Sewer Rats in New York

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 62, 4 November 1884, Page 3

Sewer Rats in New York

A veteran ratcatcher of New York says tliac large rats are found along the wharves, near where tbe sewers * ■ empty into the river. " I remember," > he said, "a pitched battle that took ■ place between three of my ferrets and and five rats, down at a sugar boiling 1 ; house. Each rat was fully from fifteen to eighteen inches in longt-h, and mnst have weighed from four to |- five pounds. They Lad it hot and heavy for a quarter of sin h air. The ferrets fairly chewed tlie rats to pieces and came out victorious, though they got severely bitten themselves. Subsequently one of tho ferrets died. ibat night F succeeded in killing ninety rats. But 1 have seen larger rats than those in my 'ime. A few years ago inj' dogs caught n rat down at the Washington A vnue grain elevator, which was much bigger than j a cat. It was two feet Jong and weighed twelve pounds. 1 was very anxious to capture him alive, and itwas hard work to drive the dogs off. I mauaged to draw tbem away and J then I threw a net around him and ; brought him borne. A snlonn-keeper near made au ofrsr of $-0, anil I sold the rat to h'm to place on exhibition. He did not make much by the venture, as the saloonkeeper's wife was afraid of the big rat, and, be?-:g aixio.n to get rid tho animal, poisoned it. While the animal was on exhibition there was a sign disrdaved on tbo iron cage in which it was contnicd, saying ' Don't fool with tlm nib.' "