Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-23

ures are soon begun to check the increase
of the rodent of such alarming fecundity.
Perhaps the greatest damage from rats
is suffered at the extensive water front,
where thousands of dollars worth of
goods are spoiled annually NY their dep
relations. The water front rat, not to
say water rat, is the source of much dan
ger to the entire borough, for incoming
merchandise, particularly foodstuffs. is
often contaminated by rats, which seem
to have their abode where disease germs
are most apt to thrive.
Steamship piers and stores seem to be
bothered more than other river-edge es-
Establishments. The ships bring with them
any quantity of rats, and though they
are regularly cleaned out by the Pied
/ Piper of Brooklyn considerable damage
is done.
| A man who has done duty as a watch
man at the water front for many years
| gave it as his opinion that the amount
of foodstuffs spoiled by rats along his
| post alone would maintain several big
| families.
"The ships bring most of EN-" he said.
There's more rats on this dock than
you could catch with hundred traps.
and as quick as you catch 'em there's
others that come around. They chew
holes in the boxes and swipe everything
that amt nailed down. Are they big?
Well, now I've seen 'em chase big dogs
right off this dock and they amt afraid
of nothin' or nobody. l see them aplayin'
tag by the dozens here and they run
around as if they had the place all to
themselves. They won't be chased,
either, and If you try to knock one of
'em you'll have a mob of 'em at your
heels There's some rats here as big as
full grown cats and fresh-say, just you
around here night and Won III
find out what l mean.
"But you can take it from me that it
won't be an easy job to put the rats
around he;e out of business. They'll
have to come mighty quick, for more and
more comes around every day. Blest II
know where they come from, but
they're here. Iou can't store stuff on
this ock over night without havin' 1t all
chewed up and spoiled by the rats.
They'll eat anything from cheese up to
wooden boxes and they tackle load of
candles whenever they come here like
they'd been starving for week"
According to watchmen along the water
front the problem of the rat Is fast as
Stunning serious proportions. Although in
dividual battles have been waged against
the rodent pest no effort on large scale
has been made to exterminate the four
looted nuisance. G. E. Edwards the
L .eQ HlDcT OI bTOOhlyl, WIN Nils bAOiO
rats than any other man in these parts
has contracts to keep him busy for
long time to come. But from the facts
and figures of competent authorities 1t
c7n be realized his labors will have no
perceptible effect on the rat colony OF
Brooklyn. The colony multiplies faster
than Piper Edwards or half a hundred
pipers, for that matter, can kill off.
The health authorities, although they
have been discreetly silent on the sub
iect, through fear of creating panic.
appreciate the danger engendered by the
rats that infest the average ousehold
and outbuildings.
From the observations of these Off
cials it was learned that most of the
interior city rats congregate in the old
fashioned sewers, which are perhaps the
gravest points of danger with respect 10
the development of disease germs After
disporting themselves in the pestilence-
laden sewers the rats invade house and
home deposIting in the food stored in
the pantry the germs they have trans
ported. Thus disease is spread, not alone
through contamination of food, but the
mere presence of disease germs left by
rats is source of danger, the gravity OF
which can scarcely be overestimated.
In numbers, size and ferocity the rats
of the interior constitute most Tor
midable enemy of the human race.
Those in a position to know the charac-
.teristics of the rat colony that infests
Brooklyn agree that it will be no easy
task to eliminate it even to a noticeable
degree 1t is pointed out that "a partial
campaign would be worse than useless.
and those best Informed on the subject
insist that the only effective way would
be a crusade begun in every part or the
borough at once and continued relent-
!essly until all the rats will have been
done away with.