones. Thus II the
~ English black rats were shipped aboard
u, with the big brown rats the latter would
of SOON kill tho former and eat then sim
-, i]arlv if a dozen brown rats were confinet
,st in !. cage tho stronger would socn ieyoul
tho weaker and then fight savagely among
themselves for supremacy. When driftlnl
shout upon tho seas on disabled wre &C,
n 1oNpnr from the SIN
tho the sailors lace u.ns .,,onani,,o. "a n
DAYS 30 by If the ship becomes water
80 logged, tho rats are forced to seek satet
~ op tho ,,Dner decks and, thus cut OFT fToI