The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-18
Richmond Man, S. A.. Thomp-
son, Gains Newspaper Mo-
toriety by Recent CONVEX
sation With President.
HAD EXPERIENCES IN
Widest VENEZUELA
Chief Executive Is Informed
That Articles to Combat
Savage Insects Are as Nee
essary as Rifles.

s. A. Thompson OF North Eleventh
street, was played up" as the subject
OF 4 feature article in the Sunday edi-
ton OF the Indianapolis Star. Thomp-
sons newspaper notoriety has follow
ed his conference with President
Roosevelt relative to the dangers of
an African hunt. Thompson, who sew
era1 years ago, made an extensive
tour through the heart OF Venezuela
and other South American countries
fears for the safety of the president,
ifhe attempt to carry out his plan. The
climatic conditions the president is ex-
pected to encounter will be practically
the same as those experienced by the
Richmond man. The chief executive
ID said to be deeply interested in what
Thompson had to say.
Must Fight Insects. ..
Articles with which to combat the
insects are needed as badly as heavy
1ifes with which to shoot game, &C.
cording to Mr. Thompson, when trop-
icaIs hunt is undertaken. Speaking
upon the subject of insects, he has the
following to say:
.-The first thing to be considered is
the, mosquitoes, of which there are
many different varieties. Waterton,
an explorer who wrote of conditions
In Guiana. said there were twelve va
riet4es of mosquitoes and that each va
risty was on duty two hours of the day
SO that by the difference in the noise
made by them he could approximate
the of the day or night without
reference to q time piece. There is
one kind the bite of which can not be
felt, and another that stabs like a
knife. Some of these mosquitoes car
ry germs OF malaria and yellow fever.
In starting into q forest II you can not
take 10th mosquito net and food,
take the net-for without 1t onewou1d
soon need no food. Without regard to
the germ that may be carried by the
mosquito, the irritation of its sting
will produce feverish condition.
Ants Are Dangerous.
However, it is with the ants that
the traveller In South America has to
deal very largely and no doubt the
same is true In Africa. There are many
varieties, but four of which are worthy
Of special notice. These are the white
red. black and parasol ants. The white
ants are destructive to paper and wood
and no furniture, no wooden trunks OF
packing cases, no ecords, maps o.
books are safe from them unless en-
cased In metal. The red ants are very
much the size Of the local variety ane
are known to the Spaniards as fuego
citos Qittle fres) for the reason tina
/ while they do not bite or sting. the!
deposit drop Of acid on the skin tina
burns to an almost unbearable degree
Fear Of ekack Ants.
~Of the black ants there is create
fear than Of any animal or reptil
there. It has both powerful jaws AM
. sting, and 1t Is common saying
IN. South America that to be stung b.
one is certain death in twenty-fou
hours. This is no doubt true OF tn
vanezuelans. but experienced traveller
from outside that country, familia
with methods OF treatment, can com
bat the effects successfully.
One OF the most wonderful things Il
nature Is the parasol ant which dc
rieves its name from its leaf cuttin
habit. These ants organize their com
munities much on the orer of huma
society, and they have seven division
Of duty, ranging from nurses to sol
disrs. They build nests fifty feet i
diameter and construct roads sfxtee
roads extending three-fourths of mil
into the forest, over which they marc
In ranks six inches wide. the worker
In the center, with single line c
soldiers on the outside and row c
officers beyond these