The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1903-10-29
rpr mREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.
Phoenix Mans Unsuccessfui carnpaiRn
Against Red Ants.

AgaAHat htu fNhNs
The most desperate conflict that
ever occurred between a Phoenix eitii
zen and a colony of red ants is about
TO be related. The industry and perse-
verance of the red ant Is proyer0ial,
and his efforts are often directed
against the most obstinate enterprises,
yet are generally crowned with sue
cess. 1t has been frequently limited
that if the red ants in this valley had
been men and the men had been red
ants the Tonic dam would have been
built years ago.
This particular colony of red ants
decided that it wanted TO do business
Oh a lively thoroughfare, so 1t selected
one OF the principal streets of the city
and settled under a cement sidewalk.
When the summer season came along
better ventilation was desired, so with
out loss of time the whole colony set
to work and In a few days had a hole
bored up through the sidewalk, the ant
engineers having chosen a thin place
between the cement blocks.
Then came the mans turn, for a red
ant hill is not a pleasing sight nor a
matter of utility on a cement sidewalk.
The man thought there must have been
a break In the walk else the ants
would not have been able TO get
through. So he got some putty and
stopped up the hole. 1t took the ants
Just twenty-four hours to carry away
the putty. Fearful that they had got
next TO him and went to work on the
putty before it got dry, he decided to
get something with quicker action, SC
he secured a quantity of cement and
again stopped the hole. This held them
for two or three days, but they gnaw-
ed through again about the time he
began TO call the attention Of his
friends TO his supposed victory. He
mex tried plaster of paris, and after
that solder, but with similar results in
both cases.
Then he resorted to the primitive
method of drowning them out. He
knew that nobody else ever success
fully drowned out an ant hill, but he
thought 1t was because of the scarcity
of water, In this valley. He could sure
ly drown the insects II he used water
enough, for the water cur fixes even
a Filipino. As he had plenty of time
on his hands he spent the next few
days carrying water and running ii
through a funnel into the ant hole.
Finally, the insects began TO subside
and he thought he was making pro-
gress when he made the discovery that
the cellar under the house was full OF
water. Then he stopped pouring water
for a while TO let the cellar dry, When
the water In the cellar began to go
again. After a few days spent In cx-
pertinent he found hat by counting the
ants Oh the sidewalk he could tell just
how much water was in the cellar.
Then he gave up the water cure. lie
is still sure that Il would be a success
II he used water enough. but the con
tract TO keep the cellar full of water
all summer with n tin bucket and a
funnel began to look formidable.
Finally a new idea struck him. He
got Il pound of wire nails and a ham
mer and drove the ant hole full of
nails. At this date be has the ants
pacified, all the same Filipino. but he
can hear them gritting their teeth on
the lower side of the pavement and he
knows they are ribbing up something
designed for his mental prostration-
Arizona Republican.