The Republican journal., 1907-01-03
A MENAGERlE AT SEA.
A Monkey and Parrot Time. Mongoose
and Cobra Fight to the Death.


With the death of a mongooSe and a
cobra in the Lichtenfels, German
freight steamship which came into port
yesterday from the far east, there end
ed remarkable chain of fatalities
among animals taken from India by
officers of the vessel. The mongoose
and the snake died almost simultane-
ously, locked together at the end of one
of the most exciting battles ever
fought at sea.
When the Litchenfels sailed from
Calcutta on October 3Oth Captain
Frerichs had collie dog presented to
him by an English officer; First Officer
Waldorf had a crocodile, Second Officer
Merger had several small parrots, the
chief engineer, Reese, had a doe; the
second engineer, Kuck, had several
cobras; John Wolf and Charles Freu-
denberg, fifth aud sixth engineers, had
three specimens of the mOngoose,
deadly enemies of snakes, and men,
bers of the Lascar crew had about two
dozen onkeys.
Within two days of Suez, on Novem-
Der 14th, the Lichtenfels ran into a
Red Sea sand storm, which set the
monkeys crazy. They were Gagged in
the main deck compartment forward.
When the storm disappeared the doors
were opened and they scattered over
the ship, and all except two leaped
into the sea from the rigging. The
survivors were left in Snez.
END OF THE CROCODILE.
On the day following the monkey
cage delivery, Freudenberg was caught
by the first officers pet crocodile and
nearly knocked down flight of iron
steps in the engine room by its tail
The crocodile had to be beaten away,
and it died that afternoon, presumably
of fractured skull. The doe sue
cumbed at Suez, and on the passage
through the Suez Canal the captains
collie fell or jumped overheard when
barking at natives.
Cold weather was encountered as
soon as the Lchtenfels poked her nose
past Gibraltar and headed for America.
One by one the parrots died, and final
ly two of the mongooses also expired.
That left the two cobras and a lone
mongOOse.
For eight days the freighter was
tossed by northeast gale, and her
decks were continually awash. In the
midst of this gale, on December 9Th, as
Freudenberg and Wolf were attending
to their pets, the mongOose darted into
the box wherein lay the cObras and
tore open the throat of one of the
droWsy snakes. Then it turned it's at
tention to the other
LASCAR CREW IN TERROR.
The Lascar iremen, already terrified
by the gale and the dripping of water
into the engine room, were sent into
panic when they heard the cries of
Freudenberg and Wolf for assistance.
In a narrow space over the huge en-
gines, on a platform of iron bars and
with sheer fall of thirty feet at their
very heels, the two under engineers
battled with the cobra and the mon
goose for half an hour.
Over and over the platform went the
snake and the mongoose until the
cobra's scaly hide was torn in, several
places and the mongoose's jaws were
dripping. Suddenly the cobra wound
itself around the 1.-THE body of the mon
goose, but the mOngoose's teeth were
in its throat before it could begin to
squeeze. Then, as the mongoOse's life
was crushed out the snakes head
dropped.
1t was with difficulty that the en-
gineers disengaged the two bodies.
When they had succeeded they quickly
stuffed both and returned snake and
mongoose to the positions which they
held when they killed each other The
battle was thus portrayed by the stuff
ed animals in the engineers room yes
terday.
In the big freighter's cargo there are
$500 tons of tea, ~jute, gunnies, East
India goods, silks and Indian temples
and other things for collectors. Roast
chicken for Chinese settlements, joss
sticks, fire crackers and birds nests
also appear in her manifest.
Wise Counsel From the South.
81 want to give some valuable advice to
those who suffer with lame back and kid
ney trouble says j. K. Blankensh;p, of
Beck, Tenn. 81 have proved to an absc-
lutte certainty that Electric Bitters will
positively cure this distressing condition;
The first bottle gavenpe great relief and
oft taly fo hOftloS I