The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-28
BITTEN BY A COPpERHEAD.
DAN TRACEY or MACK mas 4 CLOSE
car FOR Hrs HE
Hand aud but for Hia Fine Physique,
Improvised Tourniqnet aud u Liberal
Use of MhiskeN He Would Have Died.

Use of Whiskey He Would Have Died.
NYAcK. n. Y. Sept. Pin spite OF the best
efforts OF largo and active copperhead snak q
to put permanent end to his activity no later
than Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Dan Tracey OF
this place 10 now back at work on the new tee-
phone line. lie ia pretty generally regarded
as wonder, for an ordinary man being bitten
/ by acopperhead Is not expected to recover from
1t entirely for II considerable time. and some
times it happens that the victim does not re-
cover at ALL However. Tracey 10 orc robust
than the average man and promptne ss OF treat
| ment doubtless Is largely responsible for his
| having come out so well. Even 40. he gave q
very lively night OF exercise to those having
charge OF him.
| d. Tracey ~ six feet tail weighs 1S5 pounds
| doesn't drink. hardly knows what illness Is
and is altogether as robust specimen of man
| hood as can be found. He has been employed
for several weeks digging post holes for the
telephone line between West Nyack and Haver-
straw. and was at work on Tuesday afternoon
| at Brant's Corners. The region 10 hlily and
| full OF rock heaps and gulles. an Ideal fall
| home for copperheads. When II came time to
knock of work Tracey had dropped his tools
near two rocks that lay close toget Their. and was
busy rolling some other rocks out OF the way
and down the hillsides. He walked over to
| get his tools and reached down beside the two
rocks with his right hand. when he gave a sud
den exclamation and dropped the bar that he
| had picked up.
! What's wrong. DAM" asked fellow laborer
who stood near.
I've spiked myself on Q thorn" replied
| Tracey. " 1t went into the bone Look at my
| hand"
| On the back OF the hand between the knuckles
! OF the first and middle fingers was spot OF
| blood
"Whew! It hurts" said Tracey. Tapping the
hand. I'll take a look at that thorn"
Leaning over he lifted one Of the rocks when
the copperhead. which had been lying under
there. struck at him. This time he saw the
snake soon enough to avoid the stroke. and
running to the roadside. picked up a club
with which he started back. The snake
met him half way and took the offensive.
lashng out at him again. and getting back into
position for another stroke so swiftly that the
man had little chance to land an effective blow.
Picking up rock he DESTROYED the enemys
formation, then beat 1t to death with a club
Look at your hand. man. cried the other
workman as soon as the fight was over. You
want to get to a doctor quick"
The back Of the hand had turned dull pur-
plish hue and was terribly bloated. and the
| swelling was going up the arm fast. Already
the fingers we're paralyZed.
III that goes up to my head I'm a Goner."
| said Tracey. Twist that handkerchief around
the arm as tight as you can"
He tossed his bandanna to mis- companion,
who improvised a tourniquet. a precautinn
which the doctor afterward said was OF the
greatest value. Then together they set OF at
trot for the office OF DR.. W. C. McKeeby OF this
place. which they reached Just forty minutes
after the patient had been bitten. Already the
poison had begun itsweakennE action upon the
/ - haa
uar and weak He did not complain OF pain.
but felt dizzy and half supplied.
The first thing Dr. McKesby did was to give
the patient hypodermic injection OF strych-
nine as heart stmulant: then. examining
the hand. he found two distinct and deep pune
lures whore the fangs had struck Cutting
freely into tho flesh he had Tracey suck the
wound, after which he injected into it perman-
ganate OF potash, an antidote to snake venom
SO tightly was the arm bound that the hand
was cold. and there was danger OF coaJu-
lation OF the blood; but as soon as
the physician removed the bandage the
swelling. which had been confined to that part
OF the arm below the bandage. quickly ex-
tended to the neck together with some discol-
Grafton. BY this time the mans wrist was
twice the normal size and he had entirely lost
the use OF his hand. He had rallied somewhat.
however. and said that he could walk to the
Nyack House. few blocks away. where he had
been boarding.
AS soon as you get there. said DR.. McKeeby,
you drink all the whskey You can. swallow
this dose OF IL before you GO"
But I'm not drinking man. Doctor" OBJ
jected Tracey.
the doctor. while you can keep awake and
swallow. ltyou ieel worse or the swelling in
To the Nyack House went Tracey and told
Peter Gross tho proprietor. who is u friend OF
his that he wanted to to Se ni hft up With whs.
about i o'clock Dr. McKeeby in his ofice heard
thick stammering voice was bowling that the
place was full OF snakes. and yelling with fear
over something The doctor ran out and found
his patient struggling with Gross and two
Sansd to
matter was explained 10 him. he helpsd to- get
the maddened patient into tho doctors office:
and Tracey fought snakes on ali sides. and
jerked systematically from his knessup. There
was danger OF convulsions. but the physician
Gained down enough so that his friends could
take him back home.
case was satisfactory. As soon as the spas-
mode symptoms we're ,, overcome the heart
Il The Sad
any further headway. Only the rig ht arm was
affected. Gross and the others got Tracey to
take care Of him, All night long he fought
them in relays. Sometimes he was on top.
sometimes they were on top: sometimes II was
u sandwich. The bed clothing was torn TO
shreds and the room looked as IL u railroad
train had gone through it UNEXPECTEDLY.
In the morning Tracey was In his right
mind. He said he had suffered terribly from
the rain In his arm, Gross is inclined to be-
lievo that 1t was the whskey more than any
thing else that caused the suffering. as in his
semi lucid periods he had not complained Of
pain in the arm or hand He stayed In the
hotel all yesterday and snld he felt pretty we'll.
except for weakness and tendency to ner-
yousneSs. The swelling went down rapidly.
BY the morning 1t was practically. gone.
bat the fingers were still little stifii
70 report for work, and whom he joined
his fellow workmen they were greatly
amazed to see him back. The foreman COM
planned that since the accident It was almost
i'm possible to get one Of them TO touch rock
Some Of them had measured the dead copper
head and found II to be a little more than three
feet long 1t was unusually large around for
that species Of snake. being nearly as thick as
a mans wrist in its greatest diameter.
A Sun reporter saw DIR. McKeeby to-day and
asked him about the case.
1t IL n remarkably quick recovery said he.
and | attribute II largely to Tracey's fine
physique and excellent condition: The snake
had good blow at him. sunk both fangs deep.
md he M at hnyA has "a lar0a in NJ