The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-14

New York Rodents Have Been In
dulEing Freely in sweets.

rom the New YORK Tribune.
Animal destinstry has been praeticed
more or less extensively in the last few
years and if the rats of the East river
had the attention they require in this ,ii-
reeton it would probably prove 70 be
most lucrative branch of the dental pro
iession According 10 the men employed
about the ferry houses on the river the
rats are in danger of losing their teeth.
and all through the excessive eating of
cauoy and other sweets The men who
pretend 10 be posted on the subject do nor
Know whether tile inordinate desire which
the rats have lately evinced for confec-
uonefy is natural or The result Of an ac-
CURED taste, but they are inclined to the
latter theory one man has gone so far
as TO say That ne believes the rats got
their taste for sweets through seeing so
many young women munching candy
While waiting i'm The ferry houses for abe
boats. Be this as ii may. the ferry hands
declare that the rodents have got the taste
and got 4 bad at ihae The result is
that a war of determination has been de-
clared on the rats, but as yet it cannot be
saidAtO have been highly successful in de
creasng their number.
In all the ferry houses there are stands
where various articles of merchandise are
sold, largely including candies, popcorn
Bdlle, uldpie sugar ana SuCn Things. III
Ia te the rats according to the ferrymen
have become the biggest customers of the
stands, although not the best ones, be-
cause, while they consume vast quantities
of the sweets, they pay nothing for them.
They even add insult 10 injury by giving
the merry "Ha, ha"' TO the hard working
young men who tend the stands and who
depend upon share of the profits for
livelihood. The house rat has always had
the reputation of being cut little fellow
with a remarkably sharp eye for business
but if the ferrymen are to be believed he
cannot hold a candle to the rats of the
East river
Last night as the reporter entered the
Thirty-fourth street ferry house at an
hour when all honest people but police
men and reporters are supposed to he in
bed he heard a series of strange noises is
suing from the candy stand, accompanied
by an occasional squeak
The little rascals are laying in their
nightly supply of good things" said the
ticket chopper as he walked up to the
stand and gave il a few vigorous knocks
This was followed by pattering of many
feet. which showed that while they may
have been small, they we're by no means
noiseless.
"Them's veterans them is" said anoth-
or man in the ferry-house, a 9 he borrowed
a match from the ticket seller Them
rats is biggern cats and cutter than the
Mazet Committee"
why don't they catch them?" ventured
the reporter.
Catch 'em" replied the man in scorn-
full tone; why don't yer go out and catch
a handful of stars some night when Yer
got a little time off? Some of them rats
are oldern you are an gray as badgers
They are losing their teeth, though, chew
ing snow-balls.'
just then a lively commotion was heard
in the candy stand and lots of things
must have gone rafting down from the
shelves The stand had been boxed in and
locked up by the attendant before he went
home. so all the ferrymen could do was
to bang on the outside to frighten the
thieving rodents away
"I'l bet them rats eat ten pounds of can
dy every night" said the well-posted man
as he continued to dilate upon their evil
propensties.
THE other day a woman gave the new
man who is tending the stand on the other
side of the river the greatest laying out
a man ever got. She said that she had
bought a box of candy to take to her sis
ter's children and when she got to the
house there was nothing but pieces of pa
per in the box. The candy man said he
didn't see how that could be. Was there
a little hole in the box, marin? he asked
There was said the woman Then it
was rats what got yer candy, marm.' he
added.
Il remember when I was helping repair
the dock over there and we came on a
nest of the rats the man went on.
We'll" he said, TN wager we got
barrel of candy out of It, There was
about four pounds of lollypops. 200 pop
corn balls. seventeen bars of maple sugar,
half a bushel of cream chocolates and
mixed candies by the bucketful."