Evening star., 1922-04-16
MAP OUT BATTLE
ON ARMY OF RATS
Hundreds of Destructive
Rodents at Thomson School
to Be Attacked.

A campaign of attack on the horde
of educated rats that infest the Thorn
son. School at 12th and l. streets.
was mapped out at a conference yes
terday afternoon between DR.. Joseph
n. Murphy, supervising medical In
spector of the school, and Alexander
T. Stuart, director of intermediate in
struction.
Armed with a large quantity of
barium carbonate, DIR. Murphy will
open war on the rodents tomorrow
morning. and he hopes they will be
exterminated before the school re-
opens after the Easter holidays, April
"a. Whether the barium carbonate
will be a successful weapon in the
fight on the rats Is dubious in the
opinion OF DR.. Murphy. He pointed
out that the rodents are wary AMI
mails and seldom go ear chemicals or
anything which a human hand has
touched until they face starvation.
Money to purchase the chemicals to
rats at the Thomson School will
come out of the contingent fund.
School officials made it clear that
they have no other appropriation
from which to draw in an emergency of
this kind.
"UtI tacuthOhs
Criticism of school officials and the
health department for not beginning
the rat determination campaign at
the Thomson School. it was empha-
sized by the authorities. was unjusti-
fed in view of the fact that it was
unwise to kill the rodents while
school was in session. The officials
declared that should the attack on
the animals have been started be-
for the Easter vacation began they
would have died in the walls or in
the heat fues and exposed the children
Conditions at the school for fight
ing the rats this week, the officials
said, are ideal. There will be no fire
in the building and the pupils and
teachers will be on their annual
Easter vacation.
The rats at the Thomson School al
ready have destroyed hundreds of dol
lars worth of property. They have
eaten the glue on the backs of text
books. devoured paste and killed many
plants which the teachers had in
their rooms.
AS yet school officials have received
no complaints of rats infesting other
school buildings. Although they have
no doubt that there are some rodents
in other schools. the campaign at the
present time will he confined solely
to the determination of the animals
in the Thomson School.
Ferrets Chased Out.
In discussing the rat horde at the
Thomson School. officials recalled tnat
not many years ago the Franklin
School. administration headquarters of
the school system, was infested by
the animals. A professional pied
Piper" with a number of ferrets was
employed to rid the school of the
rats. The rodents, however. drove the
ferrets from the building and the
"Pied Piper lost his job. Later the
basement floor of the school building
was cemented and the rats disappeared.
The appearance of the rats in the
schoolhouses. officials believe, is. due
to the luucheons and entertainments
which are frequently held in them.
Bread crumbs and other foods care
lessly dropped on the floor, it was
pointed out, attract the rodents and
their quick propagation soon results
in the schools being overrun with the
animals.
Oficials of the schools have request
ed teachers and supervisory officers to
be unusually careful to have all foods
placed in a secure place after lunch
cons are served in their buildings.