Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-05-20
KILLS RATS BY ELECTRICITY.
Rochester Firm Has Novel Way of
DISCRIMINATING the Pests.

ExleFmindtin9 tne FeStSs
Owners of grain warehouses suffer
great loss and annoyance by the de-
predations of the rats that usually
infest such places, and as yet no eff
fective means have been devised of
getting rid of them. A firm of ware
housemen at Rochester, N. Y, in whose
place of business the rodent family
has been particularly numerous and de-
structive, has devised method of
getting rid of them that has proved
eminently successful Since the in
PRODUCTION of scientific methods, how
ever, the rats have been killed off so
rapidly that within short time they
will be practically extinct.
When the rats first began to over
run this particular warehouse the aid
of their time-honored enemies, cats,
was first called in. The cats meant
we'll and were energetic, but they could
rot follow the rats down their holes,
and the rodents were SO sly, as well
as numerous, that it was soon evident
cats could not solve the problem of
getting rid of them.
Traps of various kinds were then
tried. At first they worked well, but
after little time the rats came to I'M
derstand and avoid them. The same
proved true of poison. In the mean
time the rats, which had first selected
the grain warehouse as place where
an easy living could be procured, had
evidently informed their rat friends,
and these called in others, until 1T
seemed as if most of the rats in that
part of the state must have establish
ed headquarters in that storehouse.
Then a clerk with an inventive turn
of mind tackled and solved that rat
question The warehouse is lighted
with incandescent electric lights,
which, however, are seldom used at
night. First, the clerk placed fiat
piece of copper on the floor in one of
the corners of the building and wire
was run to it from the incandescent
light circuit. On this copper plate was
placed large and appetizing piece of
cheese. Then a second copper plate
was placed on the floor almost, but
not quite, touching the first copper.
The return wire of the incandescent
light circuit was connected with this
second plate.
The cheese, of course, was in full
view on the floor, and nothing could
have looked more innocent. But to
reach it a rat would first step on the
copper plate connected with the return
wire. So far nothing would happen to
disturb the peace of mind OF his rat
ship. His next move, however, would
be to place his forefeet on copper No.
l, on which the cheese had been placed
The instant the front feet of the rat
touched this piece of copper, as his
hind feet would still be on the second
copper, he would complete the electric
circuit. The current would shoot
through his body. and he would drop
dead before he had time to utter a
squeak.
There was nothing about the con-
trlvance to indicate a trap, even to the
oldest and wisest rat. The cheese
was in plain sight, and apparently
easy to get, and by its smell attracted
rats from all over the warehouse. The
whole arrangement looked so innocent
that even the sight of the bodies OF
their predecessors did not brighten
away the hungry rats. On the morn
ing after the rat electrocution' tree
was first tried over a score of dead
rats were found. The next evening
half q dozen similar traps were set,
all meeting with the success OF the
first. 1t was plain that the rat ques-
ton was settled so far as that ware
house was concerned.
81 think l ought to get out a patent
for my electric chair for thieying rats, .
said the inventor of the novel trap,
proudly. "And, besides any money
which my scheme might bring me, |
think | am entitled to a large medal
from the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, for the rats
don't suffer the least pain. They are
dead before they know what has hap
pened."