Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-12-12
SNAKE WAS WINTERING
IN LOCAL WATER METER
This Isn't Slice of dts Either for Many Faithful Wa
ter-Wagoners Viewed His Snakeshp. Snake Charm
er Charley Smith Captured the Reptile

Yet it really is true-there was
snake in that water meter. And this
prohibition town. What will the
temperance societies do?
Charley Smith, of the city water
works department, discovered the rep
tile snugly ensconced beneath the dial
of the water meter which measures
the water for the residence of Mr..
Arthur Rylander. Why, certainly
nothing personal in that latter state
ment 1t might have been anybody
else meter, except that the snake
chose the one mentioned.
If you know anything about the wa
ter meters here, as regards their size
and other peculiarities, you are won-
dering how in the deuce the snake
could have gotten into the meter But
it was there, coiled up among the lit
tie cogs beneath the dial where the fig
ures are read. OF course, it was 8
small snake, but then it was a snake
There's no nature-faking business
about this Neither did Char
lev Smith, The Times Recorder re-
rorter, nor any other of the dozen or
more reople who saw the strange sight
have the dts. They are all sober
people-usually
1t was discovered that the Rylander
meter had gone dead" some time ago,
but it was not until yesterday that i.
was taken to pieces and thoroughly in
spected by Mr.. Smith, who found tae
little snake coiled up among the small
cogs. 1t is not even thought that tAe
snake was the cause of the meters 20
ing dead" but the finding of the ju
venile creeper was interesting enough
tually measured, as it was alive at
last reports, Snake Charmer Smith
having lured the serpent from the III =
ter cogs when it had become warmed
up from its winter torpor, into bottle.
whence, it is said, most snakes origi-
nate, and whether it is proper for
them to return Probably six or seven
inches was the length of the snake,
which was, of course, proportionately
small, being but little larger than an
angle worm.
All the officials at the city hall and
the men at the fire department got
glimpse of the snake before it was
taken from the meter Some one sug-
gested that it be turned over to the
carnival here, to be handled by the
snake charmers. but Snake Charmer
Smith showed so much skill in handl-
ing the reptile that he retained pos
session of it having bottled it up for
future reference. The only eXplana-
tion given of the phenomenon is that
the snakelet, when it was a wee. bftsy
thing, crawled into the tiny drain hole
of the meter, having grown in size,
wisdom and knowledge of prohibition
for some time within the meter regis
ter Knowing that Americus is a pro-
hibition town it felt perfectly safe IN
doing so, Besides, there's just as much
reason why snake should celebrate
on water at Christmas time as any
other-animal.
BY the way, there may be difficulty
in getting some one to read the meters
henceforward. Every employe of the
water department is afraid to dive his
hand down into water meter sink
since this recent occurrence. 1t Is
thought, ALSO that all the men con
lnected with the department will now
sign temperance pledge pnd make
many New Year resolutions