The sun., 1908-08-21
TIE BRONX SERUM SAVEDROS
DITMARS SENT SNAKE BITE
CURE TO WASHINGT0S.


Iayed Congressional Limited Did Work
OF Expeditlng Chance So
Far 10 Use the Cure In the Zoo Here.
Congratulations were being received by
Raymond l.. Ditmarr. curator OF reptiles
in the New York ZOO, yesterday for the
assistance he gave. which probably saved
the life OF Rodney Rose keeper In the
Washington ZOO. who was bitten on Monday
by a diamond RATHER. the largest and most
deadly type OF the North American serpent.
A telegram was received on Monday in
New York less than an hour before the
departure Of the Congressional Limited.
the fastest train for Washington on the
Pennsylvania Railroad.
The information was meagre. but Dit
mars had been preparing for just such
an emergency for years. although he hadn't
figured on an out Of town call for help.
1t took the snake expert less than two
minutes to gather the apparatus together
and to grab the tube Of calmettes. the
anti-venom serum. Ditmars knows all
the Washington snake men. and he was
aware that once the outfit was In their
hands they would know how TO apply 1t.
One of his spryest assistants was called
and instructed to catch the limited and
TO turn the outfit over to the conductor
of the train at Jersey City.
The young man by dint OF a quarter
mile run caught subway express train.
and very few minutes after the first alarm
had been sounded the aid was being rushed
toward Washington in earnest. BY good
fortune and slitful threading OF the oon-
gested streets. after having emerged from
the subway at Fulton street. the man got
aboard the Cortlandt street ferry as tho
boat was moving from its slip.
The Bronx zoo people got the Penn
sylvania station by telephone and the
the conductor came running down from
the gate he had the snake outfit under his
arm.
Ditmars called the Washington snake
folks by long distance telephone, told them
what he had sent and made sure that they
knew exactly what to do. They. met the
train at Washington with an automobile
and few minutes later had applied the
serum to Rose, who was in delirious state
at the hospital The poison had spread
so generally throughout the patients
system that little hope was expressed for
his recovery. as the time which had elapsed
had appeared to have played havoc with
the victim.
According to advices Mr.. Ditmars got.
Rose began to show signs Of Improvement
almost Immediately The message said
there was hardly czse on record .wbsre
siEnssef fecossfy had appeared whore the
poison had such an excellent chance to
permeate the body. Mr.. Ditmars Is hard
man TO get 10 unless one has steady nerves:
is sober. and is accustomed to snooping
around the back yard Of a snake Office.
The first shadows OF evening were settling
last night when THE Sun reporter arrived
In search Of the curator.
Just 60 into the rear door Of the reptile
house, where there is a No Admittance'
sign overhead said an attendant, -then
turn to your left'
Those instructions were followed and
brought the reporter face to face with a
serpent eight feet in length Just ready to
spring at his throat. The reptile was on
an ordinary workbench, where evidently
1t had been brought for repairs. One
look was enough to satisfy even the news
paper instinct. The reporter would have
got away little quicker IL his gaze hadn't
been held up by huge Florida alligator,
its mouth open and apparently ready for
business.
The next thing that happened was the
reporter bounding into the adjoining room
unannounced. This happened to be Mr..
, .Tha NH N
out half dozen or 80 small. odd sized
mail He had q good laugh at the young
man who came in and assured him that
the animals he had encountered were not
alive or yet the product Of an overwrought
brain. but merely dead specimens that
were to be mounted, IL may be said that
the effect OF meeting them Unexpectedly
in dimly lighted room is about the same
whether they are dead or alive.
"The case Of Rose Is very interesting
one" said Mr.. Ditmars, "and hope that
he RECEIVERS. He got into trouble with bad
reptile. It's the most deadly OF its kind.
I don't know how Rose was bitten. but II
is wrong TO think that a poisonous snake
springs at an enemy. 1t never jumps from
the ground or strikes more than third Of
it's length. Poisonous snakes never chase
an enemy. Their attitude toward man is
merely that of self-defence.
1T is not necessary for a rattlesnake Q
to coil before striking. II can strike from
crawling position provided the neck can
be doubled into an s shaped loop to lurch
the head forward
"We haven't had an employee bitten at
the Bronx zoo since the park has been
started but any day such a contingency
arises we viii be ready for It, Our outfit
here oan be used with the ease and surety
OF fire extinguisher. The outfit Is hang
ing on the wall and every man knows how
to use 1t. We can get to any part Of
the snake house and apply the antidote
10 less than two minutes Everything de-
rends upon promptitude.
"Our emergency kit contains hypodermlc
syringes. rubber ligahres. several sharp
scalpels and principally the anutoSin.
technically known a. ,anti-venine. 1t Ia
a product OF the Pasteur Institute In Paris
and apparently the best antidote for snake
bite, as II does work along lines we'll under
stood and practical. This was what we
sent to Washington.