Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-07-24
Y HE superb reptile-house of the
New York Geological Park
was rapidly nearing compile

concreting the alligator pool, finishing
the big wall cases, dividing the CEN
trail ''installa,ion" for turtles, and do
| ing a hundred other things. The
! opening day was relentlessly drawing
! nearer ana nearer, and we We're anXi-
ously assembling live beasts, birds
and reptiles with which to fill the
various installations that would be
opened to the public on that occasion.
Down at Barters place We anXiously
examined his stock of live serpents,
and made many purchases. The most
| important acquisition was Il 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 it genuine
prize. In a collection snake which
feeds freely is worth about twice as
much as one which does not, for it
will live twice as long as one which
requires to have its food forced down
It's throat with a ramrod.
Pending the completion of our rep
tile-house, bird-house, small mammals
house, bear dcns and Il dozen other
things, we Quartered all our live stock
In Il closed yard at the rear of the
storehouse. y cleared space in the for
est about one hundred feet square
had been enclosed by a tight board
fence, and in this We're dozens Of tenn
)orary cages and pens of all sizes, filed
gs,,,, E1,-
awaiting the opening day-and better
quarters. III one corner of this yard
we had hurriedly erected a cook house,
which in appearance was similar TO u
Western claim shanty. 1t stood low
upon the ground, and the most con-
splcuous object within it was live
", great ant-eater, whose wire house
extended quite across one end OF the
room.
In that portion of the yard where sew
aral dozen glacs-fronted snake-boXes
were arranged under shed one Of
our carpenters built for the python,
under Mr.. Ditmars's direction, Il large
box cage, with Il front Of wire netting
and glass. Compared with the other
snalle-boXes it was a very pretentious
affair, as bafitted the "star boarder"
The python was expected by express
on Il certain day, but when l left the
park at nearly seven o'clock, 1t had
not arrived, and seemed very unlikely
to do so tGSt nignC.
L reached the park the following
morning at half past seven O'Clock,
and was just opening my desk, when
In came my office boy, red in the face
and breathless from running
Good morning, sir! Mr.. Ditmacs
would like to have me help hunt for
he snake. May so now"
Hunt for what?"
"The big snake. 1t escaped last
nightr'
what! That big python?"
ayes, sir"
Horrors" said 1; and we turned
and ran.
Words could not do the situation
Justice. The stupid carpenter who
built the pythons cage had left a big
hole, four inches square, carefully con-
cealed behind a rafter in an 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 that it 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 python's
escape; before my mental vision rose
columns upon columns of newspaper
articles headed: Terror in the Bronx"
Monster Serpent Loosew Panic in
the New Zoo." 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, end the humiliation would be
almost unbearable. Truly, this was a
pretty way to start Il new Geological
Park!
AT The animal yard l found a dozen
hANAi tt44A IVY . at NOIh very NultllS
like sensible fellows, trying 10 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
doins; so, silently to mark the spot and
bring word 10 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 1t could easily
nave found refuge. If it had gone un-
der anything else than the big, spread
ing storehouse building, which was
thirty-fiye feet wide by one hundred
and thirty feet long, we might find it
before it could escape into the forest.