Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-26
DOUBLE BEES
DRIVEN FROM
THE TRENCHES
Wonders Worked Also by Soap
and Water and Paint, After
Big Gun Insccticide Had Been
Used-New Farm Machinery
Replaces Junk.
How are the chickens, Bilo"

"Oh the hens are all right: assured the
custodian of the domestic birds at the
city farm. Bill was careful of his lam
guage and he knew one should not speak
OF full grown pullets as chickens. Bill
and all the other wards Of the city at the
city farm know that the chickens have
grown up along with other things which
! have changed to the advantage of the
city's unfortunate poor within the last
year.
The almshouse at Augustus Farm for
unfortunates is of ancient construction;
one would understand this at glance.
The older and larger section is, if justice
of words be skopen, not so old as Fort
Weston, but it is quite old enough to be
an historic relic and curiosity; the newer
section on the north end is in strict
keeping with the architecture of the orgi-
nal structure and the line Of demarca-
ton between the tive sections would not
be noticed if it were not so noticeable of
itself, a more or less straight line a
quarter inch wide running from sill to
gable This line used to be crack; now
it is of hard mortar.
If one begins to draw lines up at city
Manning S. Campbell, overseer of the
poor, found 1t so when he took up the
work of administering the affairs of the
institution last March. Everything called
for improvement; some things almost
wept for improved conditions-and some
people were near to weeping. Who
would not be near to weeping if an army
of Double Bees (Bed Bugs approached
every night with Teutonic determination
the only bed in the world open to well
come that particular PERSONS tired and
| discouraged body? Isn't it enough that
one should lose all ones worldly goods
all ones friends. even all ones hope and
faith in the future, without having 4
long hungry line Of voracious insects
drawn up at ones heel at midnight wait
ing in turn like INDECENT humans in the
bread line.
Mr. Campbell thought he should draw
line in this campaign, a first dine of Of
Tense against the arthropoda. The aims
house is not supposed to be a bughouse
Mr.. Campbell gave orders at once that 1t
should not be- The ineffective sweet
scented perfumed oil which had been used
to call the bugs at night, under pretense
of manning them, was canned for the
second time and a big-gun insecticide of
proved value in the defamation of hordes
of Double Bees was wheeled on to the
crest Of the trenches. Nanish-the Double
Bees. They sleep now up at city farm in
those lonely hours of the night when
they used to squirm in agony or wait in
expectancy, uncanny expectancy, for the
next nasty bite.
Next the dirt line was drawn. or rather
dirt lines, for there was first a line of
offense and then line of defense IN
tended to keep dirt forever from the
quarters of the INDECENT wards of the
city. The rooms at the almshouse were
| once painted, many, many years ago,
either a morbid slate color or a distress
ing yellow two colors we'll chosen, If the
intent was to place guard against the
possibility of the OCCASIONAL detection of
the fiend dirt, brother fiend of disease
and death Whatever the intent. the re-
suit was dirt: the almshouse was a poor
i house, very poor house for any human
to habitate. At best the almshouse at
city farm is not beautiful structure as
viewed within: homely it is and much
Bonded here and there. Secured. disin-
fected, thoroughly purged Of its thousand
sins of dirt. and painted clean white
the alr1shouse has grown in favor if not
in beauty-into whicr it could never
grow. The white paint spread over the
walls Of the low rooms Of the dwelling
contained formaldyhyde, the blow which
| almost finished the nightly reve!s OF the
Double Bees, and the great drive which
led the way for the last battle which ex-
terminated them. J. c. Astle. the capable
superintendent Of city farm, and Mr.
Campbell's victorious field general, says
is now terminated; not even private Of
the rank and vile has been seen for
weeks and the general pests succumbed
to the enemy's fire long ago.
White paint! There stands the first line
Of offense against the fiend dirt. Mrs.
Astle can see dirt hidden in the crevices
of washed coal and it fairly shouts when
it appears upon the white paint, so that
| even those who are dirt-blind can see,
| those dirt-deaf must hear, and the lame
cannot halt without stumbling upon it,
so squarely it stands out upon white.
Just let spot of dirt show up on that
| white paint-bang goes the second lines
| guns maximum rapid fire water guns)
and the dirt fiend surrenders again.
Those old bath rooms, so-called-let US
| not speak Of them: for is not propriety
sufficiently shocked by the tale Of the bed
bugs without a tale Of two pities? Let
It suffice to say they have been
cleansed. purged Of uncleanliness. freed
Of the fiend dirt, and are recovered In
| full from their one-time blighted condi-
ton. To be sure, there is one on the
first floor which looks unfinished; car
penter would know at a glance that it
needed more boards, more paint, more
plumbing, and other mores. while pass
ing glimpse Of the room would be enough
to convince a city official that it needs
money. money not yet appropriated. Mr..
Campbell went as tar as he could. as far
as he dared. then he stopped.
Did he stop in time? That depends up
on the political persuasion of the preju-
diced. but if one be not prejudiced one
would declare he stopped too son. There
were no tools for farming operations up
at city farm, though recent city reports.