The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-05-05
RATS ABOARD SHIP.

Chatting with some friends last
night, the captain of big freight
steamer now taking on cargo at this
port, told some queer stories about
rats. 81 have the ship cleaned out
by professional rat catchers when
ever we touch at Liverpool, 4" he said,
land between times we try to keep
them down by trapping, but it's hard
work. We don't dare to use poison.
If we did, the hold would soon be
full of dead rats and the stencil would
breed fever. Our traps are of the
wire cage pattern and considerable
craft has to be used in setting them,
for ship rat is very cunning beast
and he will steer clear of decoys that
his landlubber brothers walk into
with their eyes wide open. If we
simply baited the traps in the ordi-
nary vvay- and loft thera about ~, the
hold we wouldn't catch a dozen in a
year. Our plan is this: On the
first night we open the trap doors and
tie them in that position with bits of
string, SO they can't possibly spring
shut. Then we put scraps of old
cheese inside and leave them until
the following evening. That's tor
assure the rats that the strange wire
contrivances are perfectly harmless,
and that they may enter i'll with
certainty of getting out again. Next
night we renew the bait and take off
the strings, and as a general thing
we catch all that the cages will hold.
I have seen them so full that it SEEM
ed impossible to get another rat in
side, which is pretty good evidence,
as take it, that they can't commu-
nicate with each other and give the
alarm. There is nothing new about
the trick 1 describe; it is practiced
on all large ships when the rats get
too bad.
Gas long as the creatures have
enough water to drink" continued
the captain, lighting a fresh cigar,
"they don't give the crew any par
ticular trouble and keep out of sight
down in the bowels Of the ship. But
thirst makes them desperate, and then
they become an unmitigated nuisance
and will go boldly anywhere in search
of a drink. 1 have known them to
invade the fo' castle in such numbers
that they drove the sailors to the
deck, and at other times have seen
some hundreds make combined rush
for water barrel. 1t would surprise
most people unaccustomed to seafar-
ing life to know that water is usually
kept in the hold of cargo ships espe
cially for the rats. It's done to keep
them below, and if for any reason the
supply runs short, there is sure to be
trouble. l said just now that when
the creatures were thirsty they would
go anywhere, and 1 mean it to the
letter. They will climb the rigging
f;oopsalIs looking rot the ram=wsce1
thaAaccumulates in the blight or fold
Of furled canvas. Last time l was IN
port saw a green sailor get the scare
of his life. He had gone aloft to
shake out the topgallant, and, as he
did so, four enormous rats sprang out
and ran up one arm, across his shoul-
ders and down the other side. He
was so startled that he let loose all
holds, and would certainly have fall
en- to the deck if he hadn't providen-
tally caught on the footline. Many
of the fo'castle hands make pets of
rats during a long voyage, and it is
astonishing how easily they can be
tanned and made to perform tricks.
When a professional catcher comes
aboard for general raid there is al
ways a frantic rounding up of these
pets to get them out of harms way
until after the battle is over.-Ne70
Orleans 7Smes-Dem0c,at.