Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-07-03
z He superb reptlle-house of the
! {. New York Geological Pax
;, was rapidly nearing compile

.s ~ Z New York ZOoloSlcal H.-S
was rapidly nearing compile
tion.. Its great main hall was
swarniing with workmen, who were
concreting the alligator pool, finishing
the big wall cases, dividing the CEN
trail ..installa aon" for turtles, and do
ing a hundred other things. The
opening day was relentlessly drawing
nearer and nearer, and we were anxi-
onsly assembling live beasts. birds
and reptiles with which to fill the
various installations that would be
opened to the public on that occasion.
Down ut Bartefs place e-wc~asnxiously
his stock of live serpents.
and made many purchases. The most
Important acquisition was black
tailed python, between fourteen and
fifteen feet long, fresh from some East
Indian jungle: chosen because its size,
Its perfect condition and ravenous ap-
petite combined to make 1t a genuine
prize. In collection a snake which
feeds freely is worth about twice as
much az one which does not, for 1t
s. viii live twice Us long as one which
requires to Eavc its food forced down
Its throat with ramrod.
Pending the completion Of our rep
tile-house. bird-house, small mammals
house, bear dens and q dozen other
things, we quartered all our live stock
in closed yard at the rear Of the
storehouse. A cleared space in the for
est about one hundred feet square
had been enclosed by tight board
fence, and in this were dozens Of tenn
porary cages and pens Of all sizes, filled
with wild creatures, impatiently
awaiting the opening day-and better
quarters. In one corner Of this yard
we had hurriedly erected cook house,
which in appearance was similar to
Western claim shanty. 1t stood low
upon the ground, and the most con-
,spicuous object within it was q live
", great ant-eater, whose wire house
extended quite across one end of the
room.
In that portion Of the yard where sew
eral dozen glacs-fronted snake-boxes
were arranged under shed one Of
our carpenters built for the python,
under Mr.. Ditmars's direction, large
box cage, with front Of wire netting
and glass. Compared with the other
snake-boxe it was very pretentious
affair, as befitted the "star boarder."
The python was expected by express
on q certain day, but when ] left the
park at nearly seven o'clock, 1t had
not arrived, and seemed very unlikely
{ to do so that nignI
reached the park the following
morning ut half past. seven O'clock:
and was just opening my desk, when
in came my Office boy. red In the face
nnd breathless ffsm running. {
so0d III ornilr Nh. Bitnarsl
wonld like to have me help hunt for:
SHE snake. May i go now :''
Hunt for what
The big snake. It escaped last
nightr' = ~.
What! That big python?"
Yes, sir.
"Horrorsp' said I; and we turned
and ran.
Words could not do the situation
Justice. The, stupid carpenter who
built the pythohs cage had left big
hole, four inches square, carefully con-
cealed behind a rafter In IN upper
corner Of the box. The serpent had
arrived late the previous evening, and
during the night had found this open
Ing and joyously glided through to
freedom.
) To think of that big serpent at lib
erty in the Geological Park! had no
great fear thatit would harm any one,
but the publicity! The busy place
was humming with gossipy workmen
from all parts Of the city; the report
ers would surely learn of the pythons
escape; before my mental vision rose
columns upon columns of newspaper
articles headed: Terror in the Bronx"
Monster Serpent Loose" "Panic in
the New Zoov' and the thought Of all
: this was more appalling to me than
the countenance Of any wild beast
had ever met. Great would be the
surprise and chagrin of the Geological
: Society, and the humiliation would be
almost unbearable. Truly. this was q
pretty way to start new Geological
Park!
At the animal yard found dozen
men and boys at work very quietly,
like sensible fellows. trying to find
the vanished python. My first act was
to send for several more men and
start them searching Systematically,
but without any noise or fuss, through
every square yard Of the low bushes
outside. Their orders were to search
In ever widening circles, discover the
snake If possible, and In the event of
doing SO, silently to mark the spot and
bring word to me. Leaving this part
Of the hunt in full progress, returned
to the yard.
1t seemed probable that the python
had crawled under some one Of the
many cages, platforms or buildings,
under several Of which it could easily
have found refuge. If 1t had gone un-
der anything else than the big, spread
ing storehouse building, which was
thirty-fye feet wide by one hundred
and thirty feet long, we might find it
before it could escape into the forest.
If, however. it had hidden under that
extensive building, we were in n
quandary.
The. men continued to look under
various things. likely and unlikely;
z and presently they discovered broad
mark hich seemed to be the trail Of
q the serpent, leading under the cook
house. a close examination confirmed
this theory, and then it was also re-
ported that no. similar trail could be
s found leading out. a carpenter was
hurriedly sent for to remove the
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