The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-17

OF neat or cold, and it is impossible for
MN 10 survive any length of time with
OUT water. A prolonged thirst will
uIlNe MN to the utmost extremes,
even TO gnawing holes in the thickest
ieao pipes or killing the weaker of his
kind for the sake of their blood. It is
sdlu that II one were to place a dozen
rats IN a cage with a loaf of bread and
no water, one of the company would
disappear each day until the loaf was
nhlshed, and then the remainder would
nght TO the death among themselves.
The rodent, however, displays GER
tain amount of chivalry despite his
cannibalistic habits. If he feels it nee
essary TO steal the young from their
nests IN order to satisfy the cravings
or MS appetite the buck will invaria-
ply select male in preference to a
female This. says the rat catcher, is
the reason why most of the rodents
caught in traps are females.
Inc bus1neSS-like way in which the
professional rat catcher goes about his
work compels the admiration of the
layman. Poison will rid a place of
rats, but not OF their bodies after
death, and such means of extermina-
ton is both unwise and unsanitary.
Your true operator, the man who takes
a pride in his profession, scorns poison
and uses methods that require skill
and a knowledge of his quarry. His
plan of campaign is mapped out after
a glance at the scene of operations,
whether it be the hold of a ship, a
dock, or a factory building. He knows
where to look for holes. as experience
has told him that rats do not bore
where they cannot feel a draught of
air or be reasonably sure of finding
light. Some holes he covers with sheet
tin carried for the purpose: at others
he builds ''runways,' through which
the rodents must pass in their search
for food. If the work is to be car
ried on in the daytime, numerous bait
ed traps are set about the floor in va
rious places, while undated traps COW
cred with paper are placed within the
'runaWays,' which are nothing more
than little square houses, having only
one exit. The rat comes out of his
hole, and the minute he touches the
paper in the right spot the trap be-
meath is sprung. If it fails to make
him prisoner, he usually falls a vic
tim to one of the baited traps. All
the traps cause instant and painless
death, for they possess springs of I'M
doubted power.
Rat catching at night is carried on in
a different way. Small pieces of pork
treated with some secret and alluring
l.
1t is an insinuating food, and after the
place has been baited two or three
times, the rats are fairly frantic when
they smell it, whole families turning
out to get their share. This is the
slayer's opportunity. He moves quiet
ly in rubber shoes, with his lantern
darkened. Then he sprinkles the bait
and awaits developments. Soon the
rodents come, in ones and twos and
Il IL
there are enough to warrant his be-
ginning operations, he suddenly flashes
his lantern on the group. The steady
light dazzles them so completely that
they are almost transfXed. With a
dizziness that comes only through long
experience, the rat-catcher works his
tongs. To move the lantern so that
its rays would cast a shadow against
any object would be to give his vic
Tins a chance to escape, and so the
light is held steadily in their eyes. In
manipulating his tongs the operator
fastens their corrugated points on the
soft skin near the rats tail, and in an
other moment the animals head is
crushed beneath the foot of its destroy
er. Sometimes the operator is forced
to throw rat beneath his coat, in or
der to catch another within his reach,
and it is remarkable that the animal
will cling to the cloth without fear,
thinking, perhaps, that it has at last
reached a place of safety. The rat
catcher is compelled to work quickly,
and he must also take care to fasten
his victim, SO that it will fight to re-
lease itself rather than squeal. A
squeal of pain or terror is likely to
frighten all the rats in the building
for they have sharp ears and an in
stinctive sense of danger. Sometimes
the destroyer is severely bitten in sew
eral places, and though blood poison
ing may result if the wounds are not
carefully treated, he takes them as a
part of the nights work.
Rat catching is usually done under a
yearly contract, and periodic visits are
made by the operator to the premises
of his clients. While the determination
is never complete the rodent population
is reduced 20 a point where it's depre-
dations cannot cause a great loss in
valuable merchandise. One rat catch
er in New York claims to possess a
preparation which will drive rats from
a building for all time, but, this, of
course, does not lessen their numbers
The big department stores, furriers,
hatters. clothiers, and all merchants
who carry valuable stocks of goods
employ professionals to Danish rats
and mice, and the money expended in
the process is given ungrudgingly, for
it IS really an insurance premium
against great loss.
On board ship the rat is an expensive
stowaway who wakes fat on the cargo
and multiplies in a most prolific man.
ner. Every effort is made to extir-
pate him, and since the artful little
creature has been accused of carry
ing infection, in the form of bubonic
plague. he has obtained no quarter.
Scientific men say that the plague
which appeared in Hong Kong in 1894
was borne by ship rats to India, Alden,
Alexandria, Europe, South Africa, and
South America. When the Boer pris-
oners of war were carried from South
African PORTS to St. Helena, Ceylon,
and Bermuda. the utmost precautions
were taken to rid the transports of
rats, and not many months ago the
United States transport Sherman was
detained at Manila to determine wheth-
er she had brought plague infected rats
from Hong Kong. Sulphur fires were
started in her holds and thousands of |
rats were suffocated. This is the sail |
or's method of destroying the stowa- |
ways, and it is most effectual. The
however prefers to use |
traps and tongs, for then he leave no |
dead bodies behind. The sea rat is |
usually Of the black variety. his land |
home being in Southern countries. He |
has a round f1le-like tail, and perhaps |
because his habits are much cleaner.
he refuses ito live or even fraternize
with the common gray rat that is hunt
ed in New York. Around the docks
one may see the black rat, for he does
4. 49, -