The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29
FOUGHT TWO HUGE PYTHons.
Keeper in the Philadelphia Zoo Badly
Bruised in a Fierce Struggle.

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From the Philadelphia Inquirer
Life in darkest Africa rarely fur
nishes an adventure more fraught with
danger, more exciting while it lasted.
than that which befell keeper at the
geological gardens yesterday. 1t was a,
struggle for life, with two snakes pitted
against man, and the man barely
came off winner In the glass bound
cage, in sight of hundreds of people, the
fight took place, and few of the crowd
who watched spellbound expected to
see the man emerge alive from his
glass-covered prison.
Three magnificent pythons are in one
of the big glass cages in the reptile
house. Sixteen feet is the length of one
snake. This is Rajah, the prize of the
collection. The unfolded coils of the
othe pair stretch fourteen and eleven
feet. Yesterday the larger snakes re-
ceived their bi-weekly meal. Much tact
is required in serving a meal when
three monster snakes are the diners.
Three ducks or rabbits or guinea pigs
must reach them simultaneously or de-
pletion of the zoos fine snake collec-
ton will follow There is one other re-
quirement in dinner service according
to the snake code of ethics The snaka
first finished with his repast is EMIT
led to additional food. And if he doesn't
get it there is trouble.
1t was due to Keeper Thompson's in
ability to preserve equilibrium in the
beginning and end of the big snakes
meal that caused the trouble Nine
newly killed ducks filled the basket over
the keepers arm when he stepped to
the door of the pythons' den. AS the
front of the glaSs-coVered cage was I'M
barred three great reptile bodies I'M
coiled from the tangled heap on the
floor. and three pairs of eyes peered at
the keeper. Then. opening wide the
plate glass door, the keeper deftly
| threw fowl to each of the snakes. A
swift, almost tmperceptible movement
of the reptile heads, and the food was
| caught as nicely as thrown. The
snakes withdrew to the rear of the
cage, each to devour his meal
By the open door stood Keeper
Thompson with the second course of
| the meal ready to serve. Rajah, the
monster, gulped down the last of his
fowl and gazed longingly at the share
| of the smallest snake. A threatening
movement on the part of Rajah warn
ed the keeper that the time for the sec
ond course had arrived and another
duck flew at the python's head. The
other snakes each claimed his second
round in turn, and settled quietly back.
An interested crowd pressed close
about the keeper and he turned
! to warn them back. There was
a hiss in the cage behind
him, and Keeper Thompson saw two
pythons wrapped tight about each
other, struggling for the possession of a
dismembered fowl
Keeper Thompson had to separate
the snakes. Before the crowd could
conceive the keepers intention, he had
jumped into the glass-bound cage and
bolted the door behind him. The snakes
fought on. Fearlessly the keeper
grasped their convulsive bodies and
tried to tear them asunder. Slowly
they unwOund and before Thompson
could turn to the barred glass door the
pythons had twined about him. He
tried to free himself then gave up the
struggle In an attempt to prevent his
chest from being crushed in. The huge
! snakes wound their bodies around the
mans limbs. Thompson stood motion,
less. The crowd GaZed spellbound al
the man, who was gradually weaken,
ing under the weight of the reptiles
Other keepers, attracted by the ex.
| tracted by the excitement, arrived in
the snakehouse and pushed through
the crowd to the Gagged man Thomp
son managed to reach the boiled door
and the glass partition swung back
Three keepers jumped in and beat the
big snakes until they freed the cap
tive. Thompson slipped out the door il
safety.
The keeper was badly bruised, bu
otherwise was uninjured. In his nine
teen years experience at the garden
he never had a similar mishap. Il
has been necessary several times 70
me to separate the pythons as the.
fought" he said yesterday. but thi
is the first time they ever turned upoi
me and l don't want to have the ex
perience repeated"